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Once characterized by tenements and pushcarts, Orchard
Street gained its flavor more than 200 years ago, as
families squeezed into cramped buildings that filled
lower Manhattan. Industrious immigrants became the Lower
East Side's first business owners.
Selling their wares from potato sacks to thousands of
local shoppers, successful business entrepreneurs from
around the world soon expanded
their inventory and bought pushcarts – and eventually
storefronts – to transform Orchard Street into one of the busiest
commercial districts in the world, and the neighborhood into a
cultural mecca.
Over a century after
hardworking immigrant families first crowded the
tenements of Orchard Street, visitors from around the
world are rediscovering the historic neighborhood and
finding new surprises -- all the while absorbing the
amazing history which characterizes the area.
Come explore the
historic Lower East Side. Like thousands of immigrants
before you, you may never want to leave. |
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The University Settlement
184 Eldridge Street
212-674-9120
Open to the Public Monday thru Friday, 9am-5pm
The oldest settlement house in America, it was established at its
current site
in 1898 under the leadership of Seth Low, then-president of Columbia University,
who drew the Settlement's ranks of volunteers from the university's students
and alumni.
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The (former) Municipal Bath House
133 Allen Street
212-254-3886
Open to the Public on Monday thru Saturday, 9am-5pm
One of 15 free public bath houses in the city. In the early 1900's, it
was built to provide tenement
dwellers, most of whom had no bathtubs in their homes, with a place to
bathe. It now hosts the Church of Grace Fujianese.
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Essex Street Market
120 Essex Street
212-388-0449
Monday-Saturday from 8am-6pm
The market has been serving the community for over 50 years selling fresh
meats, produce and other products. The market was created by Mayor Fiorello
H. La Guardia to bring pushcart vendors together indoors.
Click
here for photos of today's Essex
Street Market. |
Beth Hamedrash Hagadol
60 Norfolk Street
212-374-4100
A Gothic Revival structure erected in 1852; a New York City landmark.
This synagogue was originally a Baptist church, and now
it houses the oldest Russian Jewish
congregation in the United States.
Call the Lower East Side Conservancy for an appointment |
The Lower East Side
Tenement Museum
97 Orchard Street
212-431-0233
Tours start from 1pm: Tues-Fri, 11am: Sat-Sun
No public tours on Mondays, except in July and August
Recreating life in the tenements in its restored building with apartments
typical of the turn of the century, the museum also offers exciting tours,
dramas, "urban explorations," children's programs and exhibitions.
Note: Admission tickets, gallery and gift shop at 104 Orchard Street. |
Ridley's Department Store
319 Grand Street
Once the largest retail establishment in the world, Ridley's was originally located
in this building, which has been subdivided into a number of individual
stores.
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The Museum at Eldridge Street
(based in 1887 The Eldridge Street Synagogue, a National Historic Landmark)
12 Eldridge Street
212-219-0903
Open Sunday-Thursday, 10am to 5pm
Closed Jewish and major national holidays
One-hour guided tours begin every half hour until 4pm. Adults $10; Students & Seniors (62+) $8; Children 5-18 $6; [under 5 free].
Monday mornings free tours from 10am to noon for individuals and groups less than 6.
The Museum’s mission and purpose is to present the culture, history and traditions of the great wave of Jewish immigrants to the Lower East Side drawing parallels with the diverse cultural communities that have settled in America. Tours, exhibits and public and educational programs tell the story of the generations that carried religious and communal customs to a new country and celebrate America’s broad cultural traditions. Combining architecture, history and Jewish culture, a visit to Eldridge Street is a meaningful experience for groups of all backgrounds, ages and interests.
Call 212-219-0302 or visit www.eldridgestreet.org to learn more.
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Jarmulovsky's Bank Building
54/58 Canal Street
Erected in 1895, this building was the tallest structure on the Lower East Side at
the time. Founded by Sender Jarmulovsky who, literally, went from rags
to riches (he began his "career" on Hester Street, selling rags
from a pushcart), the bank collapsed after the pre-World War I panic,
when depositors rushed to withdraw funds to help relatives in Europe. |
St. Teresa's Church
16/18 Rutgers Street
212-233-0233
Call Monsignor Dennis Sullivan for appointment
Built in 1841 as a Presbyterian church, it has been used as a Catholic
church since 1863. Today, masses are held in all three of the area's main
languages--English, Spanish and Chinese. |
Sunshine
Theater
143 East Houston Street
212 358-7709
Originally constructed as a Dutch Church in the 1840's, the building later
housed a boxing venue and a Yiddish vaudeville theater. Closed to the
public for 70 years, the movie house now includes five screens and features
art house films.
