From Luxury Rentals Manhattan:

Geographically, Soho (short for South of Houston) is downtown, bordered by Houston Street and Canal Street, and by Lafayette Street and Sixth Avenue. Culturally, few neighborhoods can match Soho when it comes to defining what makes Manhattan Manhattan. Famously home to some of the city's elite art galleries and luxury shopping, Soho is also home to some of the most desirable loft-style rentals in Manhattan.

Soho lofts were originally 19th-century cast-iron buildings used as warehouses and factories. Artists and designers have proven especially partial to these lofts, which are known for their huge windows, high ceilings and open floor plans. As the neighborhood has gentrified -- and it has really gentrified, with ultra-exclusive nightspots, Michelin-starred restaurants and high-end boutiques making themselves at home on cobblestone streets -- most of those lofts have become top-dollar condominiums. That said, the apartments for rent at 145 Spring Street offer a classic Soho loft experience. More conventional luxury rental apartments can be had at Soho Court, although "conventional" doesn't really do justice to the modern rental flats on offer there. Of all the words that could be applied to Soho, in fact -- from trendy to timeless, posh to bohemian -- "conventional" is certainly not one.

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