NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

Opened in 1988, the Tenement Museum interprets America's 19th- and early 20th-century immigrants through the preservation of an original tenement structure. Built in 1863, 97 Orchard Street is typical of the first wave of tenements erected in New York to house a growing immigrant population. Each apartment has been designed to capture a moment in the life of an immigrant family who actually resided here. One apartment, for instance, focuses on a German Jewish family who lived here in the 1870s. Another looks in on an Italian Catholic family around 1934. Some 7,000 people from more than 20 nations (largely from Europe) have called 97 Orchard Street home. A variety of building tours are offered, exploring the way various immigrant groups, from Dutch and African settlers to the newest arrivals, have shaped the Lower East Side. Two neighborhood walking tours take visitors past places of cultural and historic importance to immigrants past and present.

• Directions: Subway: F, J, M, Z to Essex Street - Delancey Street

• ADA Compliant Restrooms: Restrooms are available in the visitor center; the historic tenement is not wheelchair accessible
• Archive: The Tenement Museum's collection holds a number of objects found in 97 Orchard Street as well as images and records about the people who lived there. There are two photograph collections of the Lower East Side, one from the 1940s and another from the 1970s.
• Box Office: Tickets purchased in advance can be picked up at the visitor center without waiting on line.
• Coat Check: Lockers are available to hold large bags and coats. It is best to leave large strollers or suitcases at home as the museum and visitor center cannot accommodate them.
• Disability Access: Visitor center is wheelchair accessible, historic tenement is not
• Disability Assistance:
  Hearing: American Sign Language tours are available. Some Tenement Talks are open captioned in real time.
  Vision: A Touch Tour of 97 Orchard Street is available in the visitor center. Braille museum brochures and large-print materials available.
• Gift Shops: A premier shop of New York-centric books and gifts, the Tenement Museum Shop supports the mission and spirit of the museum. All proceeds benefit the museum.
• Space Rental: The historic tenement at 97 Orchard Street is available for meetings, workshops, dinners or cocktail parties.
• Tours: The Tenement Museum is only available by guided tour. Tours begin approximately every 20 minutes.

Get involved with Lower East Side Tenement Museum

• Donations through NYCharities.org
• Volunteer Opportunities: Different opportunities, including summer or semester-long internships, are often available. Please visit our website for a description of any volunteer opportunities.
• Memberships