66 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 431-0233 - groups use ext. 214 - (212) 982-8420 (weekends)
Internet: http://www.tenement.org

Note: Museum entrance is at 90 Orchard Street, corner of Broome. Tours begin at 108 Orchard Street, below Delancey.

Built in 1863 by German-born tailor, Lucas Glockner, 97 Orchard Street is typical of the earliest form of tenement house constructed in New York. This house, now a National Historic Landmark and the heart of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, was home to more than 7,000 people from 20 nations between 1863 and 1935.

The mission of the museum is to promote tolerance and historical perspective through the presentation and interpretation of the variety of immigrant and migrant experiences on Manhattan's Lower East Side, a gateway to America.

The Museum includes a Visitor Center and the 1863 building itself. The building is open to visitors by guided tour only.

All tours begin in the Visitor Center, which features a number of nostalgic, historical, and educational exhibits as well as media presentations that vividly illustrate the history of the Tenement and the Lower East side.

Sampling of Regular Tours and Programs
note: this list is not complete. Visit the Museum's official website for a full schedule.

Piecing It Together: Immigrants in the Garment Industry
Tuesday through Friday: Every forty minutes from 1:20 PM to 4:45 PM. Saturday and Sunday: Every half-hour from 11:15 AM to 4:45 PM

This hour-long tour explores the lives of immigrant families and their experiences in the garment industry. Suitable for ages 8 and older.

The Confino Family Apartment
Saturday and Sunday: 12:00 noon, 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 PM

Turkish immigrants, the Shephardic-Jewish Confino family lived in the tenement around 1916. On this tour, a costumed interpreter portraying the teenage Victoria Confino, welcomes visitors as though they were new immigrants just arrived on the Lower East Side.his ?living history? apartment is based on the Sephardic-Jewish Confino family from Turkey who lived in the tenement around 1916. A costumed interpreter, playing the teenage Victoria Confino, welcomes visitors as though they were new immigrants just arrived on the Lower East Side.

Designed especially for families and suitable for children as young as 5, this hour-long tour explores the ways that immigrants adapted to the American way of life. Visitors can handle items in the apartment, try on period clothing, and even for-trot to music played on an authentic wind-up Victrola.

Lower East Side Stories: Neighborhood Walking Tour
Saturday and Sunday: 1:00 and 2:30 PM - April through December only

This hour-long walking tour takes visitors through the historic Lower East Side, where they can see how different immigrants shaped, and continue to shape, the community. Highlights include the old Jewish Daily Forward Building on East Broadway and other buildings that have been used by successive groups of immigrants who have settled in the area.

The Museum offers options for sight- and hearing-imparied individuals. Call for details.

Throughout the year the Museum offers special events and activities for the entire family. Call for a calendar. The Museum also offers genealogical services to families.

Adult Groups of 10 or more people can also enjoy the Galleries and Tours, as well as educational programs. In addition, dozens of small shops and restaurants in the Lower East Side Historic Bargain District top off a very fine day indeed. In fact, the District provides four FREE hours of parking to Museum-goers -- quite a bargain in itself.

Similar tours for School Groups can be customized to meet the students' particular needs, providing an exceptional learning opportunity. Teachers should call for further details.

Relatively new, chartered in 1988, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum offers a chance for individuals, families, and groups to see New York as they've never seen it before.