Tenement Museum, Immigration history museum in Lower East Side, Manhattan, United States
The Tenement Museum occupies two carefully restored buildings on Orchard Street and displays apartments that document the lives of immigrants from the 1800s through the 1980s. The rooms preserve furniture, objects, and details that illustrate how residents lived day to day.
The original building was constructed in the mid-1800s as housing for workers and their families who came to build new lives in the city. After housing laws changed, the upper floors were sealed off and the interior rooms remained untouched for decades.
The place tells stories of families from many backgrounds who established their first American homes here and brought their traditions with them. The preserved apartments show how these residents shaped their daily lives and lived alongside neighbors from different cultures in the same building.
Book ahead before visiting, as guided tours run in small groups with limited capacity. The tours provide access to the restored apartments and neighborhood walks that help you understand the area better.
When restoration began in 1988, workers discovered that an entire apartment had remained sealed and untouched for decades, with furniture and personal items exactly as residents left them. This discovery made the project one-of-a-kind and allowed authentic period details to be preserved.
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