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51-537: NoHo , short for " No rth of Ho uston Street " (as contrasted with SoHo ), is a primarily residential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan , New York City . It is bounded by Mercer Street to the west, the Bowery to the east, 9th Street to the north, and Houston Street to the south. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has declared most of the 125-building area a historic district, divided into

102-636: A shipyard with a considerable floor area on which the lines produced by a naval architect can be laid off in their full dimensions. After that the full-size drawings can be copied with the aid of wooden moulds to which, in turn, the steel frames or, in the case of wooden vessels, the hull moulds, are fashioned (see lofting ). An elevated area or gallery in a shipyard where workers stand while fitting rigging . A large, open, high ceilinged space where parachute riggers re-pack parachutes into parachute containers. A large open space used by sailmakers to make sails . The floor has to be big enough to lay out

153-568: A home for "fallen women". (21 Bleecker Street's entrance now bears the lettering in the flooring.) The block also houses the Planned Parenthood headquarters at the Margaret Sanger Square, adjacent to a Catholic event center. 40°43′44″N 73°59′35″W  /  40.729°N 73.993°W  / 40.729; -73.993 Houston Street Houston Street ( / ˈ h aʊ s t ən / HOW -stən )

204-660: A home for "fallen women". 21 Bleecker Street's entrance now bears the lettering "Florence Night Mission," described by the New York Times in 1883 as "a row of houses of the lowest character". The National Florence Crittenton Mission was an organization established in 1883 by philanthropist Charles N. Crittenton . It attempted to reform prostitutes and unwed pregnant women through the creation of establishments where they were to live and learn skills. That same block of Bleecker Street , between Lafayette and Bowery Streets in NoHo,

255-402: A loft covers only a few rooms, leaving one or more sides open to the lower floor. In British usage, lofts are usually just a roof space accessed via a hatch and loft ladder, while attics tend to be rooms immediately under the roof accessed via a staircase. Lofts may have a specific purpose, e.g. an organ loft in a church , or to sleep in (sleeping loft). In barns a hayloft is often larger than

306-399: A loft to create an extra room in order to prevent needing to move to a new house. The most common additions are an extra bedroom or study. The attic area of a building tends to be unused, but when converted can add a large amount of floor space. Housing for domestic pigeons is often called a pigeon loft. Pigeon lofts consist of a large cage or aviary and sometimes a nest box . They were

357-482: A manufacturing district by the 1880s, especially around the relatively wide Bond Street. Terra cotta and brick " loft " buildings were among the new buildings being constructed in this time, and construction of such buildings continued into the 1890s, in the Greek Revival architectural style in homage to the mansions that formerly occupied the area. The demolition of upper-class buildings continued, and by 1902,

408-766: A one-bedroom loft could rent at an average monthly rate of US$ 4,000. Some individual landmarks in the NoHo Historic District include the Astor Library , the Bouwerie Lane Theater , the Bayard-Condict Building , the De Vinne Press Building . Two New York City Subway stations, Astor Place and Bleecker Street , are also landmarked. The only survivor of the 19th-century upper class era is half of

459-406: A rich fabric against which shoppers promenaded, looked at display windows, and bought goods, and merchants sold products. The district also contains early-nineteenth century houses, nineteenth- and twentieth-century institutional buildings, turn-of-the-century office buildings, as well as modest twentieth-century commercial structures, all of which testify to each successive phase in the development of

510-471: A street-level business occupies the first floor while apartment "lofts" are placed above the first floor. Sometimes, loft apartments are one component of municipal urban renewal initiatives that also include renovation of industrial buildings into art galleries and studio space as well as promotion of a new part of the city as an " arts district ". Originally popular with artists , they are now highly sought-after by other bohemians and hipsters, and

561-646: Is a major east–west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan in New York City , United States. It runs the full width of the island of Manhattan , from FDR Drive along the East River in the east to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River in the west. The street is divided into west and east sections by Broadway . Houston Street generally serves as the boundary between neighborhoods on

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612-495: Is a residential unit located in a commercially zoned building that has either been issued a certificate of residential occupancy or meets specific criteria making it eligible for the protection of loft laws, which vary state by state. For example, in New York State a live/work loft must meet the following criteria: Loft Law was designed to protect artists and other entrepreneurs that are remote workers . To qualify for

663-622: Is a station at Seventh Avenue, for the Houston Street ( 1 and ​ 2 trains). The Bleecker Street station ( 4 , ​ 6 , and <6> trains) has station entrances on the north side of Houston Street, due to its connection with the Broadway – Lafayette Street station as part of a larger station complex. Exit 5 on the FDR Drive is on Houston Street. The street also connects directly with

