Lower East Side Tenement Museum: American immigrant history close up
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum provides a glimpse into the history of peoples who helped shape the fabric of the culture of New York City and America over the past 150 years.
A five-story tenement that housed some 7,000 people from 25 countries between 1863 and 1935, the building at 97 Orchard Street was sealed off for decades before being transformed into the living testament it is today.
Two primary tours, which are conducted on all open days and last an hour, offer a fascinating exploration of the museum.
"Piecing It Together: Immigrants in the Garment Industry” centers on the restored apartment and the lives of its turn-of-the-20th-century tenants - an immigrant Jewish family named Levine from Poland. The exhibit interprets the day-to-day operation of the shop, and the Levine family life, including a childbirth that took place in the apartment that year. "Getting By: Weathering the Great Depressions of 1873 and 1929" features the quarters of the German-Jewish Gumpertz and the Sicilian-Catholic Baldizzi families.
A docent leads visitors into each grimy urban setting, where six apartments have been refurbished to their lived-in state, and recalls the real-life stories of the families who lived in them. Tourists can pair up two apartment tours for a more in-depth experience.
More appropriate for children is the 45-minute, weekend-only Confino Family Apartment tour, which gives kids the opportunity to interact with an interpreter who plays teenage immigrant Victoria Confino (ca. 1916). Youngsters also can try on period clothes and touch any item in the apartment.
Take time to check out the Immigrant Theater, in which immigrant actors and actresses perform plays that dramatize the issues of their lives. The Museum's K-12 educational programs include walking tours, living history programs, slide shows, exhibits and hands-on artifact activities. And reserve at least 15 minutes to explore the museum store next door.
Special tours and programs often occur, so it’s a good idea to check out the museum web site before visiting. Tours sometimes sell out quickly, especially during warm weather months, so make sure to purchase tickets on line in advance.
Posted by Jim Brown
