New York Icons: SoHo
& Little Italy, Nolita, Bowery
SoHo
Originally the first free black settlement in Manhattan and later fortifications during the American Revolution, with little development until the draining of Collect Pond and the paving of Broadway. The first cast-iron buildings (an American innovation stronger and cheaper than brick or stone, superseded by steel) appeared mid-19th century along the shopping district (Lord & Taylor, Tiffany & Co.), grand hotels (St. Nicholas, Metropolitan), theatre district, and the city’s first red-light district — often luxurious houses of “ill repute” complete with published guidebooks! The highest concentration of brothels were along Houston and Mercer, with the oldest remaining at №105 (now a private residence).
Flight of the middle-class paved the way for manufacturing (“home of the rag trade”) and dry-goods. From the 1870s to the 1890s, home to over 20,000 French immigrants (“Little France”). Known as “Hell’s Hundred Acres” by the 1950s due to the bustle, noise and heat from sweatshops and factories. Empty at night. In the 1960s, a failed Lower Manhattan Expressway (LOMAX) proposal by Robert Moses that would have built two large elevated highways.
Illegally inhabited by artists (large spaces, low rent, community, architecture, location) during the 1960s. In 1973, creation of the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District (brown street signs) spanning the largest number of cast-iron buildings (250 constructed between 1840 and 1880) in the world. Many streets are paved with Belgian blocks (similar to cobblestones).
“The Father of SoHo” George Maciunas purchased 16 SoHo buildings from 1966 to 1975, developing them as Fluxhouse Cooperative buildings (the first located at 359 Canal Street) with live/work spaces for artists. Ignoring zoning laws forced him to wear disguises, only travel at night, and have friends mail in fake postcards from around the world! In 2013, the city removed two trees that Maciunas uprooted from a parking lot on Canal Street and planted in front of №80 Wooster to conceal illegal electrical work to provide free power to an avant-garde theatre on the ground floor!
In 1971, the zoning was amended to allow joint live/work spaces for existing artists. In 1974, the name SoHo (derived from South of Houston Street) or Soho was coined to sell real-estate (leading to similar names in other areas). In 1987, a one-time amnesty for granted for non-artists in the area. Current laws still require existing buildings include at least one certified artist (although rarely-enforced and easily bypassed via a waiver).
During the 1960s and 1970s SoHo had virtual no stores, only three local bars (Fanelli’s, Spring Street Bar, Broome Street Bar), no trash pickup (had to carry to the nearest place that did), no doorbells (yelling), lots of stair climbing (unusable lifts), homemade sewage piping (bathrooms were a foot off the floor with pipes underneath), little (business hours only) or no heating (a delivery truck would dump coal on the street), floors without soundproofing, and no taxis (had to provide directions). In 1970, the first galleries opened (Reese Palley, Paula Cooper, then FlatsFixed) ushering in many more (O.K. Harris, Leo Castelli, Let There Be Neon). There were three local movie theaters: Cinematheque (which became Anthology Film Archives in 1974 and moved to the East Village in 1980), Film Forum (formerly on Watts Street) and The Bleecker Street Cinema (1962 to 1990). Notable artists of the time include Blinky Palermo, Henry Miller, Blondie (sang at Arturos), Phillip Glass, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Starting in 1965 on Bleecker Street, David Mancuso threw the legendary house party known as “The Loft” well into the 1980s (moved to №99 Prince St in 1974). Referred to as the original rave and proto-discotheque where the phrase “I’m on the list” probably originated (you had to be invited or know someone, celebrities turned away)! Featured a bouncer (checking membership cards), state-of-the-art sound, homemade punch and snacks, cigarettes, balloons suspended from the ceiling in a parachute (then released), an antique mirrored ball (likely the first disco ball) and the first shared vinyl record pool (amongst DJs). Mancuso still throws parties in the East Village once in a while.
The “SoHo Effect” refers to artist-led gentrification. Homes occupied by artists turn an area into a safe residential neighborhood for affluent people to move into — pricing out the artists and diversity that made the area desirable. In 2013, the cost to buy a two-bedroom was $2 million — roughly a 25,000% increase in under 50 years!
Past local businesses include SohoZat (1978, undergournd bookstore), DeRoma’s, Magoos, The Cupping Room, The Performing Garage, The Canal Street Flea Market, O.K. Harris Art Gallery, Watts Happen Inn, The Spring Street Bar, Smokestacks Lightning, The Nancy Whiskey Pub, Dave’s Corner Luncheonette (24/7), the Museum of Holography, and Zelf Tools and Die Works (tools for rent by the hour) .Currently awash with boutique shops for brands such as Nike, Topshop, Bloomingdale’s, Adidas Originals (a converted parking garage), Zara, Uniqlo, BAPE, Victorias Secret, Vans DQM, Supreme, Apple, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., Prada ($40 million flagship), Louis Vuitton, Coach, Chanel, Alexander Wang, A.P.C. (opened 1993), Acne, Rag & Bone and the MoMa Design Store.
