Soho Cast Iron Architecture

By Daniel Fischermann

SoHo was industrialized during the second half of the 19th century. The name "SoHo" refers to the area being located South of Houston Street and the name was coined in 1962 by Chester Rapkin.

SoHo is known for its many cast-iron buildings located in the SoHo Cast-Iron Historic District. With approximately 600 cast-iron buildings, the area has the greatest number of cast-iron buildings of any city in the world. It is a designated area according to the Landmark Preservation Commission and the cast-iron building are being preserved. The district got its status in 1973, and the district was extended in 2010 to cover 600 buildings.

The cast iron facade components were cast in sand molds, cleaned, painted and then shipped to the construction site. The components were then assembled at the site.

Cast Iron Facades in SoHo, New York






The ornamentation, columns, and arches of the cast-iron buildings are similar in their shape to the concrete, brick or stone ornamentation that was used elsewhere during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The cast iron buildings, however, could be slimmer, taller, with larger windows and more elegant because of the strength that the iron offered.

During the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, many thought cast iron was structurally more sound than steel and fire-resistant. However, this was not the case. If cast iron is exposed to heat from a fire it will buckle and it will crack under the cold water applied for extinguishing the fire.