The Tenement Museum is one of the most unusual and fascinating places to visit in New York City. The museum offers a chance to “peek through the keyhole” into apartments from a century ago — a kind of time capsule preserving the stories of working-class immigrant families who lived there in the 19th and 20th centuries. You can choose a family that interests you and spend an hour in their apartment, immersing yourself in their daily life.
History
The Tenement Museum is located in a historic building at 97 Orchard Street, which once housed more than 7,000 working-class immigrants of various nationalities. The museum was founded in 1988 by a pair of historian-philanthropists.
In 2000, it received a $250,000 grant from the federal Save America’s Treasures program to support preservation work.
In 2005, the museum was among 406 cultural and social organizations in New York City to share a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation.
In 2015, under the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, the building at 103 Orchard Street was added to the museum’s protected historic site.
In 2021, Dr. Annie Polland became president of the museum, guiding the organization toward expanding and preserving the cultural heritage of immigrant New York.
Collections and Exhibitions
The Tenement Museum offers rich tours and educational programs that bring to life the everyday experiences of immigrants who lived on the Lower East Side. Through reconstructed interiors, archival materials, and themed tours, the museum tells the stories of diverse families and communities from New York’s past.
Immigrant Apartments
The restored apartments are open for daily guided tours. Visitors can see how people lived in 97 Orchard Street between 1869 and 1935, and in 103 Orchard Street from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Documentary Films
In addition to tours, visitors can watch documentary films about the lives of New York’s immigrants.
Costumed Tours
Some tours feature actors in historical costumes portraying former residents, offering a deeper understanding of how these individual lives fit into the broader story of American history.
Exhibitions
One major exhibition, “Under One Roof,” explores the lives of three families — Jewish Holocaust refugees, Puerto Rican immigrants, and Chinese immigrants.
Another initiative, “Reclaiming Black Spaces,” focuses on the lives of African Americans on the Lower East Side.
Interestingly, this program began after a discovery in the museum archives: two men named Joseph Moore, of the same age and profession, lived in New York at the same time — one a white Irishman who lived at 97 Orchard Street (whose kitchen has been recreated in the museum), and the other an African American who lived nearby in a similar building.
Visitor Information
Website: www.tenement.org
Address: 103 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002
Admission: $30
