Elizabeth Street Sculpture Garden

This is the sculpture garden adjacent to the Elizabeth Street Gallery located in Nolita (North of Little Italy)-SoHo area on Elizabeth Street, between Prince and Spring Streets. It is a unique garden space in the area with some really nice reproductions of antique statues, benches, and other fine objects. It is available for events for the most casual to the most intimate and elegant occasions. The Garden covers 20,000 square feet and offers park like settings of grass and magnificent trees, accented with antique statuary and garden decoration. The garden is adjacent to a gallery in a renovated 1850s New York City firehouse.

Broome Street in SoHo

SoHo is the former manufacturing district south of Houston Street (and bounded on the east by Lafayette Street, on the west by the Hudson River and to the south by Canal Street). The neighborhood is characterized by Belgian block streets and cast iron–facade buildings with enormously high ceilings—made to accommodate manufacturing equipment—and gargantuan windows, built to flood the floors with sunlight in the otherwise dimly lit gas-lamp days. Beginning in the 1960s and lasting through the 1990s, the district was the live/work playground of many of the city's most famous artists. Today those glorious 19th-century buildings, are occupied by retail stores and some are co-operative apartments, such as the beautiful building in the top photo (right) which is also known as Haggin Building, Silk Exchange Building, or the French Telegraph and Cable Building.

Mural for Red Bull Music Academy New York 2013

This is one of the murals for the recent Red Bull Music Academy NYC 2013. The mural is on an apartment building on Lafayette Street in SoHo. The Red Bull Music Academy was a five-week series of concerts, lectures, art installations and workshops that is one of the biggest musical happenings in New York, as well as perhaps the most elaborate example of the reach of corporate brands into popular culture. The academy is a combination citywide festival and private musical summer camp. It has been held in different international cities almost every year since 1998, when it began in Berlin. The events in New York City this year were underwritten by Red Bull.

Street Art

These are two of the art installations at Mulberry Street in SoHo as part of the IDEAS CITY festival. IDEAS CITY explores the future of cities with the belief that arts and culture are essential to the vitality of urban centers. One installation is a video projection on a wall, and the other is a light installation built with materials normally used for traffic control and construction safety. The exhibition was held on May 4th.

Cast-Iron Historic District

SoHo is also known as the Cast-Iron Historic District, as it was designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Ornate cast-iron facades were originally used to beautify pre-existing buildings, but was later used in new construction as well. Most of the cast iron buildings in New York City are in SoHo and mostly dating from the mid to late-1800′s. SoHo has also become a popular destination for shopping in Lower Manhattan. Most of the images above were captured in Crosby Street and Broadway.

Designer Handbag Cakes Created by International Culinary Center Students

Cake making turned into an art. These are designer handbag cakes created by the talented students of the "Cake Techniques and Design Program" at the International Culinary Center. The "purse cakes" are part of the window display at the culinary center's L'Ecole Restaurant in SoHo. The red Chanel bag won the handbag cake contest with the most "Likes" on Facebook. The famous culinary school offers chef training programs in culinary arts, pastry arts, bread baking and cake design, as well as specialized courses in wine studies and restaurant management. The International Culinary Center is located at 462 Broadway in SoHo.

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in SoHO - Benefitting People Living With And Affected By HIV/AIDS

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe has become a New York downtown institution and tourist destination for the past few years. It is a one-of-a-kind store selling books, movie and music selections, as well as a venue for special events. All of their merchandise is donated, and 100% of proceeds go to Housing Works, an advocacy organization for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Almost all of the staff members are volunteers. It has a little cafe inside the store which is located at 126 Crosby Street in SoHO. For more information, click on their website.

The Artwork of John Lennon On Display in a Pop-Up Gallery in SoHo

Yoko Ono is presenting the artwork of the late Beatles star, John Lennon in a 10,000-square foot brick building at 76 Wooster Street (between Spring and Broome) for a celebration of what would have been John Lennon's 71st birthday. The show is open to the public. Over 100 of Lennon's limited-edition drawings and reprinted song lyrics are on display at the "Gimme Some Truth" exhibit. According to published reports, the artwork for sale consists of lithographs, seriographs and copper etchings of the pen, pencil and Japanese sumi ink drawings of John Lennon, and each are “signed” in the Japanese tradition with Mr. Lennon’s “chop,” a personalized red stamp which in his case reads “Like a Cloud, Beautiful Sound.” Also available are lithographs of some rare Bag One drawings, the portfolio of wedding drawings and controversial erotic works (some depicting himself and his wife), which Mr. Lennon gave Ms. Ono at their wedding. The 100 pieces were created by Lennon between 1964 and 1980. A portion of the works will be up for sale with proceeds benefiting Citymeals-on-Wheels, a meal delivery service for senior citizens. The exhibit runs through October 10. 

