Zelf Tool and Die Works

Robert Weinreb, a SoHo old-timer, has spent the past 50+ years photographing his environs and the world, most significantly the Himalayas, documenting changes in the region over a 30-year period. The following is a sampling of Weinreb’s SoHo photos, taken in the early 1970s. They capture the moment in time when SoHo’s buildings housed a mix of artist studios and factories and the streets were both gritty and glorious. Read more>>

A few years ago, a guy named Rick wrote to me about the years he spent living in SoHo. About how he had a storefront gallery on Grand Street, about the time he saved the cross from the roof of the partially demolished St. Alphonsus Church on West Broadway, about all of the assemblages he made with objects found on the street. It was only later that I realized that this Rick was the same Rick who was the artist of MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head Comic Book. It turned out that he had not only once been my neighbor, he had also been a contributor to my pop culture landscape growing up. Read my interview with Rick about his SoHo days and about what he’s been up to since here>>

A quiz to test your knowledge of old SoHo. See how many of these images you recognize!