Greenwich Village was kept intact during the realization of the 1811 grid plan and thanks to that we are able to experience the houses and the entire neighborhood in the original and irregular old street scape in which they were built in. As we walked into the neighborhood of SOHO,  there was a major shift in the usage of buildings as well as the architectural style used to develop said buildings.

As we walked around the neighborhood of Greenwich, we could see that many houses resembled one another which probably means they were developed by the same person and sold for profit, similar to the houses developed in Brooklyn Heights. Although there are several features that the houses of this neighborhood share with the houses in Brooklyn Heights— from monumental parlor floors to the amount of detail invested on the front door, they still have their unique qualities. For example the use of iron as a material was beginning to rise at the time and its use can be seen on the decorative gates of those homes. Not only does Greenwich Village reflect the old architectural style which consisted of lower level buildings, big entrances and wide streets, it also depicts the development around park spaces. This development can be seen at Washington Square Park and at Sheridan Square. A notable quality of Washington Square Park is the major street stopped to create this major view of it. In that instant people are granted a moment to look at the park and see the grandiose Washington Centenary arch. This delicate treatment can be seen for Sheridan Square, where despite the geometric configuration of the lot, it was still achieved and today serves as a beautiful viewing garden for the community.

Walking into SOHO,  a major shift takes place well throughout the neighborhood. There’s more commercial buildings rather than homes, the once low leveled buildings are now growing vertically thanks to the creation of the elevator. Cast-iron architecture takes off in this neighborhood due to it’s inexpensive, fast building and conveniently accessible qualities. The notable quality of the buildings in SOHO is that although the process of these buildings wasn’t difficult and could have a building constructed within as short as four months and yet several buildings were made with great detail at the cornice and for each Corinthian column which seemed to have become a signature/identifier of these SOHO cast-iron buildings. The material was painted to resemble previous materials used on the façade, like stone and could easily be freshened up with paint as well.