D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A L AU N C H O F R O B E R T C O U T U R I E R ’ S MO D E L A PA R T M E N T AT 4 3 2 PA R K AV E N U E
Michelle Perfanov and Roy Kim
lady, shopped at Haughwout’s in 1861 for the official White House china, which she had a hand in designing. The building was revolutionary, especially because it contained the very first passenger elevator, which was designed and installed for Haughwout by Elisha Graves Otis. The cost: $300. The first three floors of the building, designated for retail, made one-stop shopping more convenient than ever 40 QUEST
Robert Couturier
Leslie Wilson and Roger Erickson
known before. The Haughwout Building today (159 years after its opening) has, until recently, been occupied by Bebe. SoHo saw a number of cast-iron buildings built during the middle of the 19th century. Iron was the metal of choice in the late 19th century because of the material’s fire-resistant properties—important at a time when major urban fires could wipe out whole neigh-
Jill Cremer and Susan de Franca
Kathy Steinberg and Charles Russell
borhoods and areas of a city. Cast iron is an alloy with a high carbon content making it more resistant to corrosion than iron or steel. These buildings were also stronger and less costly than comparable stone fronts and could be built quickly and efficiently. The process of incorporating cast iron into New York City’s architecture began in the mid-19th century. Today , the SoHo–Cast
Sule Haskell
Howard Lorber and Lauren Canetti
Iron Historic District in an area that covers most of West Broadway and extends east to Lafayette and Centre streets. SoHo boasts the greatest collection of cast-iron architecture in the world. Approximately 250 cast-iron buildings stand in New York City and the majority of them are in SoHo. The land on which the Haughwout Building was built was purchased by the first John Jacob Astor in
PAT R I C K M C M U LL A N
Mischa Lampert