Some of the local cast iron foundries included Aetna Iron Works, James L. When cooled, the sand mold was broken, and the casting emerged to be finished by removing any overcasting and smoothing and priming it before shipping it to a site. Molten iron would then be poured into the mold filling all the voids. The process of making cast iron started with wood patterns, which were pressed into sand molds to form a negative of the casting. Many foundries offered stock building designs that could be selected from catalogs, streamlining the design process. Some were located only a few blocks from SoHo, which sped up delivery and construction. The castings were fabricated in local foundries, usually located near the East or Hudson Rivers where shipments of coal and iron could be received. Photo via the Library of Congress.Ĭasting building façades was cheaper than the typical masonry construction of the day. Edgar Laing Store, Washington & Murray Streets (James Bogardus 1849). When urban renewal all but cleared the district, the building was carefully dismantled and stored for subsequent reconstruction however, the pieces were stolen - presumably to be sold for scrap metal. It was designated a landmark in 1970 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Edgar Laing Stores (1849) in the Washington Market District was the first self-supporting, multi-story structure with iron walls and served as the prototype for all cast-iron buildings that followed. The earliest example of a complete cast-iron building façade erected in New York City was introduced by James Bogardus, recognized as a pioneer of cast-iron architecture. It also afforded more open floor space, important for arranging equipment and unfettered storage space. The primary advantage of cast iron was its ability to span longer distances than masonry, thus allowing for larger window openings to bring in more natural light. Developed in New York, the timely innovation was to use cast iron not only for the structure but also for the façade. By the end of the Civil War, factories, mills, and warehouses started moving into the area, driving the need for larger industrial structures to accommodate machinery and storage needs.įor many years, cast iron had been used in bridge construction, building beams and columns, and decorative elements. With the decline of the neighborhood’s residential character, many middle-class residents chose to relocate uptown. Brothels, primarily located on Greene and Mercer Streets, formed the city’s first red-light district. Theaters, music halls, and bars sprang up along Broadway, with less respectable establishments located along the side streets. and Lord & Taylor got their starts in SoHo.

Retail establishments such as Tiffany & Co. This growth led to the development of more substantial buildings. By the mid-19th century, the area became the heart of Manhattan’s burgeoning shopping, hotel, and entertainment district.

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