Soho, a district in New York City, is located within the area of Manhattan. It’s only a square mile and is one of the most densely populated areas in all of NYC, with around 20,000 people per square mile. SoHo is renowned because it has a lot to offer, from luxury boutiques to high-end art galleries to world-class restaurants and other establishments, making this neighborhood truly vibrant. To help you appreciate SoHo further, we at Arlo Hotels offer you this list of amazing facts about this prime NY commercial spot.
1) In 1836, John Jacob Astor bought a huge chunk of land – almost 100 acres. He wanted to build a road that would become known as Broadway. He also constructed an opera house called Astor Place Opera House, which opened in 1847. Sadly though, it burned down in 1849.
2) SoHo was originally an industrial area, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that artists started to move in and take advantage of the large, empty spaces for their studios.
3) The first gallery to open in SoHo was Artists Space which opened its doors in 1973.
4) In 1978, a group of artists called “The Wooster Group” moved into a former metalworking factory and turned it into a theater. This became known as The Theater for the New City.
5) SoHo is now home to over 600 art galleries.
6) Because of its proximity to Chinatown, SoHo has always had a strong Asian presence. There are now many Korean businesses in the area as well.
7) The most popular shopping destination is Broadway between Houston and Grand Street, with many boutiques, bookstores, and restaurants. This can easily be accessed from one of our Arlo Hotels in the area.
8) New York is the only city in the world where you can legally graffiti on its streets. The famous street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat started his career here by creating graffiti. He has several permanent murals around SoHo.
9) SoHo was originally pronounced “Zo-ho,” but in 1971, it made a name change to “So-“h”-o.” This pronunciation has stuck and grown more popular over the years.
