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Indoor toilets were only added to 97 Orchard Street after 1901.
Electric light was not installed in 97 Orchard until 1924.
In 1863, it was nearly impossible to run water to the top floor of a 5-story building.
The first tenants of 97 Orchard had to rely on coal burning stoves and fire places for heat.
How do we know so much about the tenement and its tenants? See how we used crime scene photos and artifacts to recreate life in 1918.
How the Other Half Lives
Jacob Riis' classic expose of tenement living conditions on the Lower East Side during the late 19th century.
Bread Givers
A vivid account of Jewish immigrant life on the
Lower East Side at the turn of the last century.
Immigrant Women in the Land of Dollars
A rich and readable look at the impact of
immigration on Italian and East European
Jewish mothers and daughters.
Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the General Slocum
Edward O'Donnell's gripping narrative of one of
New York's worst but least-known disasters.
Lower East Side Memories: A Jewish Place in America
An academic exploration of why the Lower East Side
has become associated with Jewish immigrants in
the popular imagination.
Selling the Lower East Side
A scholarly treatment of gentrification on the Lower East Side from the 1930s to the present.
Download a bibliography of scholarly books the Museum uses to explore New York City, immigration and the Lower East Side. Opens in Acrobat.
American Memory from the Library of Congress
Drawn from the collections of the Library of Congress, American Memory features over 9 million items that document U.S. history and culture. The materials chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas, and is organized into more than 100 thematic collections.
Municipal Archives
The Municipal Archives has records of births reported in the five Boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island), prior to 1910; deaths reported prior to 1949, and marriages reported prior to 1930. Go to New York City's Department of Health & Vital Records for births after 1910 and deaths after 1949.
New Deal Network
A research and teaching resource dedicated to the public works and arts projects of the New Deal. It features a database of over 20,000 primary source materials including photographs, political cartoons, and texts (speeches, letters, and other historical documents).
New York City Housing and Neighborhood Information System
Find information concerning housing, demographics, income, public assistance and education in New York City's neighborhoods.
New York Public Library: Digital Collections
Images of African-Americans in the nineteenth century, Hudson River views, small-town America stereoscopic views, maps of the middle Atlantic region to 1850, treasures of the American Performing Arts, 1875- 1923 and the Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection are just some of the NYPL collections available in digital format.
Download a complete list of web sites the Museum uses to conduct genealogical research and investigations in to New York City and immigration. Opens in Acrobat.
An estimated 7000 people lived in 97 Orchard Street between 1863 and 1935. Working with professional genealogists and volunteers, the Museum has identified 1,300 people who owned, lived, or worked in 97 Orchard Street. Download the list of residents, landlords and shopkeepers. Opens in Acrobat
The Tenement Museum has researched 97 Orchard Street extensively, but its collections contain relatively little information about the history of other tenements and buildings. If you are interested in the history of other buildings in New York City, we suggest following the steps outlined by Christopher Gray in his article, A Guide to Researching The History of A New York City Building.
Affiliations:
© 2015 Lower East Side Tenement Museum | 103 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002 | tel 877.975.3786