Lower East Side Tenement Museum
103 Orchard St./Broome St., (877) 975-3786. Tours daily 10am-5:30pm; reservations advised. $25, 65+ & students $20; suitable for age 8+.
Once there were 23 factories just on this block, which was also the most densely populated block in the city. Now a National Historic Landmark, the tenement building that houses the Lower East Side Tenement Museum was, between 1863 and 1935, home to 7,000 people from more than 20 countries. First it was Germans, who were replaced by Europeans and Jews, then Italians, then Chinese. Then, in 1935, they were all evicted because the landlord didn’t want to comply with new fire code laws. Typical tenement design was five floors, four apartments on each floor, and store front property on the bottom floor. Before your tour you can view a 30-minute film on immigration, the Lower East Side, and the museum.
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images courtesy of museum
Once there were 23 factories just on this block, which was also the most densely populated block in the city. Now a National Historic Landmark, the tenement building that houses the Lower East Side Tenement Museum was, between 1863 and 1935, home to 7,000 people from more than 20 countries. First it was Germans, who were replaced by Europeans and Jews, then Italians, then Chinese. Then, in 1935, they were all evicted because the landlord didn’t want to comply with new fire code laws. Typical tenement design was five floors, four apartments on each floor, and store front property on the bottom floor. Before your tour you can view a 30-minute film on immigration, the Lower East Side, and the museum.
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| exterior of Lower East Side Tenement Museum in NYC |
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| Baldizzi kitchen at Lower East Side Tenement Museum in NYC |
More NYC attractions.
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images courtesy of museum
Such an unusual museum. It would be very interesting to see how they were lived in and imagine 7000 people living there over the years.
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