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7 THE BOWERY, LITTLE ITALY, AND SOHO: FROM GRIT TO GLAMOUR

BOUNDARIES: Grand St., Broadway, Houston St., Bowery

DISTANCE: 3.3 miles

SUBWAY: B or D to Grand St.

“The Bow’ry, the Bow’ry / They say such things / And they do strange things / On the Bow’ry! The Bow’ry …” That’s the refrain from the famous song by Hoyt and Gaunt. As a child I saw TV commercials and heard radio ads for the Bowery Savings Bank, but I also heard about “Bowery bums,” so my parents and I didn’t stroll around there.

The Bowery has had quite the history, being the oldest Manhattan thoroughfare (it began life as a Native American footpath that was much lengthier). Dutch colonists dubbed it the “bouwerij [farm] road,” and even into the 1860s it rivaled Broadway in importance. For many years it was an elegant address, but by the late 1800s it was riddled with honky-tonk entertainments and notorious flophouses. Through the early 1900s and on into the 1970s, the Bowery remained infamous as the city’s Skid Row. But in the decades since (and particularly over the past 10 years), the district has been redeveloped and “rediscovered,” and today it comprises a mix of chic galleries and shops, humbler wholesalers, nonprofit organizations, and residences. This walk also visits neighboring Little Italy (also see Walk 5) and Soho, a historic neighborhood that, like the Bowery, has bounced back from hard times.

 Get off the subway and go upstairs to the sidewalk, at Grand Street and Chrystie Street. Grand Street cuts through Sara D. Roosevelt Park here, and you’ll usually find a few street vendors selling newspapers or snacks. You’re likely to hear Chinese and English spoken.

 With the park behind you, walk on Grand to the Bowery, one block away. Check out this neat little detail at 253 Grand: The street address is etched into the building, and above that is a crest that reads LB 1901. (What that means is a mystery, although the number could allude to the year of construction.) This stretch of Grand Street has a variety of Vietnamese as well as Chinese businesses.

 Across the Bowery on the corner, check out the massive neoclassical structure (built 1893–95) with THE BOWERY SAVINGS BANK inscribed just under the clock. Its two connected buildings go back a block to Elizabeth Street; the Grand Street side has a similar sign. But the bank is no longer here; now it’s Capitale, an upscale event space. Even so, the building still sports SAFE DEPOSIT VAULT signage, and you can also see ghosting where the bank’s name was removed.

 Walk right (north and east) along the east side of Bowery, noting the profusion of lighting-fixture stores. At #143 is the Bowery Grand, a budget hotel that doesn’t quite live up to its name. Although some of the buildings here look a bit worn, some have distinctive details. At #161 stands a seven-story commercial building from 1900, with carved-limestone pilasters and capitals, and window brackets set at an angle; #167 has Art Deco lettering up top reading CRYSTAL HOTEL. (Built during the Depression on the site of a 19th-century vaudeville theater, the Crystal was one of the Bowery’s ill-famed flophouses.)

 Pause where Kenmare Street intersects on the left and widens into Delancey Street on the right. Looking right, you can see the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance. On the north side of Delancey is a beige stone building with a arched entrance: The Bowery Ballroom, a live-music venue. Directly in front of the club is the Bowery subway stop, the sole station in Manhattan with a one-word name.

 As you continue along the Bowery, notice the many restaurant-supply stores. Spring Street branches off on the left; on the corner stands a turn-of-the-century six-story building, which until very recently was covered with graffiti. The property, which is landmarked, used to be Germania Bank. The longtime owner-resident, who bought the building in the late 1960s and sold it in 2015 for a reported $55 million, apparently kept it cruddy-looking on purpose—the story goes that he balked at city orders to have the graffiti cleaned up because the city wouldn’t let him do the same back in the Bowery’s grittier days. Next door is the Judith Charles Gallery, a showcase for emerging artists.

 Walk farther, and on the right side past Rivington Street is The Bowery Mission. Dating to the late 1800s, this was one of the earliest mission houses for poor, homeless men. It still serves that population, and the building has some pretty features (stained-glass windows with the mission name spelled out in Old English script, mock-Tudor half-timbering). Walk a bit more to see the New Museum to the right. Bursting with cool modernity, it displays a few pieces in its windows. Look up—from this vantage point, it looks like several boxes stacked atop each other. Across the street is Bari Restaurant Equipment, established 1950. The marquee and facade resemble the grille of a vintage car.

 Continue along the Bowery past three galleries in quick succession—Sperone Westwater at #257, Soho Contemporary Art at #259, and Garis & Hahn at #263—and then come to University Settlement at the Houston Street Center. This community-services center, which operates in cooperation with the Chinatown YMCA, has a colorful mural splashed upon a wall in its yard; titled The City as a Living Body, it was created by high school students in collaboration with Groundswell, a public-art program. At Houston Street, another mural is painted at the northwest corner; for several years, this intersection has displayed changing murals painted by hip artists. (If you’re not from these parts, now is probably a good time to mention that Houston is pronounced HOUSE-ton, not like the city in Texas.)

