View the restored apartments of past residents from different time periods.

Under One Roof

In the decades after World War II, the Lower East Side became one of New York’s most diverse neighborhoods. Visit the homes of Bella Epstein, whose parents survived the Holocaust, Jose and Andy Velez, whose mother left Puerto Rico for garment work, and the Wong siblings, whose stories of their mother and other garment workers are highlighted in an interactive, recreated Chinatown garment shop.

Explore the Lower East Side and the American Immigrant Experience.

OUTSIDE THE HOME

See the Lower East Side through the eyes of the immigrants who have lived here for 150 years. Discover the towering Jarmulowsky Bank building, where immigrants deposited (and eventually lost) their life savings; the Daily Forward building, where socialists fought for worker rights; and PS 42, where generations of immigrants learned how to be "American." [Note: This tour does not enter any buildings.]

Limited Wheelchair Capacity
Call 1-877-97LESTM in advance for wheelchair tickets.

Visit a costumed interpreter playing a past resident of 97 Orchard Street.

TENEMENT INSPECTORS

Step into the dark corners and cramped spaces of 97 Orchard Street. The year is 1906, and visitors meet the landlord and a resident to learn firsthand about the realities of tenement life on the Lower East Side. Who is responsible for providing a safe and healthy home? Everything may not be as it seems.