Photo of Orchard St. tenements by Tenement Museum ca. 1930s
The Tenement Museum in New York tells the stories of 97 Orchard Street. Built on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1863, this tenement apartment building was home to nearly 7000 working class immigrants.
They faced challenges we understand today: making a new life, working for a better future, starting a family with limited means.
In recognizing the importance of this seemingly ordinary building, the Tenement Museum has re-imagined the role that museums can play in our lives.
The Tenement Museum preserves and interprets the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in and built lives on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, America’s iconic immigrant neighborhood; forges emotional connections between visitors and immigrants past and present; and enhances appreciation for the profound role immigration has played and continues to play in shaping America’s evolving national identity.
THE VISITOR CENTER
& MUSEUM SHOP
103 Orchard Street
p: 212-982-8420
Located on the corner of Delancey Street, the Visitor Center and Museum Shop is where tours start and end, and where tickets are sold.
The Museum Shop carries an excellent selection of books and gifts about New York, immigration and tenements. It is also home to Tenement Talks, a regular series of free readings, performances and book release parties.
The Tenement Museum virtual tour:
http://www.tenement.org/Virtual-Tour/vt_hallruin.html
