Exploring New York's SoHo

Book excerpt: This historical guide reveals the events, architecture and personalities that make SoHo one of Manhattan’s most storied neighborhoods. SoHo—short for South of Houston—is a world-famous tourist destination known for its high-end fashion boutiques, innovative restaurants, and gorgeous loft apartments. But these modern luxuries are intermingled with a rich history that can still be seen in the neighborhood’s architecture and Belgian block side streets. In fact, the SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. SoHo’s beautiful old buildings tell a fascinating story of urban development, decline and regeneration. It was once the center of New York's show business world and its most infamous red-light district. The richest and poorest Manhattanites walked these streets, as well as historic notables such as John Jacob Astor, Harry Houdini, Aaron Burr and P.T. Barnum. In this colorful history, local authors Alfred Pommer and Eleanor Winters reveal these and other stories of an ever-changing SoHo.