714-625: Is also home to both the Margaret Sanger Health Center, headquarters of Planned Parenthood , and the Catholic Sheen Center, immediately adjacent to it. Bleecker Street was the home of Sanger's original Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau, operated from another building from 1930 to 1973. Bleecker Street now features Margaret Sanger Square, at the intersection with Mott Street . After World War II , manufacturing companies moved out of New York City and to

765-738: Is now the M9 between Avenues A and C . Additional service is provided by the eastbound M14D SBS east of Avenue D and the downtown M15 from Second Avenue to Allen Street. The M15 SBS doesn’t make any stops on Houston Street. A portion of the New York City Subway 's IND Sixth Avenue Line runs under Houston Street, between Sixth Avenue to just before Avenue A ; there are stations at Second Avenue ( F and <F> ​ trains) and Broadway – Lafayette Street ( B , ​ D , ​ F , <F> , and ​ M trains). Additionally, there

816-524: Is pronounced " HOW -stən " (" / ˈ h aʊ s t ən / "), in contrast to the city of Houston , Texas, whose name is pronounced " HYOO -stən " (" / ˈ h juː s t ən / "). The street was named for William Houstoun , whose surname was pronounced " HOW -stən ", while the city was named for Sam Houston . At its east end, Houston Street meets FDR Drive in an interchange at East River Park . West of FDR Drive, it intersects with Avenue D . Further west, other streets, including First Avenue ,

867-1124: Is the demand for these spaces that real estate developers have taken to creating ready-made "lofts" in urban areas that are gentrifying or that seem primed to do so. While some of these units are created by developers during the renovation of old buildings, a number of them are included in the floor plans of brand new developments. Both types of pre-fab loft offer buyers or renters proximity to urban amenities afforded by traditional lofts, but without perceived safety risks of living in economically depressed formerly industrial areas. Real estate industry distinguishes between two kinds of lofts. "Hard lofts" are former industrial buildings converted to residential or live/work use. Many of these conversions retain open ceilings with exposed beams, electrical wiring, and HVAC ducts, instead of covering them with modern suspended ceilings or sheetrock ceilings. "Soft lofts" are loft-style residential buildings built entirely anew. They are open-concept spaces with high ceilings, large windows, brickwork, and cement ceilings. Soft lofts can look more residential and have modern finishes, but lack

918-569: The Bowery , Lafayette Street and Broadway , intersect Houston Street. The Broadway intersection is the division point between East Houston Street and West Houston Street. Sixth Avenue intersects Houston Street at a curve in the road in Greenwich Village . East of Sixth Avenue, Houston street is bidirectional and separated by a median ; west of Sixth, the street is narrower and unidirectional westbound. West Houston Street terminates at an intersection with West Street near Pier 40 on

969-771: The East Side of Manhattan— Alphabet City , the East Village , NoHo , Greenwich Village , and the West Village to the north; and the Lower East Side , most of the Bowery , Nolita , and SoHo to the south. The numeric street-naming grid in Manhattan, created as part of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 , begins immediately north of Houston Street with 1st Street at Avenue A . The street's name

1020-545: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and Historic Districts Council , and together, they form a contiguous area of landmarked buildings over 21 city blocks. The 2008 extension is bounded on the west by Lafayette Street, on the east by the Bowery, on the north by East Fourth Street and on the south by Bond Street. It includes 56 buildings and a mid-block parking lot to the south and east of

1071-409: The West Side Highway ; however, by then, Houston Street is westbound-only. Loft In US usage, a loft is an upper room or storey in a building , mainly in a barn, directly under the roof , used for storage (as in most private houses). In this sense it is roughly synonymous with attic , the major difference being that an attic typically constitutes an entire floor of the building, while

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1122-646: The gentrification of the former manufacturing sectors of medium to large cities is now a familiar pattern. One such sector is Manhattan 's Meatpacking District . The adoption of the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (2001) in the City of Los Angeles (primarily the Arts District ) is another example of such legislation to encourage the conversion of no longer economically viable industrial and commercial buildings to residential loft communities. Such

1173-628: The Hudson River. Houston Street is named for William Houstoun , who was a delegate from the state of Georgia to the Continental Congress from 1784 through 1786 and to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The street was christened by Nicholas Bayard (b. 1736), whose daughter, Mary, was married to Houstoun in 1788. The couple met while Houstoun, a member of an ancient and aristocratic Scottish family,

1224-731: The Loft Law protection, the unit must be primarily residential with the commercial purpose being clearly incidental to the residential use; utilising no more than 49% of the total space; with no more than 3 employees; and be carried on by the actual occupant of the unit. Historically, loft residents consisted of artists and other artisans taking advantage of cheap rents, large spaces and load-bearing floors. Loft residences were illegal and loft dwellers resided under commercial leases, forgoing basic residential rights such as domestic hot water and sanitation . To relieve their uncertain status, many state legislatures enacted loft laws. A long building at