Fire Escape Stairs In SoHo And Chinatown

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Fire escape stairs are a unique feature of some old multiple-story residential buildings in many cities including New York City. Typical New York styles are pictured above in SoHo and along Canal Street. A Special kind of emergency exit mounted to a building exterior, the fire escape consists of a numerous horizontal platforms made of steel gratings, one for each story of a building, with steel ladders connecting them. 

SoHo Cast Iron Historic District's E.V. Haughwout Building

The E.V. Haughwout Building (building on the left) in SoHo was a symbol of cast iron’s innovative use. Built in roughly a year’s time, it was home to what The New York Times called “the greatest china and porcelain house in the city.”
More importantly, when the Haughwout Building opened in 1857, it showcased the New York City’s first passenger safety elevator. Created by the founder of Otis Elevators, this building feature enabled store patrons to go from floor-to-floor with speed and efficiency. Best of all, the elevator enabled shoppers to carry more parcels with them, making it easier to spend more money in one location. (from SoHo lofts.com)

SoHo is also known as the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District because of the many buildings incorporating cast iron architectural elements like the building in the picture. SoHo is a neighborhood bounded roughly by Houston Street on the northern side, Lafayette Street/Centre Street on the east, Canal Street on the south, and West Broadway on the west, based on SoHo's unique M1-5a/M1-5b zoning passed in 1971.Originally ending in the west at the eastern side of West Broadway and to the east at the western side of Crosby Street, the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District was expanded in 2010 to cover most of West Broadway and to extend east to Lafayette/Centre Streets. The lines are not straight, and some block-fronts on West Broadway and Lafayette are excluded from the Historic District. 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. Cast iron was initially used as a decorative front over a pre-existing building. With the addition of modern, decorative facades, older industrial buildings were able to attract new commercial clients. Most of these facades were constructed during the period from 1840 to 1880. In addition to revitalizing older structures, buildings in SoHo were later designed to feature the cast iron. An American architectural innovation, cast iron was cheaper to use for facades than materials such as stone or brick. Molds of ornamentation, prefabricated in foundries, were used interchangeably for many buildings, and a broken piece could be easily recast. The buildings could be erected quickly, some were built in only four months' time. Despite the brief construction period, the quality of the cast iron designs was not sacrificed. Previously, bronze had been the metal most frequently used for architectural detail. Architects now found that the relatively inexpensive cast iron could form the most intricately designed patterns. Classical French and Italian architectural designs were often used as models for these facades. And because stone was the material associated with architectural masterpieces, cast iron, painted in neutral tints such as beige, was used to simulate stone.

Since the iron was pliable and easily molded, sumptuously curved window frames were created, and the strength of the metal allowed these frames considerable height. Thus, the once somber, gas-lit interiors of the industrial district were flooded with sunlight through the newly enlarged windows. The strength of the cast iron permitted high ceilings with sleek supporting columns, and interiors became more expansive and functional.

During cast iron's heyday, many architects thought it to be structurally more sound than steel. It was also thought that cast iron would be fire resistant, and facades were constructed over many interiors built of wood and other flammable materials. But, when exposed to heat, cast iron buckled and later cracked under the cold water used to extinguish fire. In 1899, a building code was passed mandating the backing of cast iron fronts with masonry. Most of the buildings which stand today are constructed in this way. It was the advent of steel as a major construction material that brought a rapid end to the cast iron era."

Moncler Flagship Store Window Display And Moncler Grenoble Fall Winter 2011 Fashion Show At Grand Central Station

Moncler, the Italian brand that makes puffy jackets chic, has a new window display in its flagship store in SoHo. The boutique is located at 90 Prince Street (at Mercer Street).

Last week, the Moncler Grenoble Fall Winter 2011 Fashion Presentation took place at Grand Central Terminal.

Graffiti on Wooster Street in SoHO

Although graffiti art has largely disappeared from view in Manhattan in the nineties, there are still some abandoned buildings with all kinds of graffiti and murals. The photos above were taken in a building on Wooster Street in SoHO, with graffiti and a mural by the artist Shepard Fairey. 

Graffiti Definition: The Dictionary of Art (from graffiti.org)

Graffiti. Term applied to an arrangement of institutionally illicit marks in which there has been an attempt to establish some sort of coherent composition: such marks are made by an individual or individuals (not generally professional artists) upon a wall or other surface that is usually visually accessible to the public. The term "graffiti" derives from the Greek graphein ("to write"). Graffiti (s. graffito), meaning a drawing or scribbling on a flat surface, originally referred to those marks found on ancient Roman architecture. Although examples of graffiti have been found at such sites as Pompeii, the Domus Aurea of Emperor Nero (AD 54-68) in Rome, Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli and the Maya site of Tikal in Mesoamerica, they are usually associated with 20th-century urban environments. Graffiti range from simple marks to complex and colorful compositions. Motives for the production of such marks may include a desire for recognition that is public in nature, and/or the need to appropriate public space or someone else's private space for group or individual purposes. Illegitimate counterparts to the paid, legal advertisements on billboards or signs, graffiti utilize the wall of garages, public rest rooms, and jail cells for their clandestine messages. This illegal expression constitutes vandalism to the larger society.

