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Tenement History and Immigrant Life in the Lower East Side

Tenement History and Immigrant Life in the Lower East Side

Overview

From the Five Points and Mulberry Bend, through the Italian and Jewish immigrant waves, and finally what is today's Chinatown, this tour explores the development of a rustic landscape of lakes and farms into what became the mostly densely overcrowded neighborhood on earth barely 100 years ago. The incremental step-by-step process of putting the need for adequate housing over the drive for profit to house the immigrant poor, from disease-ridden cellar dwelling in tumble down shanties. to pre-, old- and new-law tenements, this tour uses pictures to show what is no longer there, and finds what continues to stand in the street walls today to tell the immensely rich, tragic and redemptive story of New York's Lower East Side.

City: New York City

Thu 20 Mar

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $79.00

Make a reservation

Thu 20 Mar

Starting at $79.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Local guide

Professional guide

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
wear comfortable walking shoes
snacks and water are recommended to revitalize

What To Expect

Foley Square

We begin at the former sites of The Five Points neighborhood and Mulberry Bend, one-time notorious slums in New York City's history. The focus is on the "tenement," the early purpose-built housing for the working class, mostly immigrant poor whose history begins not far from this spot.

Columbus Park

Jacob Riis and his seminal work, How the Other Half Lives, helps bring to life the past communities that once occupied the site of today's Columbus Park, between Chinatown and the Court District.

Lower East Side

The heart of the tour is along the blocks of the Lower East Side and the non-stop tenement buildings that proliferated in the Lower East Side from the mid-19th to the early-20th Centuries. Not all tenements were associated with slum communities, though living conditions could be hard. We'll identify different tenements types from different eras, and witness the decades-long process of tenement evolution following advancing laws.

Manhattan Bridge

We will have a stunning view of the Municipal Building and the Woolworth Building East Broadway, one of Chinatowns most vibrant street scenes with hidden-in-plain-sight historic gems.

Museum At Eldridge Street

One of the most beautiful edifices in the city, The Eldridge Street Synagogue begins discussion of the Jewish experience in the Lower East Side, who, like the massive immigrant waves before them, have their own unique story to tell.

Tenement Museum

We pass the back of the museum where they replicate tenement life. Outhouses and clothes line help transport one back in time.

Williamsburg Bridge

DeLancey Street was the clothing discount outlet center of the past.

Show 4 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (17)

DanvilleMom_174

Sep 2019

My husband & I really enjoyed the tour and learned about the horrid housing conditions of immigrants in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Response from Host

Sep 2019

Thank you so much for your review! I hope to see you again on a future tour.

heidibaker5609

Aug 2019

This was a walking tour of where the tenements were located. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and distributed handouts that contained early photos of the outside environments and geographical changes over time. There were photos of the inside of tenements as well. We toured the area for 2 hours with guide pointing out important structures. Would liked to have toured an example.

Response from Host

Sep 2019

It was a pleasure taking you both around, and thank you for your review. All best wishes and I hope to see you again.