The setting for many films including Roman Holiday, An Unmarried Woman, After Hours (about being stranded in SoHo overnight!), Hannah and her Sisters, and Men In Black.
Little Italy
Large settlement of migrating Italians (peaked in 1910 at 10,000) during from the 1880s to the 1920s. Originally Mulberry Bend — described by Jacob Riis as “the foul core of New York’s slums” — Little Italy used to bound Worth, Houston and Lafayette streets. Just like Italy, partitioned into regional loyalties; Sicilians on Elizabeth Street, Genovese on Baxter Street, Northern Italians on Bleecker Street. Densely packed, lively neighborhood of pushcarts, barber shops, puppet shows and organ grinders (banned in 1936, later repealed).
By the late 1930s, the area was 98 percent Italian but is now just 400 residents and 50 or so Italian establishments catering mostly to tourists. The lifting of the Chinese Immigration Act plus residents moving to nicer neighborhoods led to a rapidly shrinking Little Italy.
The Feast of San Gennaro (the patron saint of Naples) began in 1926 and is celebrated annually — presidential candidate Ronald Reagan even made an appearance in 1980. Once only a single day, it now lasts 11 days. American-style meatballs emerged from Little Italy’s Southern Italians who went meat-happy and ate it with as much as possible.
The Mafia operated in Little Italy from the 1900s — with the Morello (“The Wolf”), Genovese (“Big Mike,” “Matty the Horse”) and Gambino (John Gotti) crime families. Featured in The Godfather (novel and films), Mean Streets, Donnie Brasco and Leon: The Professional.
Nolita
Nolita, sometimes written as NoLIta, derives from “North of Little Italy” and was coined in 1996 by real estate developers after unsuccessful attempts to pitch the neighborhood as part of SoHo. Long regarded as Little Italy, but has lost the Italian character in recent decades. Notable residents include David Bowie, Martin Scorsese (raised in the area), Moby and John Mayer.
Bowery
The oldest thoroughfare on Manhattan — preceding Europeans as a Lenape footpath spanning the entire length of the island. The Dutch named the path Bouwerij (Dutch for “farm”) road because it connected the then-city with farmlands and estates. While the Bowery technically extends above Houston Street to 4th, for the purposes of the blog that’s considered East Village.
In 1654, ten freed enslaved men and their wives were the first to settle with cabins and a cattle farm. In 1667, Petrus Stuyvesant retired to his Bowery farm. In the early 1800s, rivaled Fifth Avenue in respectability and elegance. By the Civil War, the mansions had given way to low-brow halls, beer gardens, brothels and flophouses. As late as 1869, Bowery rivaled Broadway as the second principal street of the city. Eastern border of the Five Points and turf of one of America’s earliest street gangs — the nativist Bowery Boys. In 1873, the first YMCA opened. In 1880, the Bowery Mission was founded. By the 1890s, rivaled the Tenderloin as the center for prostitution and gay subculture. From the 1940s through the 1970s, regarded as the city’s “Skid Row” notable for “Bowery Bums.” In 1947, unsuccessful efforts to change the Bowery to Fourth Avenue South. The old phrase “on the Bowery” once meant to be down-and-out.
Still serves as the principal market for restaurant equipment and lighting. Though not officially designated, “Little Saigon” runs on Bowery between Grand Street and Hester Street. Notable people to live in the Bowery include William S. Burroughs (who lived in “the Bunker”), Jim Gaffigan, Joey Ramone (2nd Street, renamed Joey Ramone Place) and Peter Young (artist). Mentioned in songs by Bob Dylan, They Might Be Giants, Willie Nile, Jim Croce, Regina Spektor, Dire Straits, Bill Callahan, Saint Etienne the Vancouver Twee pop band cub, Sonic Youth, Two Gallants, Steve Earle, Beastie Boys, Paul McDermott, Billy Joel, The Decemberists, Tom Waits, Ryan Adams, The Clash, the Ramones, Jesse Malin and The Foetus All-Nude Revue, The Lumineers, Earlimart, Deerhunter, Local Natives, Smog, Blood Orange, The Antlers, Lady Gaga, and Kygo. Featured in the film Gangs of New York.