The Colorful World of JONATHAN ADLER

Window Display of the Store in SOHO

Photographed on the store's "Spring Awakening Day" (May 1, 2010)

Cover of His Coffee Table Book

Greene Street in SOHO, where Jonathan Adler's first store opened in 1998 

"Where lonely sofas meet perky pillows," reads the sign on the window of the Jonathan Adler store at 47 Greene Street in SOHO. The bright and energetic theme carries over  a wide array of home accessories including dinnerware in deliciously vibrant colors, needlepoint pillows, geometric patterned rugs, assorted animal statuettes, pottery, and chandeliers. His coffee table book called "My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living" features photographs depicting the company's "dedication to bringing style, craft, joy, and a gnereal feeling of grooviness to your home."

About Jonathan Adler (from his official website):

1966 Born in farm town in New Jersey.

1978 Tries pottery at summer camp while wearing a Rush concert tee.

1979 Begs parents to buy him a wheel and kiln.

1980-84 Spends entire adolescence in basement of family’s modern house throwing pots.

1984-88 Allegedly studies semiotics and art history at Brown but actually spends all his time at RISD making pots.

1989 Makes quilted line of pottery inspired by Chanel. Evil professor advises him to bag pottery and try a career in law.

1990 Moves to New York and starts working at a talent agency.

1993 Deeply depressed from three long years in the movie business (as anyone would be), quits and returns to the studio to recuperate. Tells parents he wants to be a potter and vows never to have a real job again. Concerned parents schedule an intervention.

1994 Shows pots to Barney’s and gets an order. Realizes he has to make the pots.

1995 Orders pour in. Time to make the donuts.

1996 Time to make the donuts.

1997 At wit’s end from making the donuts, hooks up with Aid to Artisans, a non-profit organization which helps artisans in developing countries to make products for the American market. Flies to Peru and discovers paradise - a beautiful workshop by the sea with parrots and gardens and incredible artisans, creative explosion ensues.

1998 Opens a store in Soho.

1999 Adopts (with his partner Simon Doonan) a Norwich terrier named Liberace who is the light of their lives.

2000 Millenium madness! Luckily Y2K has no impact on pottery wheels.

2001 Bicoastal! Opens store in Los Angeles. Fervently hopes the cast of Friends will stop by. They don’t.

2002 Launches a glamorous new furniture collection and takes on interior design projects. Starts fondling swatches as well as clay. Liberace turns three, can now legally drink and vote.

2003 Develops raging obsession with waspy country club style - needlepoint, chinoiserie and acid green lacquer. Concerned Jewish mother schedules another intervention.

2004 Kooky creative odyssey continues. Branches out into new categories - bedding, towels, stationery and designs The Parker Palm Springs hotel. Finds it increasingly difficult to make time to watch Law and Order.

2005 Opens stores in Miami, Chicago, Madison Avenue and San Francisco (oodles of frequent flyer miles). Wildly expands furniture line with even more glamorous upholstered groups and casegoods. Writes first design book! Jewish mother proud, but Liberace remains aloof – he is, after all, a Terrier...

2006 Turns 40! Reluctantly relinquishes ingénue status. Suddenly needlepoint obsession becomes less ironic & more age appropriate.

2007 Reality TV! Joins the Bravo family as lead judge on Top Design. Wanders the streets in outfits borrowed from the TV show hoping to be recognized. Alas.....

2008 Gets hitched to Simon... hopes his civil right to marriage will be upheld.

2009 More stores, more stuff, more fun.  Tapped to design a real life Malibu Dream House to celebrate Barbie's 50th.  Can finally make amends for decapitating sister's Barbie in 1974.

"Dude" and "Betty" Store Greeters/Models of HOLLISTER in SOHO

They are store greeters of HOLLISTER in SOHO, located at 600 Broadway, between Prince and Houston Streets in Lower Manhattan. HOLLISTER Co (HCO or Hollister) is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie and Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14-18 through its Southern California-inspired image and casual wear.

Hollister California utilizes the technique of "walking self-marketing" or direct advertising. This is notably achieved through the large embroidery or screenprint of the brand's name, initials, fictional date of establishment and the flying seagull logo on the vast majority of their merchandise. The company has not employed media marketing to communicate its desired look and appeal. The brand's marketing images, including the shopping bag are sepia-toned for a "vintage effect."