Museum-goers eager to enter on Orchard Street

The yellowed wallpaper and paint are peeling in most of the rooms.  The wooden floors are worn.  Some windows are broken.  The scent of 138-year-old construction subtly fills each square foot.  To the 30 staff members and 70 volunteers who work here, this dilapidated building is in perfect condition.

Since 1988, the year Ruth Abram and Anita Jacobson founded the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the narrow building at 97 Orchard Street has served as a portal into the City's past.  Jacobson discovered it while seeking office space, and instantly recognized it as a time capsule more than three generations old.

Abram and Jacobson seized the opportunity to turn the building into a museum and cultural center.  "The museum is a connecting point to an important part of American history and ancestry," says Liz Ševčenko, the museum's vice president of programs.  "Our mission is to share the real-life experiences of the immigrant families who lived at 97 Orchard, and give visitors a greater perspective on the daily lives of previous generations."

History in the Making

Wedged between Delancey and Broome, Orchard Street is one of the most densely populated blocks in one of the world's most densely populated neighborhoods.  Lucas Glockner built the building in 1864, on land originally owned by one of New York's first millionaires, John Jacob Astor.  The building is five stories high, with four apartments on each floor.  Because it housed more than three apartments, it was classified as a tenement building -- which, in 1864, was strictly a legal term.

Yellowed walls, peeling paint inside the museum reflect a rich history

During its first eight decades, the building's owners made minor renovations to meet housing regulations, such as installing indoor plumbing and kitchen sinks.  But by the time Fiorello LaGuardia became mayor in 1934, the requirement that apartments have flushing toilets drove 97 Orchard's owner to evict his tenants and shutter the building indefinitely.

While most other buildings on the Lower East Side have been repeatedly gutted and renovated over the years, 97 Orchard remained untouched -- and virtually unseen -- until Jacobson walked in 53 years later.  

"In 2001, the front façade of the building was replicated to look exactly as it did according to photos from the turn of the century, but apart from that, all that changed since it was built in 1864 were things like wallpaper and some flooring," said Robin Sue Marcato, the associate director of marketing.  "Once it became a museum, we had to add things like electric lights, exit signs and fire alarms and sprinklers -- everything else has been preserved exactly as it originally was."

The Roots of Tenement Life

Public records have helped make the Tenement Museum one of the City's fastest-growing museums.  Staff members continue to research the lives of the 7,000 people from more than 20 countries who lived there.  Century-old birth and death certificates, as well as marriage and employment records led curators to descendants of 97 Orchard Street residents, most of whom helped shape the museum's presentation and purpose.

Lower East Side museum offers a window into the past

Museum staff members are required to give weekly tours to stay connected with the visitors, the space and the museum's ultimate objective, which is to promote tolerance and historical perspective about the lives of immigrants.  To this end, Abram, who serves as president, invites historians to lead weekly lectures and staff workshops -- which boost education, as well as employee loyalty.  "No one is here just because it's a job," says Marcato.

Ševčenko and Marcato agree that the Tenement Museum's greatest attribute is its ability to shed new light on today's debates with an eye on yesterday's issues.  From family values, to racism, to health and wages, the building's residents hardships a century ago faced many of the same as do present-day immigrants.

"Every element of our tours and the museum was born out of a need for education," says Marcato.  "We want this to be a place for visitors to be inspired and involved however they choose."

More information about the Lower East Side Tenement Museum can be found at www.tenement.org.