* Note: Asterisk denotes a place I have yet to visit properly
Map
Streets
Bowery. The Bull’s Head Tavern opened around 1750 as a recruitment center during the Revolutionary War and temporary headquarters of George Washington in 1783; a modern tavern of the same name operated at the location from 1996 to 2015. №128 was the Bowery Savings Bank (1834). №201 was Tony Pastor’s Opera House (1865 to 1875), a vaudeville house ran by the namesake who claimed to have a repertoire of 1,500 songs. №267 was Sammy’s Bowery Follies (1934 to 1969, later Stork Club), a busy bar (100,000 patrons a year!) where tourists drank with the local poor.
Broadway. №514 was Wood’s Theatre, where the world’s first musical comedy Mulligan Guards Ball premiered in 1879. №515 is a rare original 1936 lamppost known as a “Bishop’s Crook” style. №521 was the St. Nicholas Hotel (1853) — the largest and most luxurious hotel in the world (100-foot white marble facade, first in the world with central heating and a honeymoon suite, 600 rooms with running hot and cold water) and the first New York building to cost over $1 million; Mark Twain met his wife at the hotel on his way to hear a reading by Charles Dickens! №.578 was the Metropolitan Hotel (1852) — an enormous luxury hotel with a 3,200-seat theatre and largest plate-glass mirrors in the US; reopened in 1871 by the son of “Boss Tweed” and eventually demolished in 1895.
№568 was Niblo’s Garden (1829) — a pleasure garden complete with 3,000-seat theatre (the largest on Broadway, P.T. Barnum’s first show in 1835), saloon, hotel and restaurant. In 1838, Charles Kean debuted as Hamlet. In 1839, Edwin Forrest debuted as Macbeth. It’s believed that polka was introduced here in 1844. In 1850, the premier of Verdi’s Macbeth. In 1851, the operatic debut of 9-year-old Adelina Patti. In 1855, tightrope walker Charles Blondid’s first New York appearance. In 1855, the premier of Rip van Winkle. 1866, the first Broadway musical The Black Cook, which lasted 5 hours and featured a hundred scantily clad chorus girls (scandalous but a success, ran for 16 months and earned over $1 million). Demolished in 1895.
Broome Street. Particularly wide as it was intended by Robert Moses to support an elevated concrete expressway (LOMAX). House number ascend east to west, while nearby Grand Street goes in the opposite direction! Cnr. Orchard Street was featured in the film Men In Black (the pawn shop). №421 is Heath Ledger’s former home where he was found dead in his fourth-floor apartment.
Crosby Street. Jeffrey Wright as Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Bowie as Andy Warhol strolled down Crosby Street for the biopic, Basquiat. №97 was featured in the film Ghost and residence of Basquiat. Cnr. Howard Street was used for Paul Simon’s album Still Crazy After All These Years and Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation.
Freeman Alley. A rare Manhattan alley known for street art and restaurant (Freemans) — unknown when named or what after. №1 was the residence of artist Jimmy Wright.
Grand Street. №27 was Moonside Diner, a 1930s pre-fab diner with rotating moon sign (installed in the 1960s) where the author of Rent waited tables for ten years and also featured in Spider-Man, Friends and Sex & The City; sold in 2007 and transported to Wyoming! №60 is the public art project Water Tower, a translucent (colors change throughout the day) resin cast of a real water tower installed in 1998 on a rooftop. №165 is the Odd Fellows Hall — a Grand Lodge used by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (a fraternal organization of worker guilds) until the 1880s. №175 was once the Nikola Tesla laboratory where he developed the Tesla coil! Cnr. Mott Street was Bayard’s Mount — one of the highest points in Manhattan and a fortification during the British invasion — before being leveled out in 1802. №210 is the address of the fictional memory-erasing company Lacunta Inc. in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Greene Street. Featuring “hollow sidewalks” made of circular glass to allow light into the basements; ironically no dirt under the sidewalks doesn’t allow (green) trees to grow. №8-34 is the longest stretch of cast-iron buildings in the world. №10–14 are among the earliest (1860s) cast-iron buildings. №28 is referred to “The Queen” of Green Street (1872) and is surrounded by other cast-iron treasures. №72 is “The King” of Green Street was built in the same year as “The Queen” by the same architect.
Lafayette Street. Only about a century old, it began as an enclave named Lafayette Place.
Mercer Street. №142 are the steps of the album cover for Billy Joel’s An Innocent Man. №149 was the brothel of Mrs. Van Ness. №165 was the Mercer Parking Garage, which ran a bootlegging operation during the 1930s. №169 was used in Joni Mitchell’s Song to a Seagull.
