Jul 14, 2016
Broadway and Houston looking SW, 1932. It looks like a bomb went off, but the destruction of today's Soho in the 1930s was due to the widening of Houston Street, specifically for the IND (F, M) subway line. Photos and maps from the time show the demolition – mainly tenements along Houston from 6th Ave to Essex Street – in total 1,795 apartments were destroyed. The large open lot seen in the foreground of the photo (the NW corner of Broadway and Houston where an Adidas store stands today) is completely cleared because the subway goes through an S-Curve below. The subway would open in 1936. #broadwayhouston #soho #noho #nolita #newyorkcity #nychistory #newyorkhistory #INDsubway #1930snyc (at Broadway Lafayatte)