ABOUT US
We tell the stories of working-class tenement residents, who moved to New York City from other countries and other parts of the country. Their work helped build the city and nation, and their stories help us understand our history. While textbooks often overlook the stories of ordinary people, our tours immerse visitors in the tenement hallways, kitchens and parlors where families carved out new lives. We share primary sources and research that helps us explore the stories of tenement families. Public programs, curricula and our Your Story Our Story website continue the conversation, using our stories as points of departure to connect the past to present
We aim to build an inclusive and expansive American identity and believe that the exploration of our complex history—one with moments of both inclusion and exclusion—helps prepare us to recognize and discuss today’s complex issues with empathy and nuance.
OUR BEGINNINGS
Founded in 1988 by historian Ruth Abram and social activist Anita Jacobson, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum explores the uniquely American story of immigration and the rich, diverse landscape it continues to create. The Museum took root when Abram and Jacobson discovered 97 Orchard Street — a dilapidated tenement building that had been shuttered for more than 50 years.
REVEALING A SHARED HISTORY
Although the building was in ruins, they uncovered personal belongings and other evidence of the families that called those apartments home between the 1860s and 1930s. These artifacts and the families who owned them became the foundation for what the Tenement Museum represents today: a belief that our national identity is best understood and appreciated through the stories of real families whose lives have shaped our shared history.
BRIDGING THE PAST TO THE PRESENT
Today, we explore stories of tenement dwellers through guided tours of our two historic buildings at 97 and 103 Orchard Street and their Lower East Side neighborhood. These immersive trips back in time offer a chance to explore identity, public policy, urban development, architecture, and other themes through the true stories of the ordinary families who lived in these iconic buildings and the people in the neighborhood.
TENEMENT MUSEUM TODAY
FOUND OBJECTS
FOUNDER RUTH ABRAM