no fear of getting hit by a car” It changed as the art scene became more established: "Then galleries started opening closer to the artists, people started coming to the galleries, and people started opening restaurants. [Then other] people wanted to live in these big spaces—like the artists—because it was so cool and appealing." The SoHo loft, now synonymous with an ubiquitous, trendy aesthetic, was born out of economic and creative necessity. The SoHo Memory Project archive contains photographs of the renovation process and hand-written notes that document the informal nature of tenancy and cooperative building maintenance in this period. Oral histories describe a continuous, never-finished renovation process, with projects undertaken piecemeal when the owners could afford it. Often tradespeople were self-taught, doing work for barter. There are documents pertaining to the struggle to get trash collection and the community organization that formed to prevent crime. Ohta describes it thus: “People came here from all over to be urban pioneers. Back then, it was like camping. There was no heat, there were no amenities— but there was lots of space.” These renovated lofts with improvisational electrical work and slapdash plumbing are now some of the most desirable and expensive pieces of real estate in New York City. Most of the galleries have long-since been priced out, along with many of the artists. This pattern of development, where artists revitalize an industrial neighborhood and thereby gentrify it, has reproduced itself in other NY neighborhoods and in cities across America. Thus Soho has become archetypal in the history of urban development. Activism The SoHo Memory Project archive contains many documents about the various legal struggles the neighborhood faced. Tenancy issues were fundamental as the area was not zoned for residential use. Artists Tenant Association and the SoHo Artists Association, later SoHo Alliance, were formed in the late 60s to centralize lobbying efforts to change zoning laws. In 1971, joint living and work quarters (JLWQ) were made legal for registered artists. The certification process was faulty and never well enforced, but theoretically, restrictions still exist today. These neighborhood activists resisted the destruction of historical buildings and advocated for adaptive reuse. Their efforts have helped to preserve the character of the neighborhood, which was formally landmarked as the SoHo–Cast Iron Historic District in 1973. There is also material from Julie Finch (formerly Julie Judd) that details the neighborhood's fight with the city over the