Mulberry Street. The heart of Little Italy was known as the “Italian Wall Street” for all the banks serving local Italians. №106 was the site of elaborate puppet shows put on by the Matteo family from the 1920s until 1950s. №129 was the 1972 murder of gangster Joe Gallo at Umberto’s Clam House (relocated in 2000)— who was shot five times before stumbling out on the street and dying; mentioned in The Sopranos. №140 was the Hawaiian Moonlighters Social Club, a known hangout of John Gotti and his crew. №247 was the the Ravenite Social Club — headquarters of the Gambino mafia crime family and apartment of “The Dapper Don” John Gotti.
Prince Street.
Called the “Black Hand block” after the large mafia presence (before fingerprinting the mob would mark money and letters with a black handprint).
№27 was the actual original Ray’s Pizza (1959 to 2011). №109 is an 1882 building. №112 is the giant 1975 mural trompe l’oeil (“trick of the eye”) designed by Richard Haas (but executed by two sign-writers) that creates an optical illusion of a cast-iron building — complete with cats! №113 is were in 1979 a six-year-old boy disappeared (the date later became National Missing Children’s Day) and was one of the first children to appear on a milk cartons — with the case only solved in 2017.
№117 was the Whole Foods, one of the first (1970, closed 2000) heath food supermarkets and precursor to Whole Foods Market. №120 was the original (1977) Dean & Deluca gourmet food store. №127 was FOOD (1971 to 1988), a restaurant and social hub for artists that pioneered concepts such as open kitchen and fresh, locally-grown organic food; in 2013, it was partially recreated at the Frieze Art Fair. №141 is where Charlotte worked in the television show Sex in the City.
Prince and Lafayette Street. Approximately the spot where President James Monroe died of heart failure on July 4, 1831 — the third President to die on Independence Day (after Adams and Jefferson)!
Spring Street. Named after a natural spring, which still runs below the street. №50 was Quimbo Appo’s Tea Shop, which was one of the earliest successful Chinese businesses and run by a notoriously violent Five Points figure who ended up in and out of mental institutions. №101 was the former residence of artist Donald Judd and the only single-use cast-iron building left in SoHo; reopened as the Judd Foundation museum. №129 was the site of the Lispenard Meadow well, where in 1799 a young woman’s body was found floating at the bottom — resulting in the first US transcript murder trial where the lawyers were Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. №143 may be the oldest (1818) building in SoHo. №188–190 are two remaining Federal houses dating to 1899.
Wooster Street. №80 was the first SoHo artist co-op in 1967, leading to the transformation of the neighborhood by artists such as Jonas Mikas, John Lennon, Philip Glass and Andy Warhol. №99 was the headquarters of the Gay Activists Alliance between 1971 to 1974, which published the Gay Activist newspaper and held popular dance parties; destroyed in 1974 by a fire set by arsonists (ironic considering the building was formerly Engine Company 13). №155 was Artists Space (founded 1972, №38 Greene St between 1993 and 2016), an organization for assisting young emerging artists and one of the city’s oldest alternative galleries.
St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral* (1815)
The Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral or Old St. Patrick’s is the second-oldest Roman Catholic church in the city and largest overall (in the city) upon completion. Until 1830, served as the end of the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. Two potential saints were interred at the church before moving to St. Patrick’s. Designated “old” to differentiate it from the “new” St. Patrick’s on Fifth Avenue.
Catacombs underneath the basilica contain 25 crypts and five vaults, with one six-person family vault available for $7 million! Notable burials include John Connolly (the first resident Bishop of New York), General Thomas Eckert, Delmonico family members, and Countess Annie Leary.
In 1836, an alleged story (a woman forced by nuns to have sex with priests and the resulting children baptized then killed resulted) prompted a riot on the church — which was defended with muskets and led to the Ancient Order of Hibernians (protectors of Catholic churches) establishing headquarters across the street. In 1866, gutted by fire (reopened 1868). In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI announced the church as Manhattan’s first basilica — gaining it certain ceremonial rites only a Pope can bestow. Sheep graze on the grounds during the warmer months.
Featured in the films The Godfather (baptism scene), The Godfather Part III, and Mean Streets.
St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral School* (1826)
Originally the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum (girls-only from 1851) before converting to a school in 1886. The city’s first and oldest parochial school. Closed in 2010 and slated to reopen as luxury condos.
