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July 2006    |   Join the Museum At the turn of the 20th century, the Lower East Side was widely reported to be the most densely populated place on earth. When the New York City Tenement House Department undertook a survey of the city’s tenement housing stock in 1903, they found the Lower East Side’s Tenth Ward to have a population of 69,944, or approximately 665 people per acre. With a total population of 2,223 people, the 2.04 acre block bounded by Orchard, Broome, Delancey and Allen Streets was the most densely populated in the ward. Situated in the middle of this block, 97 Orchard Street’s population peaked at 111 residents in 1903, up from 72 people in 1870. According to Andrew Dolkart’s new book, Biography of a Tenement House in New York City: An Architectural History of 97 Orchard Street, several factors help explain the Lower East Side’s extraordinary population density at the turn of the 20th century. Large numbers of eastern European Jewish and Italian immigrants settled in the neighborhood during this period in search of affordable housing and ethnic and religious community. On the Lower East Side, the destruction of tenements to make room for schools and parks displaced large numbers of people, many of whom relocated to already overcrowded tenements on nearby blocks in the neighborhood. This photo gives a glimpse of the crowded streets of the Lower East Side. Dating from the late 19th century, the photo depicts the corner of Division street and East Broadway, just a few blocks away from the tenement at 97 Orchard Street. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.) On July 27, join Andrew Dolkart for an insider’s view of the Tenement's historic building at 97 Orchard Street. A celebrated architectural historian, Professor Dolkart will join the New York Book Club to celebrate the release of his new book, Biography of a Tenement House in New York City. The evening will also feature abbreviated tours of the Museum, and a cocktail reception. On August 9th, join Richard Price at the Visitors Center as he reads from Red Hotel, his new work in progress about crime, punishment and culture clashes on the Lower East Side. 15 to 35 pounds & about one quart Along with crowds of people, Lower Manhattan's streets at the of turn of the 20th century were also packed with horses. At the time, horses were still widely used to transport people and goods. The horses produced a great deal of waste: each day, each horse deposited 15 to 35 pounds of manure and about one quart of urine on the streets of New York. The New York Architecture Game is a great way to learn about some of New York's other famous buildings. Suitable for both children and adults, The New York Architecture Game challenges players as it explores the architectural feats that went into landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Brooklyn Bridge, to name a few. "We have preserved log cabins and farm houses and honored the gentry by preserving their mansions in homage to our rural history. But most Americans have their roots in urban America and the tenement is the quintessential embodiment of that experience." --Ruth Abram, President and co-founder of the Tenement Museum, reprinted in Biography of a Tenement House in New York City