Tenement Museum

Manhattan’s Lower East Side was a neighborhood of immigrants at the turn of the century. 

Look familiar? I’m sure you recognize images like this. It’s part of our collective memory. Immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Italy, Russia… were welcomed by the Statue of Liberty, processed on Ellis Island, and then crowded into tenements. Maybe some of your ancestors?  

I’m a sucker for a house tour. But most house tours are of grand, spectacular homes lived in by grand, spectacular, rich people. That’s not the case at the Tenement Museum in New York City’s Lower East Side. This museum is unique because it tells the story of everyday, working, struggling immigrants. Huh.

The museum is housed in a former tenement, abandoned from 1935 to 1988 when it was discovered and purchased for the purpose of opening this museum and telling the immigrants’ story. Because it was boarded up for fifty-plus years, it was essentially a time capsule. A decaying, rotting time capsule. And a perfect canvas for founders Ruth Abrams and Anita Jacobson, who had long dreamed of moving their walking tours into a living, breathing building. 

And the building does seem to live and breathe, not just with tourists, but with spirits. I don’t mean to imply that it’s a haunted house experience; it’s not. But the history of the place is palpable. Take the banister, for example. It’s original to 1863. When you enter the foyer and ascend the staircase, you grab hold of this elegant, somehow still sturdy, wooden banister and feel a direct connection to its former residents. All seven thousand of them ran their hands over this very same banister as they passed to and from their modest apartments. Huh. 

Each apartment was around 325 square feet: a bedroom, a kitchen, and a common room occupied by large families, multiple generations, and sometimes a home business. But no bathroom. This building dates prior to indoor plumbing. Uh.

The museum offers a variety of tours, each told through individual former residents’ perspectives and spanning different generations and cultures. On my visit, I chose the tour entitled Tenement Women. This one focused on two different Jewish women living in the building in 1902. One was young, a new wife, a new mother, and new to America. The other was a matron and an established business owner. We learned their circumstances but were left to imagine their lives. We stood in their apartments attempting to understand them as individuals with hopes and dreams, struggles, and losses using the few clues left behind by history. It’s an engaging, worthwhile experience and a creative way to tell a story. I recommend it.   

But The tenement museum isn’t the only thing to do in The Lower East Side. 

After your tour, you may want to grab lunch at Katz Deli at 205 E. Houston Street. This authentic Jewish deli is New York’s oldest delicatessen dating back to 1888. I suggest you order the pastrami, which is cured for 30 days and carved by hand. 

Another great option is Russ and Daughters Cafe at 127 Orchard Street. This cafe was opened in 2014 by the fourth generation of the Russ family. Or you may prefer to grab something to go from the Russ and Daughters shop down the street at 179 E. Houston Street. Joel Russ started his business as a pushcart vendor in 1907. In 1914, he opened the original shop, which continues to offer dried fruits, nuts, and, of course, lox, bagels, and cream cheese.

Or (and) you can wander over to Chinatown or Little Italy. Both neighborhoods border The Lower East Side. Whatever you fancy, you definitely will not go hungry in this part of town.   

The Tenement Museum 103 Orchard Street: tours $30

152 Orchard Street: studio and former tenement for rent $2750

177 Orchard Street: 1 bedroom, former tenement for rent $2795

96 Orchard: 2 bedroom, former tenement for rent $3200

…In case you’re curious. I was. But hey, indoor plumbing is included!