Fanelli’s Cafe* (1847)
Second-oldest continuously-operating drinking establishment in the city. Operating as a grocery store until 1863, then a saloon, Price Cafe (1905 to 1922) and finally Fanelli Cafe. A speakeasy during Prohibition with liquor licenses from past years are displayed in the back room. A popular artist hangout (Chuck Close, Bob Dylan) from the 1960s to the 1980s. Boxing champion Rocky Graziano was also a regular. Featured in the film State of Grace.
Fireman’s Hall* (1855)
Former firefighter headquarters (at the time volunteers, rowdy gangs that were essentially social clubs) with the cornerstone containing a bible, history of the former firehouse, and a dime from 1800. The facade originally contained carved hooks, ladders and axes — but was later shaved flat and partially restored in 2017. Originally a fireman statue stood sentry — with at least two institutions claiming to now have it.
In 1865, volunteer firefighters were replaced by the Metropolitan Fire Department, which became the New York City Fire Department. The first to install the precursor to today’s call boxes. In 1871, hosted an NRA meeting that offered weapons as prizes. In 1871, 40,000 Civil War “torpedoes” (i.e. explosives) were found in the basement — which were then dumped into the Hudson River! For twelve years the Hook and Ladder №20 had a ring-tailed monkey named Jenny as its mascot (saved the building once, died in 1907 from a cold after being soaked by a hose). In 1974, the last fire company moved out and occupied for a time by the Joyce Theatre. In 1887, one fireman walked off the job to become an instant celebrity as Tarzan.
E. V. Haughwout Building (1857)
The oldest complete cast-iron facade in the city is ringed with 92 sets of arched windows and a series of Corinthian columns. Originally a fashionable emporium (glass, silverware, china, chandeliers) where Mary Todd Lincoln traveled to purchase china for the White House. In 1857, the world’s first successful passenger elevator (an Otis hydraulic lift powered by a steam engine in the basement) and has since been removed.
Considered by some to be the first skyscraper and the most important cast-iron building ever built — it was the first to use a structural metal frame rather than hanging the facades off the brickwork (because of the combined weight of fronting on two streets).
St. Michael’s Chapel of the Byzantine Rite* (1859)
The “Gingerbread Gothic” was formerly a Chancery Office Building designed by James Renwick, Jr. (who went on to design St. Patrick’s). Since 1936, the building has housed the newest Russian Catholic church in the city.
Puck Building (1886)
Constructed as a printing facility and later housed numerous printing firms and related services. Home of Puck magazine (the first successful American humor magazine) between 1887 and 1918, which gives the building its name. In the 1980s occupied by Spy Magazine, Pratt Institute in 1986, and NYU since 2004. The building contains a Skylight Ballroom (250 guests), Grand Ballroom (1,000 guests), REI (35,000-square-foot and includes an area on the history of the building), and two gilded statues of Puck from A Midsummer’s Night Dream over the main entrance. Owned by Jared Kushner’s father and famous for celebrity parties.
A former Assistant Secretary of State worked as a salesman after he was brought down by a spy scandal in the 1950s. In 1887, two separate fires caused significant damage. In 1982, author and artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha was raped and killed in the building by the security guard (a serial rapist).
Featured in Will & Grace (the building where Grace works), Seinfeld (“The Little Kicks”), When Harry Met Sally…, January Man and the novel American Psycho.
The Mercer Hotel* (1890)
Originally built as offices for John Jacob Astor II, then artist lofts, and currently a hotel that offers “loft living.” Restauranteur David Chang worked at the Mercer Kitchen early in his career.
Caffé Roma* (1891)
Originally the Roncas Brothers coffee and pastry shop, renamed in 1952 and known for the sfogliatella (lobster tail), pignoli cookies and large cannoli. Original salon clock (above the espresso machine), tin ceiling and handwritten recipe book. Featured in The Sopranos.
Ferrara Bakery (1892)
Legendary pastry shop run by Antonio Ferrara’s great-grandnephews. Claims to be America’s first espresso bar. During the Great Depression in order to reduce waste, baking was done multiple times per day resulting in a reputation for freshness. In 2014, Ferrara was awarded the Guinness World Record for largest conollo. Décor barely altered over time.
Alleva Dairy (1892)
The oldest Italian cheese store in America (started by a woman) and co-owned by television star Tony Danza. Original tiles, unique tin ceiling and antique glass signage.
Bowery Savings Bank* (1895)
The first Roman classical style bank in America, with a facade featuring four Corinthian columns supporting a pediment featuring Time and Industry. By 1907, it was touted as the largest and most successful savings bank in the world with more capital than Canada or 10% of all Great Britain! Currently Capitale — a restaurant, nightclub, and event space.
