Page 100 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

98  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: SoHo
Cast-Iron Historic District

The largest concentration of cast-iron architecture in the
world (see p44) survives in the area between West Houston
and Canal streets. The heart of the district is Greene Street,
where 50 buildings erected between 1869 and 1895 are
found on five cobblestoned blocks. Most of their intricately
designed cast-iron facades are in the Neo-Classical Revival
style, with Corinthian columns and pediments. Mass-produced West Broadway, as it passes
in a foundry, they were relatively inexpensive, and easy to through SoHo, combines
erect and maintain. Now they are rare works of industrial striking architecture with a
art, well suited to the present character of this district. string of art galleries, shoe
shops, designer boutiques,
and small restaurants.
72–76 Greene Street,
the “King of Greene
Street,” is a splendid
Corinthian-columned
building. It was the
creation of Isaac F.
Duckworth, one of
the masters of cast-
iron design.

T
The Broken Kilometer, at 393 West Broadway, is an
installation by Walter De Maria (see p101). Its 500 brass
rods are arranged to play tricks with perspective. Laid M E R C E R S T R E E
end to end, the rods would measure 3,280 ft (1,000 m). T
Performing Garage is a
tiny experimental theater W E S T B R O A D W A Y
that pioneers the work of T G R E E N E S T R E E
W O O S T E R S T R E E B R O O M E S T R E E T
avant-garde artists. S P R I N G S T R E E T

Canal G R A N D S T R E E T
Street-Broadway
subway (2 blocks)
3. Greene Street 15–17 Greene
Of all Greene Street’s fine cast-iron 10–14 Greene Street dates from 1869. Street is a late
buildings, one of the best is 28–30, the Note the glass circles in the risers of the addition, dating from
“Queen,” which was erected by Duckworth iron stoop – these allowed daylight to 1895, in a simple
in 1872 and has a tall mansard roof. reach the basement. Corinthian style.

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