(212) 431-0233
97 Orchard St
New York,
NY
10002
40.7185
-73.9902
Neighborhoods: Lower East Side, Downtown
Hours:
Tue-Fri 1:20pm-4:45pm
Sat-Sun 11:15am-5pm
What People Are Saying About Lower Eastside Tenement
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short – The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was founded in 1988. The building that houses the museum, a preserved tenement at 97 Orchard Street, was called home by some 7,000 people from more than 20 nations--from Turkish and German Jews to Sicilian Catholics--over the course of 72 years (between 1863 and 1935). In 1998, the museum became a protected building under the aegis of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
02/24/09
Slice of history!
by VDB
The LES Tenement Museum is a fantastic step back into time, and a wonderful way to gain a true history lesson on New York. The tour guides are wonderful and so informative, this museum is a MUST!
02/09/09
Amazing and Powerful!
by hubriis
It took us a few years in New York before we made it to the tenement museum...I wish we'd gone sooner! But the great news is that now they offer several tours so you don't get bored, and you also get to see and almost experience what life was like for several diverse types of families that might have lived (and in some cases, did live) in the tenement apartments.
We loved our experience and came away with so much knowledge and a really true and intimate feel for what the family had gone through when living in the tenement. And don't get me started on the gift shop - DON'T miss it! We'll be back soon.
06/07/05
Compelling historic slice of New York city life
by sharopooks
Spent a fulfilling family afternoon here recently. As soon as you enter this building, rich with history, you taste what it was like for families living in NYC's tenements and stay immersed for the next few hours. Very knowledgable guide. The museum's scheduled walking tours center around different themes (eg garment industry of early NY) and we saw 3 units preserved and explained in relation to that theme. The heart of the museum is stories of families just trying to survive. Our amazing guide said at the end (paraphrasing) "we must preserve how these families lived because it is just as much a part of our history as Gettysburg." 3 of the mothers in our group got a little misty. We did waitvover an hour for a tour but that could've been because we had a group of 10.
- Pros: Historic, Great guides, Good neighborhood
- Cons: Long wait for groups
The Details on Lower Eastside Tenement
Know Before You Go:
The museum can be seen by guided tour only. Tours run every 40 minutes on weekdays and every half-hour on weekends. Reserved tours for groups larger than 10 are on Mondays.
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