 Turn left, walk along Houston to Mott Street, and turn left again. Like other side streets in the vicinity, Mott has many boutiques and some fairly high-end retail establishments. But this block also has two notable historical sites: The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the 14th Ward Industrial School. The school, at #256, was built in the 1880s, funded by an Astor family member for use by the Children’s Aid Society; look for the CAS in flowery script above the engraved school name. Now the building is residential. Across the street is the cathedral, which became “old” when the Fifth Avenue building was erected in Midtown. The sanctuary was dedicated in 1815, and other sections of the building were done after, although they suffered a major fire in the 1860s. The headstones in the cemetery have quite a bit of wear. Inside, the sanctuary is a bit dark, with gracious stained-glass windows and dramatic vaulting.

One of the marvels of Soho’s Cast Iron District

 Make a right on Prince Street. Across from the church, at #32, stands a redbrick Federal-style building from 1826. A plaque here explains that the building was originally the site of the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum—the first mission of the Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton—and later St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral School, the city’s first Catholic school. The exterior was featured in two films by St. Patrick’s alum Martin Scorsese: Mean Streets and Gangs of New York. The school closed in 2010, and the building is currently being redeveloped as condominiums.

 Go back to Mott Street and continue right (south and west). An interesting noncommercial feature of this block is the Elizabeth Street Garden, which extends back from Mott to Elizabeth Street. Among the 1,200 plantings are flowers, including lavender, daisies, and daffodils; various trees and shrubs; and vegetables and herbs. The garden also hosts such events as Tai Chi and yoga classes, poetry readings, and movie nights. (Check the website in Points of Interest for hours and an events calendar.)

 Cross Spring Street. Lombardi’s Pizza, at this corner since 1905, is generally acknowledged as the first pizzeria in the United States, a fact its web address drives home. Another old-time food haunt is the Parisi Bakery, at #198. This is one of its two neighborhood shops, in business since 1903. At Kenmare Street, look across to see two modern buildings, one of them looking like it has a transistor radio plastered on it; these are the Nolitan Hotel, a play on Nolita, or “north of Little Italy.” This portmanteau for the area (see Tribeca and Soho) was coined in the mid-1990s.

 Continue to Broome Street and make a left. The 1898 firehouse on your right at #363, Engine 55, might be one of the most likable station houses around, with its eagle bas-relief, flowing banner with the company’s name, beautiful oval windows, and metalwork. Next door is Holy Trinity Ukrainian Church, even though ghosting left behind on the facade reads CHURCH OF SAN SALVATORE (that congregation left). Walk in the other direction, across Mott Street, to 375 Broome, which has several gargoyle-y faces with rather dramatic facial hair carved into window decorations, plus one near the roof that’s downright spooky.

 Make a left at Mulberry Street and stroll beneath the WELCOME TO LITTLE ITALY sign that hangs across the road. Check out the many Italian eateries as you walk to Grand Street. Cross Grand to see the Italian American Museum, on your right. Then cross Mulberry and walk on Grand. To your right, Ferrara makes really fine cannoli. On the other side of the street, check out a few of the area’s best (and longest-lived) Italian-food shops: DiPalo, Piemonte Ravioli, and Alleva. As a cheese fan, I was smitten by a mozzarella ball I spotted in Alleva; I took it home and it was quite tasty.

 Head back across Mulberry and make a right at Centre Market Place, a block that comes out of Baxter Street and was named for the nearby Centre Market, now long gone. On the right are townhouses in various colors. Note that street numbers run consecutively here, from 1 to 8, not even on one side and odd on the other.

 When the block ends at Broome, make a left and take a good look at the big fancy building that’s also to your left. This block-long entity is 240 Centre St., which was New York City police headquarters from 1909 to 1973. In 1988, it was converted to luxury condos. (The NYPD is now based near City Hall; see Walk 5.) The dome is the loveliest part, with its clocks, columns, and cupola. This is definitely a building to admire both up close and in full. Walk around it via Broome Street and then a quick jog left on Centre Street.

 Make a right onto Grand Street again.

 At Broadway, make another right. You’re now in Soho (“south of Houston”), known for its many cast iron–front buildings. (Try this cool trick: Take out a small magnet, walk up to one of these buildings, and affix. Voilà!) Many of these structures were erected in the 1880s and 1890s, some before, some into the early 1900s. By the 1950s, this district was nicknamed “Hell’s Hundred Acres” because of its many sweatshops and factories (and the accidental fires that frequently started in them). Some historic buildings succumbed to the wrecking ball, but preservationists fought hard to save many others, and in the 1960s and 1970s artists of various stripes discovered they could set up lofts in the old industrial spaces quite cheaply. Now, of course, Soho is very expensive; in fact, it nearly rivals Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side for posh designer shops. Below I make note of my favorite buildings along this stretch of Broadway, but there are many others worth a look and a photo.