FDNY Engine 55/Battalion 2 (1899)
Featuring large terra cotta signage across the entrance, arched windows with two lion’s heads and a bronze plaque. Before acting Steve Buscemi was a fireman with Engine 55.
Angelo’s of Mulberry Street* (1902)
The oldest restaurant still in operation in Little Italy. Patrons have included President Ronald Reagan and Kobe Bryant. In 2018, severely damaged by fire.
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Church* (1903)
Formerly the Church of San Salvatore (founded 1880) in what was once “the very heart of the Italian community.” Over the years the parish house and two small stone Gothic towers were demolished.
The Little Singer Building* (1903)
L-shaped building with dual-facades sitting on the site of Henry Wood’s 2000-seat Marble Hall Theatre, still preserving the 1860 Black and Ball Jewelers building on the corner. Combines brick, cast-iron, wrought-iron, glass and terra cotta. Each balcony is slightly different and topped with an elaborate wrought-iron arch — belonging to a $6 million penthouse apartment.
One of the earliest skyscrapers and headquarters to the Singer company (obsolete in just five years) prior to the completion of the Singer Building, which was the tallest in the world on completion and since destroyed. Home to Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, and author Olivia Goldsmith.
Parisi Bakery* (1903)
Family-run business with the original location the site used as a delicatessen and a new location at №290 Elizabeth Street. Reportedly a favorite of Frank Sinatra.
Church of the Most Precious Blood* (1904)
During the Feast of San Gennaro, a celebratory mass is held on the last Saturday and the statue of San Gennaro is taken on a procession through the streets of Little Italy. The building is a replica of the Duomo di San Gennaro in Naples, which supposedly houses the dried blood of San Gennaro — which thousands witness liquify each year! In 2015, the church became part of the parish of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.
Lombardi’s* (1905)
America’s oldest pizzaria. Originally a 1897 grocery store at 53½ Spring Street, which began selling tomato pies wrapped in paper and tied with a string for worker’s lunches. Coal oven and whole pies only.
Closed between 1984 and 1994. In 2005, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first pizza sold, whole pies were 5 cents each (the 1905 price).
Pino’s Prime Meat Market* (1906)
A tiny store with sawdust on the floors (created by shaving a layer from the three massive butcher blocks each day) to soak up any blood!
Grotta Azzurra* (1908)
“Blue Grotto” (named after a Capri sea cave) has dined Enrico Caruso, Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Closed in 1997, reopened in 2003.
Old Police Headquarters (1909)
The “Big White Castle” was formerly the New York City Police Headquarters, occupying an entire block it was built following the consolidation of the five boroughs in 1898.
The famed Italian Squad uncovered the local existence of the Mafia and developed the first bomb squad to defuse devices used to extort shopkeepers. The building also included a science library, police academy, switchboard (most expensive in the world), Rogues Gallery (Bertillon criminal identification), shooting range, 72 prison cells, and secret tunnel dug by officers during prohibition linking to Onieal’s tavern!
In 1970, a bomb planted on the second floor injured eight people. In 1973, police moved out and rather than relocate historic record they unceremoniously dumped half a century of records into the East River! In 1988, converted into luxury condominiums (one living room was previously a basketball court!) occupied by Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Steffi Graf, and Winona Ryder.
Onieal’s (1909)
Long-running eatery and former speakeasy, gambling den, and brothel. Connected via a secret tunnel (now a partial wine cellar) to the nearby Police Headquarters. Scout Bar in Sex and the City.
Di Palo’s Fine Foods (1910)
Fifth-generation store that began as a latteria (dairy store) — one of the last original Little Italy stores.
John Jovino Gun Shop* (1911)
The oldest gun store in the city (claims to be the oldest in America) and sole survivor from the gun district (albeit relocated) near Police Headquarters. A 2003 study found that nearly one percent of traceable guns used in New York crimes came from this shop!
The company used to own a gun factory in Brooklyn (the only one in the city), which made Colt pistols and reproductions of American Civil War-era rifles. In 2007, scrutinized for selling to UN diplomats from the Congo. Appeared in Law & Order and Mean Streets.
Piemonte Ravioli (1920)
The extensive selection of fresh and dry pasta is no longer made onsite. The shop itself is a Federal style row house dating back to 1832, and home to Italian immigrants up until the 1970s.
San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel* (1926)
Originally the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix and only the third Catholic church officially dedicated to Filipinos outside the Philippines. In 2005, a bronze statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz was enshrined and is considered miraculous. Sold in 2017.
