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Mass immigration -

In the 19th century, thousands of people emigrated to the US. In New York City alone, the population roughly doubled every 20 years for most of the 1800s.

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Tenements -

Many ended up living in small, narrow, low-rent apartment buildings known as tenements.

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Crammed -

New York City's tenement buildings were previously occupied by single families, but high demand for accommodation turned them into multiple-occupancy buildings.

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Definition -

New York State Legislature from 1867 defined a tenement as "any building…which is rented…out as the home of more than three families living independently of one another and doing their own cooking upon the premises."

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Lower East Side -

Many of these tenements were concentrated in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Pictured is Delancey Street.

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Shanty towns -

By the turn of the century, around 2.3 million people (two-thirds of NYC's population) were living in tenement housing. Many others were also living in shanty towns built around tenement areas. 

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They were small -

The individual apartments were around 300-400 square feet (27-38 square meters). Large families were packed into these tiny spaces. 

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Disease was rampant -

Sanitation and hygiene were poor. Diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis would rapidly spread among residents. 

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Poor sanitation -

Flowing water, toilets, showers, or baths, were non-existent. Most tenants would use a common faucet in the backyard where they'd get water to wash themselves, cook, and everything else. 

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Air and light -

Poor ventilation and lighting were also issues residents had to endure. 

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No electricity -

It was not until 1918, that legislation was passed to make it compulsory for electricity to be installed in the apartments.

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Fire was a threat -

Fire was a constant threat in tenements. Fire escapes were eventually installed in some of the buildings after the 1867 Tenement Act came into effect. 

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Work spaces -

In addition to being crowded living spaces, New York City's tenements were also used as places of work but the tenants.

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Work spaces -

The manufacturing of clothing, accessories, and food, among other services, was common. 

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Work spaces -

Pictured are tailors at work in a NYC tenement. 

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Not everyone could afford tenement housing -

It was not unusual for tenants to place beds or mattresses on the floor and rent them out for a few pennies a night.

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Very high population density -

In 1894, the New York State Assembly Tenement House Committee found 38,000 tenement buildings in New York.  

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New York City's tenements -

By then, the Lower East Side had up to 700 residents per acre (4,047 square meters).

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Urban renewal -

The 1901 Tenement Housing Act changed a few things with regards to space and safety regulations, and it marked the beginning of the end for tenements.

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Urban renewal -

The Urban Renewal federal program catalyzed the demolition of many buildings, and by the 1950s New York City had changed considerably. Let's take a look at a few more pictures of life in New York City's tenements.

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Native American family -

A Native American family makes handicrafts while one son plays violin in their tenement.

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Back alley -

Children play with marbles in a back alley in New York City.  

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Man in bed -

A man lies in bed in his tenement apartment in NYC.

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Family -

A family is pictured in their tenement home in New York City, circa 1914.

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A shabby home -

A room in a tenement house in New York City. Furniture was basic and living conditions were poor. 

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Shacks -

Men sit outside their shacks in New York City in the early 1900s.

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Elizabeth Street -

Tenement houses on Elizabeth Street in Manhattan, circa 1912.

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Tenement complex -

A tenement complex in Bottle Alley, New York City, in 1901.  

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Working class women -

Residents of a tenement on Henry Street, Lower East Side. 

Sources: (History) (History Collection) (All That’s Interesting) (Skyscraper Museum) (Window to the World)

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