The New York City Tenement Museum - An NYC Walking Tour

The New York City Tenement Museum 97 Orchard Street Manhattan

 

 

In the late 1800's a wave of immigration began to hit the United States and the City of  New York. The Lower East Side of New York City (NYC) was just one of the areas that immigrant families came to settle and live in what came to be known as tenement buildings. The Tenement Museum at 97 Orchard Street here in NYC features a five-story brick tenement building that was home to an estimated 7,000 people, from over 20 nations, between 1863 and 1935. When first constructed in 1863, it contained 22 apartments and a basement level saloon. Over time, four stoop-level and two basement apartments were converted into commercial retail space, leaving 16apartments in the building. Modifications over the years included the installation of indoor plumbing (cold running water , two toilets per floor), an air shaft , and gas followed by electricity. In 1935, rather than continue  to modify the building, the landlord evicted the residents, boarded the upper windows, and sealed the upper floors, leaving only the stoop-level and basement storefronts open for business. The museum's exhibits include restored apartments that depict the lives of immigrants  who lived at 97 Orchard Street between 1869 and 1935.