Vesuvio Playground (1929, renamed 1990s)
Formerly the Thompson Street Playground and currently named after the nearby Vesuvio Bakery (in turn named after Mount Vesuvius). Extended in 1930 and 1957, renovated in 2007. Features basketball, handball, bocce, mini-pool, playgrounds and fountains.
Bowery Ballroom* (1929)
Music venue built just prior to the stock market crash and stood vacant until the end of WWII. In 1998, converted to a music venue. Appears in the films Coyote Ugly and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
Petrosino Square (1938)
Originally Kenmare Square (actually a triangle) and renamed in 1987 after the founder of the bomb squad and first Italian-American to lead the homicide division. Assassinated in Sicily after his secret mission was leaked by the police commissioner; mourning flags were flown from hundreds of windows in Little Italy and he was memorialized at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Juan Pablo Duarte Square (1945)
Duarte Square was created after Sixth Avenue was renamed Avenue of the Americas in celebration of Pan-American unity. Named after the liberator of the Dominican Republic and dedicated on his 165th birthday and features a thirteen-foot bronze figure.
Another plot across Sullivan Street is also known as Duarte Square and was occupied by protestors in 2011 during Occupy Wall Street (50 arrested for trespassing). In 2020, SuperStorm monument dedicated to Hurricane Sandy installed.
Emilio’s Ballato* (1956)
Italian hotspot among celebrities with no phone or way to reserve a table — instead the owner stands outside like a doorman sizing up diners. Four large canvases on the walls covered with signatures of famous diners including Barack Obama, Lenny Kravitz, Naomi Campbell, Billy Joel, Tom Hanks, Meryl Street, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Pitt, Kiefer Sutherland, Drew Barrymore, Alex Rodriguez and David Bowie.
Broome Street Bar* (1972)
Kenn’s Broome Street Bar is located in an 1825 building that has housed a secession of taverns since the 1850s — including a German beer hall that installed the stained-glass panels. Popular among artists such as Kooning, Oldenburg, Mapplethorpe and Haring.
The Wall (1973)
Otherwise known as The Gateway to Soho, 8-stories of 42" aluminium bars bolted to 42 steel braced painted green against a blue background. In 2002, allowed to be removed for repairs to the building — and took until 2007 and a lawsuit to reinstate the artwork (albeit raised 30-feet to allow advertising space).
Caffe Palermo* (1973)
Cafe opened by “The Cannoli King” with a twelve-foot cannoli affixed to the side of the building. Holds a cannoli eating contest during the Feast of San Gennaro.
Kamwo Meridian Herbs* (1973)
The oldest and largest Chinese herbal dispensary on the East Coast — stocking over 500 raw herbs, thousands of patent herbal products, and an extensive selection of acupuncture/natural wellness supplies.
Raoul’s* (1975)
Family-run French bistro popular with SoHo artists in the 1970s and Saturday Night Live cast and crew (John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels) — who would come to eat after taping a few nights a week. During the 1980s, the charismatic head waiter was known to descend the staircase in drag and leading patrons to dance (sometimes naked) on the bar. In the 1990s, indie film hangout where Quentin Tarantino and the Pulp Fiction cast came to celebrate the movie’s debut at the New York Film Festival. Other regulars include Sarah Jessica Parker, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Robert De Niro’s, Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Kate Moss. The signature dish is the steak au poivre.
The Broken Kilometer* (1979)
Art piece composed of 500 highly polished solid brass rods each measuring two meters long and placed in rows of 100 with the space between increasing 5mm after each rod. A companion piece to Vertical Earth Kilometer (1977) in Germany, where an identical set of brass rods were inserted 1,000 meters into the ground.
Subway Map Floating on a NY Sidewalk (1985)
Over ninety feet long and twelve feet wide, the entire block was dug up to install it back in the 80s (five hours of incognito carving over two years!). Each LED light is embedded in the ceilings of adjacent buildings’ basements, and glow at night. Oriented upside-down.
The Drawing Center* (late 1980s, founded 1977)
Museum and nonprofit exhibition space dedicated to drawings and originally located at 137 Greene Street. Emerging artists are showcased at The Drawing Room across the street from the main gallery.
Elizabeth Street Garden (1991)
The only green space in the SoHo/Nolita area.
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (1994, founded 1990)
Founded by members of the AIDS activist group, ACT UP, Housing Works is a non-profit targeting homelessness and AIDS. In 1995, opened a thrift store. In 1997, a catering company. Featuring 20-foot ceiling and mahogany-paneled balconies. Hosts events such as The Moth StorySLAM and artists such as Bjork and The Black Keys.