1275-501: The Merchant's House. The LPC approved it over the objections of engineers and architects. In the 2000s and 2010s, NoHo and its southern neighbor, SoHo , has experienced rapid gentrification . Since NoHo is primarily made up of loft apartments, this in turn makes it one of the most expensive and desirable neighborhoods in Manhattan. Its small size and central location also contributes to a high demand, again keeping prices high. In 2014,

1326-534: The NoHo Historic District and the NoHo East Historic District, created in 2003. In 1748, Jacob Sperry, a physician from Switzerland , created the city's first botanical garden near the current intersection of Lafayette Street and Astor Place . At the time, it was located about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the developed portion of the city and served as a vacation stop for people from present-day downtown. By 1804, John Jacob Astor bought

1377-652: The area. The area was declared an official city historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1999. From its designation report: The NoHo Historic District, which comprises approximately 125 buildings, represents the period of New York City's commercial history from the early 1850s to the 1910s, when this section prospered as one of its major retail and wholesale dry goods centers. Acclaimed architects were commissioned to design ornate store and loft buildings in popular architectural styles, providing

1428-515: The character and history of hard lofts. A commercial loft refers to upper storey space, usually in a commercial or industrial building with higher ceilings; a second storey area for storage or offices above may be added within the original space used by a previous business occupant, effectively becoming a mezzanine area within the commercial loft space. Such adaptation of loft space, can result in better operating efficiencies for ongoing light industrial, commercial and work/live use. A Live/work loft

1479-523: The city's most elite at the time, and contained such personalities as "aristocratic" mayor Philip Hone . Therefore, in 1826, after Delacroix's lease expired, Astor carved out an upper-class neighborhood from the site with Lafayette Street bisecting eastern gardens from western homes. The street was christened by the Marquis de Lafayette in July 1825. Wealthy New Yorkers, including Astor and other members of

1530-486: The current Houston Street, from Sixth Avenue to the West Side Highway , was known as "Hammersley Street" (also spelled "Hamersly Street") until the middle 19th century, and was inside Greenwich Village . It later came to be regarded as the Village's southern boundary. In 1891, Nikola Tesla established his laboratory on Houston Street. Much of Tesla's research was lost in an 1895 fire. The street, originally narrow,

1581-585: The dominant building type. The Merchant's House Museum , at 29 East Fourth Street, is an individual historic building located just outside the eastern boundary of the Historic District. It is also a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both the inside and outside of this 1832 house have been restored to the mid-19th century style in which merchant Seabury Tredwell and his family lived. Despite

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1632-464: The existing Noho Historic District. It does not include 30 Great Jones Street, a historic building that was partially demolished in early 2008. Most of the buildings in the extension were built between the 1860s and the early 1900s, when the area had become one of the city's major commercial and manufacturing districts. By the late 1800s, larger commercial lofts in the Greek Revival style became

1683-446: The family, built mansions along this central thoroughfare. Astor built the Astor Library in the eastern portion of the neighborhood as a donation to the city. Alexander Jackson Davis designed eye-catching row houses called LaGrange Terrace (now Colonnade Row ) for speculative builder Seth Geer. Geer built the houses for the development in 1833. The area became a fashionable, upper-class residential district, and when Lafayette Street

1734-786: The fragility of the structure, in April 2014 the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved construction of an eight-story hotel immediately next door. Preservationists including City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, the Historic Districts Council and the Museum itself fought the proposed hotel for years due to concern for the intact survival of

1785-442: The gardens closed for the last time in 1859. Even so, wealthy New Yorkers lived here through the end of the 19th century. Editor and poet William Cullen Bryant and inventor and entrepreneur Isaac Singer lived in the neighborhood in the 1880s. By the 20th century, warehouses and manufacturing firms moved in; consequently the elite moved to places such as Murray Hill , and the area fell into disrepair. The neighborhood became mainly

1836-541: The ground floor, since it would store a year's worth of hay. An attic or loft can often be converted to form a functional living accommodation (see Loft conversions in the United Kingdom ). In modern Norwegian and in English, "loft" is used for the upper room or the space just under the roof in larger buildings. The word originates from Old Norse lopt, loft which also could mean air or being elevated (as in

1887-436: The historic district. Today, the effect is of powerful and unifying streetscapes of marble, cast iron, limestone, brick, and terracotta facades. The NoHo Historic District was expanded in 2008. Additionally, another district in the neighborhood, the NoHo East Historic District, was created in 2003. The designations followed considerable effort by and strong support from numerous local community and preservation groups, including

1938-557: The official map drawn in 1811 to establish the street grid that is still current. In those years, the Texas hero Sam Houston , for whom the street is sometimes incorrectly said to have been named, was an unknown teenager in Tennessee . Also mistaken is the explanation that the name derives from the Dutch words huis for house and tuin for garden. The narrow, westernmost stretch of

