The Lower East Side Tenement Museum :
Virtual Tours
97 Orchard Street was just one of the thousands of tenements that sprouted up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the nineteenth century. German immigrant Lukas Glockner opened the building in 1863. For him this wasn't just another tenement building, it was his ticket to riches. Lukas hoped to turn a profit by providing cheap homes to the immigrants who were flooding into Manhattan.

The tenement fulfilled Glockner's dreams as people filled the building making him losts of money. Between 1863 and 1935, 7000 tenants lived in his building. Learn more about the lives of some of these residents in the below virtual tours.

KitchenClick and drag picture to explore the roomIn 1890, Harris and Jennie Levine arrived on the Lower East Side from Poland. They had few skills and little money. Needing to support themselves and their five children, the Levines, like many other immigrants, literally set up shop in their home: they converted their apartment at ...
KitchenClick and drag picture to explore the roomDriven by dreams of striking it rich, Adolfo Baldizzi left in 1923. He soon found that America could be a land where obstacles outnumbered opportunities. Immigration quotas forced Adolfo and his wife Rosaria on difficult journies to America. When he finally made it to New York, Adolfo struggled ...
KitchenClick and drag picture to explore the roomThe Confino's enjoyed a comfortable life in the Ottoman city of Kastoria. By 1913, though, their ease had given way to uncertainty, prompting the family to immigrate to New York City. Life in America was different and sometimes difficult. The ten Confinos crowded in to their three-room ...
KitchenClick and drag picture to explore the roomWhen Abram and Zipe Heller immigrated from Lithuania in 1901, they left behind their home and even their names. Indeed, by the time they reached New York, the Hellers had become Abraham and Fannie Rogarshevsky. Six children in tow, the Rogarshevskys settled at 97 Orchard Street. Abraham ...
KitchenClick and drag picture to explore the roomThat day in 1874 hardly seemed unusual. Julius Gumpertz went to work while his wife, Nathalie, attended to their apartment in 97 Orchard Street. Come nightfall, though, the day took a terrible turn: Julius failed to come home. He was never seen nor heard from again. In dire ...
HallwayClick and drag picture to explore the roomLike other early tenements, 97 Orchard Street was a sparsely appointed building. It lacked gas for light and heat, indoor toilets and running water. But, in 1867, New York City began passing legislation to improve conditions in tenements. The ensuing wave of housing laws prompted the landlord of ...