SoHo is shorthand for south of Houston
(pronounced "how-stun"). It is the first official acronym given to a neighborhood in NYC.
The official historical district from 1973 together with Houston to the north, is north of Canal Street, and between West Broadway and Crosby Streets.
This most diverse neighborhood in lower Manhattan has had a long history before becoming the heart and soul of New York City.
Artists such as Phillip Glass, Twyla Tharp, Nam June Paik, Meredith Monk, Chuck Close, Frank Stella, plus many others helped create the ideal situation to make SoHo the Nexus of creative activity for a very magical time in the 1960's. SoHo came to represent the hip, avant garde scene.
Today, with stores like Intermix, SoHo is synonymous with trendy shopping, world class art galleries like Andre Zarre Gallery, a contemporary furniture center in Greene Street, some of the
most sought after real estate ("Finding anything under $1 million
in Soho is a job,"
so says Siim Hanja of Stribling & Associates), the future site of Mr Donald Trump
lastest building and of course it's cobblestone streets and cast iron buildings.
All of these reasons make SoHo the heart and soul of New York City.
It is also the backdrop for movie locations, fashion shoots, and one of the best places in the city
to catch a glimpse of famous stars of many genres, many of whom live in SoHo.
It's look and feel has been copied in many movie lots. SoHo has been used as a location
to such movies as Men In Black (Will Smith), Ghost (Demi Moore, Patrick Swyze),
Unfaithful (Diane Lane, Richard Gere), Hitch (Will Smith, Eva Mendez),
Little Nicky (Adam Sandler), Spiderman (Tobey Maguire. Kirsten Dunst),
Raising Helen (Kate Hudson, Garry Marshall Director), After Hours (Griffin Dunne,
Martin Scorcese Director), plus many many more.
The history of the SoHo area dates back to the early 1600's when SoHo was just grassy meadows where Indian Tribes settled. Over the years the neighborhood has gone through many drastic changes to get to what it is today.
After the Civil War, easy splendor gave way to a faster pace of life. By the 1880s, million dollar textile industries had settled in the area. As the population centers shifted uptown, industry and commerce followed. Small firms, import/export houses, truckina companies, wholesale textile houses, the "rag trade," and inexpensive clothing outlets began to move in and have remained even to the present time.
