Manhattan's SoHo Village is rich with history and culture

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - If you feel like you're getting lost among all the new buildings going up in Manhattan, head to SoHo, specifically the nine-block section from Thompson Street and MacDougal Street to Houston Street and Watts Street.

The area was declared a historic district at the end of 2016 so that Old New York will remain for years to come. Markers have now been installed to highlight the historical designation.

"The historic status ensures none of these buildings can be pulled down," Linda Pagan said.

Pagan is the proprietress of The Hat Shop in SoHo, a part of the neighborhood recently labeled SoHo Village. The area is so unique that Newsweek calls it "The Best Little Neighborhood in the Big City."

"We have a service industry, which so many neighborhoods have lost," Pagan said. "We have a butcher, we have bakers, a cobbler, tobacconist, an American Legion."

Fulani Hart, who owns a women's wear shop called Archery, said that having the area declared historical and the best is awesome and necessary.

"People are visiting because of the historic factor. They want to see small businesses, artists, culture, and history of the neighborhood," he said. "We want newness and growth, don't get me wrong, but don't kill the soul of the neighborhood."

"This is our neighborhood—it has history," Pagan said.

A history that will now be preserved.