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By the end of the 18th century, New York City's population had grown exponentially with thousands of immigrants looking for a better life in America. Many ended up settling down in the Big Apple and lived crammed into dilapidated apartment buildings known as tenements. Living conditions were dreadful in most of these apartments, but for thousands of people, this was home.
In this gallery, we bring you a glimpse of what life in a New York City tenement was like. Click on.
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.
Many ended up living in small, narrow, low-rent apartment buildings known as tenements.
New York City's tenement buildings were previously occupied by single families, but high demand for accommodation turned them into multiple-occupancy buildings.
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."
Many of these tenements were concentrated in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Pictured is Delancey Street.
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.
The individual apartments were around 300-400 square feet (27-38 square meters). Large families were packed into these tiny spaces.
Sanitation and hygiene were poor. Diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis would rapidly spread among residents.
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.
Poor ventilation and lighting were also issues residents had to endure.
It was not until 1918, that legislation was passed to make it compulsory for electricity to be installed in the apartments.
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.
In addition to being crowded living spaces, New York City's tenements were also used as places of work but the tenants.
The manufacturing of clothing, accessories, and food, among other services, was common.
Pictured are tailors at work in a NYC tenement.
It was not unusual for tenants to place beds or mattresses on the floor and rent them out for a few pennies a night.
In 1894, the New York State Assembly Tenement House Committee found 38,000 tenement buildings in New York.
By then, the Lower East Side had up to 700 residents per acre (4,047 square meters).
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.
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.
A Native American family makes handicrafts while one son plays violin in their tenement.
Children play with marbles in a back alley in New York City.
A man lies in bed in his tenement apartment in NYC.
A family is pictured in their tenement home in New York City, circa 1914.
A room in a tenement house in New York City. Furniture was basic and living conditions were poor.
Men sit outside their shacks in New York City in the early 1900s.
Tenement houses on Mulberry Street in Manhattan, circa 1900.
A tenement complex in Bottle Alley, New York City, in 1901.
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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By the end of the 18th century, New York City's population had grown exponentially with thousands of immigrants looking for a better life in America. Many ended up settling down in the Big Apple and lived crammed into dilapidated apartment buildings known as tenements. Living conditions were dreadful in most of these apartments, but for thousands of people, this was home.
In this gallery, we bring you a glimpse of what life in a New York City tenement was like. Click on.