1989-495: The original Colonnade Row, which is also landmarked. The Gene Frankel Theater , established in 1949, is located in the landmarked 24 Bond Street building, built in 1893. Across from Colonnade Row is The Public Theater . The easternmost block of Bleecker Street houses the last remaining Federal architecture -style row houses, including two that were once the home of the Florence Night Mission, which provided

2040-658: The related word løfte , English "to lift"). In older Scandinavian usage, loft referred to a two-storey unheated building used for storage and bedroom, in contrast to dwelling buildings that were one-storey with a fireplace. Loft apartments are apartments that are generally built from former industrial buildings. When industrial developments are developed into condominiums instead of apartments, they may be called loft condominiums . The general term warehouse-to-loft conversions may sometimes be used for development of industrial buildings into apartments and condominiums. "Loft-style" may also refer simply to developments where

2091-407: The sail as the canvas is marked and cut ready for sewing. Some churches have a choir loft , where the singers stand or sit during services. Sometimes the church organ is located in an organ loft, which may or may not have space for musicians apart from the organist. Churches may also contain triforiums with projecting watching-lofts. It is fairly common to convert all or part of a home into

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2142-467: The site from Sperry and leased it to Joseph Delacroix. Delacroix built a country resort named Vauxhall Gardens on the site; the gardens had previously been located further downtown, in Tribeca . NoHo soon became an enclave for well-to-do families. Because of rapid development on Bond , Bleecker , and Great Jones Streets , it was not affordable to build houses on these streets. These streets were among

2193-560: The southernmost five mansions on Colonnade Row were demolished for the Wanamaker's Department Store annex. Most of the mansions on Bond Street, though, lasted through the 1930s. Not all of NoHo was built for and by the rich and (now) famous. Two Federal architecture -style row houses on the easternmost block of Bleecker Street were once the home of the National Florence Crittenton Mission , providing

2244-535: The street serves as SoHo's northern boundary; another, narrower neighborhood north of Houston Street is correspondingly called NoHo . In 1971, Houston Street became the southernmost street in Manhattan to extend between both the Hudson and East Rivers, when the World Trade Center was constructed and deprived Fulton Street of that title. With the reconstruction of the World Trade Center , Fulton Street

2295-473: The suburbs. By the 1950s, these spaces were rented to artists and small theatre companies. The artists had to go through extensive litigation to live and work in these spaces. By 1960, there were more artist residents than businesses in these loft spaces. Among the famous artist residents at the time were Robert Mapplethorpe , who bought a loft in NoHo; Chuck Close , who lived next to him; and street artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol . The neighborhood

2346-512: Was extended past Church Street to West Street , but is closed off to vehicular traffic west of Church Street . A reconstruction project rebuilt parts of the street between 2005 and 2018. As of 2024 , Houston Street is served by the M21 New York City Bus route from Columbia to Washington Streets westbound, and from 6th Avenue to the FDR Drive eastbound. The bus route itself had replaced an earlier streetcar line , which

2397-624: Was markedly widened from Sixth Avenue to Essex Street in the early 1930s during construction of the Independent Subway System 's Sixth Avenue Line . The street widening involved demolition of buildings on both sides of the street, resulting in numerous small, empty lots. Although some of these lots have been redeveloped, many of them are now used by vendors, and some have been turned into playgrounds and, more recently, community gardens . Lower Manhattan's SoHo district takes its name from an acronym for "South of Houston", as

2448-468: Was married in these houses. In the summer of 1838, the garden's owners opened a saloon for the staging of vaudeville comic operas. Later theatre managers expanded the offerings to appeal to a wider range of patrons. By 1850, the rowdier crowds of the Bowery had mostly scared off the upper classes, and fewer people came to the Vauxhall Gardens. The theater buildings were demolished in 1855, and

2499-634: Was opened in the 1820s, it quickly became one of the most fashionable streets in New York. This location made the Gardens accessible to the residents of nearby Broadway and the Bowery . The houses once contained such notable residents as the Astor family and the Vanderbilt family , in addition to authors Washington Irving , Charles Dickens , and William Makepeace Thackeray ; U.S. President John Tyler

2550-410: Was revitalized beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s. As artists began to rent lofts in the neighborhood in the 1970s and 1980s, the name NoHo came into use to distinguish it from nearby SoHo. Previously, the area now comprising NoHo, SoHo, and eastern Tribeca was known as the warehouse district . The art movement of the 1970s and the preservation movements of the 1990s and 2000s also helped to revitalize

2601-460: Was serving in the Congress. Bayard cut the street through a tract he owned in the vicinity of Canal Street in which he lived, and the city later extended it to include North Street , the northern border of New York's east side at the beginning of the 19th century. The current spelling of the name is a corruption: the street appears as Houstoun in the city's Common Council minutes for 1808 and

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