Soho Grand Hotel (1996)
The first boutique hotel in the city on the former site of the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori. In 2013, an employee started several fires in order to lighten his workload! Featured in Oprah, The Sopranos, and Sex and the City.
Balthazar (1997)
French brasserie owned by Keith McNally and housed in a former tannery. Featuring red leather seating, brass oversize mirrors, high tin ceilings, tiled floor and antique lighting — and known for celebrity-watching. Serves 15 gallons of French onion soup daily! Featured in the novel The Associate by John Grisham. In 1999, Jerry Seinfeld proposed to Jessica Sklar.
The Earth Room* (1997)
A 22-inch-deep layer of dirt spread across a 3,600-square-foot gallery space creating a peaceful, quiet sanctuary. The last remaining Earth Room (two others were in Germany). Occasional mushrooms have sprouted and the art piece has been estimated to be worth $1 million.
SoHo Cigar Bar* (1998)
Formerly Circa Tabac (renamed in 2012) is the oldest cigar and whiskey bar in the city with a state-of-the-art ventilation system.
Italian American Museum* (2008, founded 2001)
Small museum located in a former “Banca Stabile” — a bank and community center for newly arrived immigrants that operated in the building from 1885 to 1932. Sold in 2018 and set to be demolished and rebuilt with luxury apartments plus a new museum space with four levels and a 50-seat auditorium.
Dominique Ansel Bakery* (2011)
Bakery from the former pastry chef at Daniel (Michelin star restaurant) and birthplace of the cronut (a croissant-doughnut hybrid) — limit of two per person and lines start before 7:30am (they sell out quickly)!
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art* (2006, founded 1969)
One of the oldest arts groups engaged in the collection and preservation of gay art. The collection of over 22,000 objects includes a library with over 2,500 volumes and works by over 2,000 artists including Hockney, Warhol, Tom of Finland, Wojnarowicz and Mapplethorpe. The IRS objected to the word “gay” in the title and held up the nonprofit application for several years.
New Museum (2007, founded 1977)
Manhattan’s only dedicated contemporary art museum with a focus on under-recognized artists. Originally the museum was supposed to sell works after ten years in order to keep the collection “new” — but this never happened.
Contains a modest collection of about 1,000 items and a digital archive of 7,500 works. In 2010, Rose II (Isa Genzken) was installed on the exterior of the building (relocated to MoNA in 2013). In 2013, Ghost Ship (Chris Burden) hung on the exterior wall after sailing on autopilot 330-miles from the British coast (removed 2017).
The Box (2007)
Exclusive X-rated burlesque, theatre and erotica run by the “impresario of smut” — grandson of musical-theater legend Oscar Hammerstein II. Sister theatre in London, with failed ventures in Dubai (super conservative, fined for dancing the cancan) and Las Vegas (violation of Nevada obscenity laws!). Moby is an investor. Shows at 1am, 2am and 3am.
Performances have included playacting father-daughter incest, transsexual removing a large tampon that puffs glitter, contortionists, aerialists, defecating into panties or on pizza, fellatio, queefing popular tunes (“Laqueefa”), a woman who emerges from a giant Russian babushka doll before birthing several small dolls — and a transexual who lowers onto a whiskey bottle before pulling it out, taking a drink and spraying it over the audience.
Celebrity guests include Zoë Kravitz, Susan Sarandon (who was vomited on!), Josh Lucas, Lindsay Lohan, Maxwell Osborne, Domingo Zapata, Damian Loeb, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot), Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park), Terry Gilliam, Mick Jagger, John Legend, Kanye West, Adele, Chris Martin, Alan Cumming, Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, and Kid Rock.
MOCA* (1980, relocated 2009)
The Museum Of Chinese In The Americas is housed in a late 19th-century schoolhouse and is one of the most important national archives of Chinese history in America.
CIMA* (2013)
The Center for Italian Modern Art promotes the study of modern and contemporary Italian art. Open by appointment only.
Honorable Mentions
- Oldest manhole cover* (1840s). Used by the Croton Aqueduct, which supported the city in the early days and was eventually drained to create the Great Lawn in Central Park.
- Gunther Building* (1872). Historic building.
- Lucky Strike* (1989). Keith McNally American and French bistro.
- The Silk Exchange Building* (1895). Earning its name by the number of silk industry tenants, the lavish terra cotta facade on the upper floors contrasts the plain limestone base.
- Peter Freeman, Inc (founded 1990). Gallery space.
- Apple SoHo (2002). The first Apple retail store in New York.
- Wild Horses of Sable Island (2006). One of the longest running photography exhibitions in New York.
- WeWork SoHo (2011). The original WeWork.
