From unknown source
The tenement is undoubtedly one of the most important elements of New York during the 19th century. Immigrants flooded to New York and found cheap but almost inhabitable (for our standards) living quarters At the Lower East Side tenement museum, visitors can go on different tours to experience and learn about how many immigrants lived.
“We have read about how small the tenements were, despite the high price to live there and once you are inside the tenements, you get to see just how small these apartments were. Each apartment has 3 rooms: a living room, bedroom and kitchen. Each room is very compact and I cannot imagine how a family of 5 was able to live in there. With 5 people in their family, the Moore’s were the size of the average family living in the tenements. Also, the high price of rent forced the Moore family to choose between paying the month’s rent or getting their children proper treatment for their illnesses. This was a common problem for immigrant families of this time, which likely contributed to the incredibly high infant mortality rate. Unfortunately, the Moore family is a perfect example of how bad this can affect a family, as they only had 4 of their 8 children reach adulthood.”-Anthony Cacchione
