By Joseph Morales

  SoHo is a unique and vibrant neighborhood full of designer boutiques, high-end chain stores and countless compelling art galleries. If you walk around long enough, you may notice what appears to be a floating subway map on the sidewalk on Greene Street between Prince and Spring Streets outside of the SoHo building, just blocks from the Apple Store as well as multiple subway stations. This distinguished and relatable work of art for many New Yorkers has a rich history that started when a building owner wanted to help make a difference with a city and subway system in crisis during the late 1970’s.

               The story began in 1978 during the late 1970’s and the city was in a state of bankruptcy and population decline, as many fled to the suburbs in search of jobs due to the city’s high unemployment rate. This left Lower Manhattan a chaotic and desolate place. As Goldman’s wife Janet described in a video regarding the artwork she said, “it was an industrial area with garbage all over the sidewalks, there was nothing fancy in Downtown New York at that time.” Therefore, Goldman bought and renovated 18 buildings including the SoHo building that is adjacent to the floating subway map in order to revitalize and reinvent the SoHo area.  

              Goldman had wanted to place a special work of art outside of the building and that’s when he enlisted the help of François Schein, an avid New York City Subway and Sidewalk fan whom Goldman met on the sidewalk in order to construct a piece of art outside of the SoHo Building in which he owned. Schein had discovered New York through its sprawling subway system and really enjoyed its subway map. Schein had told Goldman “I think this city resembles a computer. The kind of vision one has from an airplane looking down at the city at night. What you see is a gigantic computer chip. I’d like to build an art piece like that.” One can see where Schein gets her ideology from when you look down on Manhattan from a commercial flight and notice the array of buildings and lights looking like a perfectly put together puzzle. 

Manhattan as seen from a commercial airplane amidst the sunset.

Midtown Manhattan seen from a commercial airplane

            Goldman loved the idea and decided to work with Schein to implement it with Goldman saying “Sidewalks are a great canvas to work on.”. However, this did not come without challenges. Goldman thought he could never get a building permit to construct the sidewalk mural, so he decided to let Schein do the artwork herself. Schein still needed to receive a permit from the City’s Landmark Commission due to SoHo being located in a famous Cast Iron District. She also needed to receive permission from the local community board in order to begin construction on the mural.  Though she was publicly mocked by the City’s Department of Transportation she did not let that stop her. 

             Construction began and according to a video made by the François Schein Youtube Channel, the sidewalk outside of the SoHo building was messy for a while during the construction but it was all worth it for what was about to be constructed.

             Now the mural titled, “Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk” is an official NYC landmark. The lines on the map were built with brass rods made up of stainless steel, the same material as the subway cars constructed and used in the subway system today. In addition, the map features LED light-under round glass orbs that illuminate the sidewalk at night. The map is 90 feet long and 12 feet wide and includes 156 Manhattan subway stations. Schein only included Manhattan subway stations so that the map could fit in the space in front of the SoHo Building.  

“Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk” as seen on Greene St adjacent to the SoHo Building on 110 Greene St

             This project was a major example of what Schein and Goldman are most known for. According to Schein’s website, her earlier works which include “Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk” “were centered on the mental map-making of places and the multiple layers of information that define cities and their inhabitants.” As she has always been politically engaged as well as sensitive to the evolution of human rights, she was known for creating an artistic and ethic bond between cities and countries through her early work, all of which became local landmarks. Other projects she has done with similar ideals include a piece titled “Concorde” in a Paris subway station and Dyads at a subway station in her birthplace of Brussels, Belgium. Schein currently is the Founder and Director of the Association INSCRIRE that works with communities throughout the European Union to create artwork and events that start reflection and conversation on human rights values as well as cultural diversity. 

            As for Goldman, the SoHo building has gone on to become  one of SoHo’s largest and tallest mixed-use office buildings. His purchase of the SoHo building as well as 17 other buildings in SoHo that he renovated played a huge role in SoHo’s revitalization. He also completed similar projects in South Beach, Florida just outside of Miami and Midtown Village in Philadelphia as well as other places. Sadly, Tony Goldman passed away in September 2012 of heart failure at the age of 68. 

            This project “Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk”, has been representative of the values and ideals of both Tony Goldman and François Schein. This piece has served as an inspiration to those walking by front throughout the city and the world and demonstrates love for the city through even the toughest of times.

Works Cited

Kaufman, Leslie. “Tony Goldman, Real Estate Visionary, Dies at 68.” The New York Times, 15 September 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/nyregion/tony-goldman-real-estate-visionary-dies-at-68.html. Accessed 10 November 2022.

“New York’s Floating Sidewalk Subway Map.” Inside Out Tours, 5 August 2019, https://insideouttours.com/2019/08/05/new-yorks-floating-sidewalk-subway-map/. Accessed 10 November 2022.

MORRISON, JOHN F. “Developer Tony Goldman, 68, led 13th St. transformation.” Philadelphia Inquirer, 13 September 2012, https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20120913_Developer_Tony_Goldman__68__led_13th_St__transformation.html#loaded. Accessed 10 November 2022.

“Tony Goldman is Soho Cool.” Haute Living, 2 January 2008, https://hauteliving.com/2008/01/tony-goldman-is-soho-cool/1900/. Accessed 10 November 2022.

norbertobriceno, director. Kinda Interesting Things #83. 2022. TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@norbertobriceno/video/7134828874785017134?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1.

Françoise Schein, director. Françoise Schein’s Subway Map Floating on a NY Sidewalk, 1985. Performance by Janet Ehrlich, 2017. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjw3DxXvJJQ&t=448s.

“Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk.” Françoise Schein’s, https://www.francoiseschein.com/projects/subway-map-floating-on-a-new-york-sidewalk/. Accessed 11 November 2022.