Immigration History, New York City Architecture, New York City History

Beautiful Days in the Neighborhood

September 2, 2020

Autumn in New York. There’s a reason why there’s a song about it, sung by the likes of Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. Autumn in New York is inviting, it’s glittering. It makes us feel — we’re home.

After months of being stuck indoors, we’re all looking for opportunities to spend some time outside, to watch the leaves change, to feel their air crisp and cool around us. Each season brings even life-long New Yorkers the opportunity to rediscover the city they love.

So, if you find yourself out walking more, enjoying that crisp weather, you might as well learn something while doing it. The Tenement Museum is offering private, single-household Walking Tours every Saturday this fall, exploring the often-overlooked and forgotten parts of this iconic immigrant neighborhood.

Masked individuals sightseeing on an outdoor tour

As we think more and more about the public spaces in our lives, our “Outside the Home” tour explores community beyond the walls of home. Each spot on the tour adds another contextual layer to the American story, from the Jarmulowsky Bank Building on Orchard Street, where many immigrants lost their savings during World War I when the bank failed, to the Daily Forward building on Broadway, where Jewish socialists championed for worker’s rights in the early 20th century. Both those buildings have been repurposed for other uses now, but the details of their history are still hidden in the stonework, if you know where to look.

To learn more about the history of the Jarmulowsky family and his bank, read more on our blog!

We have developed ample measures to keep our staff and your household safe while exploring the neighborhood. Although we remain in the planning phase for a return to in-building tours, the historical sites “Outside the Home” of our tenement buildings on Orchard Street help complete the picture of what daily life was like for the residents whose stories we share.

By visiting the places where Lower East Side residents worked, shopped, played, and studied, we can begin to understand how these spaces became important centers for navigating identity, advocacy, and cultural exchange.

Learn more about how to book your private Walking Tour now!

Gemma Solomons, Senior Marketing Associate

Gemma Solomons, Senior Marketing Associate