 First, at #462, see the International Culinary Center on your right, along with its Michelin-honored student restaurant, L’Ecole. The building in which they’re housed dates from 1879 and takes its architectural cues from the French Renaissance. Narrow #472, an apartment building, has lovely lacelike ironwork. Impressive #478–482 (a clothing boutique) has intricate work between its pilasters and windows. The building at #486 is made of red brick but has attractive darker banding on the top floors.

 Continue along Broadway, crossing Broome Street, and gaze at #488, a feast of pillars and arches. The building at #504 is likewise an arch festival (with a Bloomingdale’s!), while #508 and #510 have elegant moldings at their rooflines, both topped with rounded pediments. After you pass Spring Street, #532 has opulent Beaux Arts touches. Narrow #540 has vaguely Celtic flourishes around the windows; also note the “1867” at the roof. Next door, at #540–542, there are three caryatids to catch your eye, each slightly different, near the roof. Across the street, massive #555 reads CHARLES BROADWAY ROUSS. Charles Baltzell Rouss operated a department store here in the 1890s; a Virginia native and self-made millionaire, Rouss honored the city that gave him his fortune by changing his middle name to Broadway. Next door, at #557, is the headquarters of Scholastic, the educational publisher. The building, from 2001, only looks old. (When the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, came out, Scholastic—which published the series in the US—held a block-long street fair and was swamped with fans.)

 At #561, the “Little Singer Building” (nicknamed to distinguish it from the sewing machine company’s now-demolished skyscraper farther downtown) has wonderful ironwork and textured terra-cotta pieces all over. Finally, don’t overlook #583, the 1897 Astor Building. For some time, the New Museum of Contemporary Art was located here, but now it’s residential. Perhaps best described as Beaux Arts gone wild, it has lavishly decorated bay windows sandwiched between Corinthian columns, plus terra-cotta gewgaws everywhere they’ll fit: cartouches, arches, gargoyles, you name it.

 At Houston Street, turn right and walk to Lafayette Street to see the Puck Building, which once housed the printing facilities for Puck, a humor magazine published from 1878 to 1916 and named for the imp from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This redbrick Romanesque Revival building from the 1880s has two gold-leaf statues of the magazine’s mascot to admire. Catch the train at the Broadway–Lafayette Street station at Houston Street.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Capitale (Old Bowery Savings Bank) capitaleny.com, 130 Bowery, 212-334-5500

The Bowery Ballroom boweryballroom.com, 6 Delancey St., 212-260-4700

Judith Charles Gallery judithcharlesgallery.com, 196 Bowery, 212-219-4095

The Bowery Mission bowery.org, 227 Bowery, 212-674-3456

New Museum newmuseum.org, 235 Bowery, 212-219-1222

Sperone Westwater speronewestwater.com, 257 Bowery, 212-999-7337

Soho Contemporary Art sohocontemporaryart.com, 259 Bowery, 646-719-1316

Garis & Hahn garisandhahn.com, 263 Bowery, 212-228-8457

University Settlement at the Houston Street Center hsc.universitysettlement.org/hsc, 273 Bowery, 212-475-5008

The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral oldcathedral.org, 263 Mulberry St., 212-226-8075

Elizabeth Street Garden elizabethstreetgarden.org, bounded by Mott, Elizabeth, Prince, and Spring Streets

Lombardi’s Pizza firstpizza.com, 32 Spring St., 212-941-7994

Parisi Bakery parisibakery.com, 198 Mott St., 212-226-6378‎

Nolitan Hotel nolitanhotel.com, 30 Kenmare St., 212-925-2555‎

FDNY Engine 55 363 Broome St.

Italian American Museum italianamericanmuseum.org, 155 Mulberry St., 212-965-9000

Ferrara ferraranyc.com, 195 Grand St., 212-226-6150

Alleva allevadairy.com, 188 Grand St., 212-226-7990

International Culinary Center/L’Ecole Restaurant lecolenyc.com, 462 Broadway, 212-219-3300

ROUTE SUMMARY

1 Walk west on Grand Street from Chrystie Street.

2 Walk right on Bowery.

3 Walk left on Houston Street.

4 Walk left on Mott Street, dipping in and out of Prince Street to the right.

5 Walk left on Broome Street, then head in the other direction across Mott Street.

6 Walk left on Mulberry Street.

7 Go left on Grand Street to Mott Street, then double back on Grand.

8 Walk right on Centre Market Place.

9 Turn left on Broome Street, then left on Centre Street.

10 Make a right on Grand.

11 Walk right on Broadway.

12 Go right at Houston Street to the subway.

CONNECTING THE WALKS

Walk 9 (Central Greenwich Village) begins at West Houston Street and Broadway, just before you turn on Houston to reach the subway. To reach the start of the West Village tour (Walk 10), walk about eight blocks west on Houston to Varick Street.

Slow your stroll to appreciate the charming touches that abound on Soho’s buildings.