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The Forward Building
175 East Broadway
The building was once home to the most successful Yiddish language newspaper, The Jewish
Daily Forward. Founded in 1897, the paper brought a wider vision of
American life into the homes of the as yet unassimilated Jewish population,
and had a circulation of nearly 250,000 readers at its peak.
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The Educational Alliance
197 East Broadway
212-780-2300
www.edalliance.org
Call for tour appointment
Established in this 1889 Romanesque Revival structure under the original
name of the Hebrew Institute, the organization's mission was to help "Americanize"
newly arrived immigrants. It offered classes in English, as well as
the only free library in the city at the time.
Today, the Educational Alliance offers a wide range of programs in
Downtown Manhattan, including early childhood education, after
school activities, senior centers, meals for the homeless, an art
school, subsidized housing, and addiction and mental health
services. The Alliance is a Jewish organization and proudly serves
people from all ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds.
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The Seward Park Library
192 East Broadway
212-477-6770
Constructed with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1909, the library was designed
with a rooftop garden reading area, because land for building was so scarce.
It houses a large collection on Lower East Side history. |
Angel Orensanz Center
172 Norfolk St.
212-529-7194
Call for an appointment
The Center is housed in the oldest synagogue building in New York. Built
in 1849, the historic structure was built in the German-Romantic tradition.
The structure has 54-foot ceilings and now serves as a spiritual and cultural
center. |
Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum
280 Broome Street
212-431-1619
Open to the Public on Sundays 11am-4pm or call for appointment
Opened in 1927 to serve individuals of Greek-Romaniote descent. The Landmark
synagogue is the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. |
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Henry
Street Settlement
265 Henry Street
212-766-9200
www.henrystreet.org
info@henrystreet.org
Since
its founding in 1893 by social work pioneer Lillian D. Wald, Henry Street
has met continuously the needs of its Lower East Side neighbors. Today,
Henry Street offers a wealth of social services and cultural programs,
including educational and recreational opportunities for youth, shelters
and transitional housing, workforce development programs, mental health
services, services for seniors and home-bound individuals, and a multi-disciplinary
arts programming at its Abrons Arts Center.
Henry
Street's Abrons Arts Center is one of the first arts facilities in the
nation designed for a predominantly low-income population. Located at
466 Grand Street, the Center hosts year-round classes for children and
adults, as well as arts-in-ducation programming in public schools, artists-in-residence
opportunities and regular performances and gallery exhibits.
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The
Henry Street Settlement Abrons Arts Center
466 Grand Street, at the corner of Pitt Street
212-598-0400
Offers a great mix of performances, exhibitions, workshops, and classes
in drama, music, dance, and the visual arts.
For more information, call
(212) 598-0400. |
The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy
235 East Broadway
212-374-4100
www.nycjewishtours.org
The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy features fully and professionally
guided, story-filled itineraries (2.5–3 hours) tours which take visitors
both inside the sacred sites, and on to the history-filled streets of the
Lower East Side and East Village. Tours are punctuated by regular “nosh
stops” and tailored to fit your interests.
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St.
Augustine's Episcopal Church
290 Henry Street
212-673-5300
Originally constructed by the All Saints Free Church congregation, this
landmark Greek revival church was completed in 1828. Above the balcony
there are two small "Slave Galleries."
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St.
Mary’s Church
440 Grand Street
212-674-3266
St. Mary’s Parish began in 1826 on Sheriff Street. In 1832 the cornerstone
was laid for the present Church location. St. Mary's is the third Catholic
Church in New York City after St. Peter's and the old St. Patrick's. The
Church is open for mass and prayer between 9am and 5pm each day and has
services in both English and Spanish. The Church also has a shop of religous articles inside the vestibule.
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