| Harsh Economic Times:
The Daily Struggle in Italian Harlem (East Harlem from the 1890s-1930s) |
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**Pictures in slideshow from Harlem+Bespoke** Contents (Click where you want to go) |
East Harlem experienced a boom in population after the expansion of the NY Elevated Railroad to Harlem River in 1870. At this time, East Harlem transformed from mostly farmland to a highly populated urban center. The Irish and German immigrants of the previous century were kicked out by new Jewish and Italian immigrants. Although there was a mix of residential ethnicity, East Harlem became so heavily populated by Southern Italians, that it started to be known as “Italian Harlem” until the 1930s with the arrival of Puerto Rican and African American immigrants. 2
Domination of The Working Class
Except for a single street or two, East Harlem during the late 1800s and the early 1900s was made up entirely of Working Class residents. Many were immigrants who were unable to speak English, and who lacked a formal education (even from their homeland)2
| Old Law Tenements | |
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Until 1910, Tenements, small crowded apartments, were built in mass. This was to accommodate an overwhelming boom in housing needs for immigrants, which only increased after the construction of the Elevated Railroad. About 65,000 apartments were built at this time! 3 Many of these early tenements built en-masse provided deplorable conditions for their residents, as there were no guidelines or regulations. Because it was believed that “poor” buildings would lower land values, it was often the tradition to cram as many low-wage residents into one place as possible. 12 It was also not required for these buildings to provide basic services such as gas and water, until the Tenement reform laws of 1867 and 1879 were passed. Even after then, tenements were overcrowded and squallid. 10
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| New Law Tenements | |
| The tenement house act of 1901 filled in the inadequacies and holes left by the 1879 reform law, and although it continues to be updated when needed, acts as a “national standard for tenement legislation”, and it still guides and regulates the construction of low-rise Tenements in New York City. 10
It called for stricter enforcement and more widespread influence of old rules, and set a minimum standard size for Tenement dimensions. Air shafts had to now be enclosed, each apartment needed access to running water as well as windows, and fire safety was considered 10 Many neighborhoods considered to be of “Old Law” construction were razed, such as the street shown above, but still East Harlem’s “upgrade” to New Law Tenements and “High Rise” apartments took longer than the rest of Manhattan 13 |
Without an education, and without adequate knowledge of the English language, immigrants in East Harlem resorted to unskilled labor. 2
Except for a single street or two, East Harlem during the late 1800s and the early 1900s was made up entirely of Working Class residents. Many were immigrants who were unable to speak English, and who lacked a formal education (even from their homeland). “Approximately 20 percent of the community’s working population found employment there, the others commuted”…as fast and cheap transportation has always been accessible in East Harlem. 2
Around 1930, when Italian Harlem was at its height, the majority of working men had occupations such as “milkmen, vegetable vendors, street cleaners, truck drivers, dock hands, factory hands, builders, plumbers, plasterers, stone masons, painters, and auto mechanics.” 2
The population of East Harlem may have been predominately Italian during this time (1930), but it has always been quite a heterogeneous community. Local businesses, usually small privately owned businesses tended to vary by ethnicity. 2
| East Harlem Business (in 1930) 2 | Ethnicity |
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| Italians |
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| Jews |
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| Italians/Jews |
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| Irish |
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In later years, Puerto Ricans and African Americans will also have their share of local business, and Jews (although their numbers significantly decreased from their height in 1930) will stay after Italians and Irish start to leave East Harlem. Many Jews who move out will rent out their East Harlem property to African Americans. 7
The period of World War 1 saw a decrease in European immigration due to immigration restriction laws, and an increase in the immigration of Puerto Ricans (which was considered internal immigration, and not effected by such laws). At the end of World War 1, their immigration decreased, and would strongly pick up again after World War 2. Like their predecessors, these immigrants also did not have an adequate education or the knowledge of English to do skilled labor. 7
Puerto Ricans and other unskilled immigrant groups “competed for the positions of unskilled labor such as dishwashers, maintenance and laundry workers”, and Puerto Ricans did not receive help from Tammany Hall (a democratic association with a history of aiding immigrant groups) in regards to employment. These harsh conditions and racial tensions were a cause for outbursts such as the East Harlem riots of 1926 that eventually kickstarted reform. 9
As a national trend, World War 1 helped increase the American economy for the decade after it ended, resulting in a decade of improvements and strides for the national working class. Holes in the workforce left by soldiers also provided an opportunity for Women to enter the workforce, and for African Americans to enter the skilled workforce. 11
Whereas the previous decade of the 20s saw great improvements in the lives of the working class, (higher wages, higher salaries), the Great Depression reversed all of this as national wages were lowered by 20%, and unemployment skyrocketed. 11
The entire nation was hit hard, but The Great Depression was especially detrimental to the working class, foreign, and unskilled denizens of East Harlem (which was now starting to include Puerto Ricans and African Americans, as well as Italians and Jews). Whereas the national unemployment rate during the 1933 was around 25% 11, East Harlem faced 45% unemployment during The Great Depression 2! There was also a rise in crime rate 9.
Men generally could only find temporary day-by day work, and women would contribute to the family income through “industrial housework” such as being paid by piece to sew articles of clothing or ornaments.13 At this time, many “Old Law” slums were being razed, and many desperate unemployed found work this way as well. 8
Renovation and the end of Italian Harlem
The condition of East Harlem did gradually get better after the Great Depression, and as an attempt to fix its condition once and for all, the construction of the East River houses was started. It was the first public housing project to utilize High Rise apartments in New York City, and “remained the exclusive model for housing development in East Harlem” 10. A “slum clearance block” of Old Law Tenements was torn down to make way for these new and improved affordable residencies. For the first time, poor residents had the chance to live comfortably 13 . Following this example, many public housing projects were implemented after WW2, and today “approximately one third of East Harlem is covered with post-war subsidized housing.” 10
The end of WW2 was essentially the end of “Italian Harlem”. A huge influx of Puerto Ricans arrived to East Harlem due to new openings in the labor market, and East Harlem is now known as “El Barrio”. Although a few Italian restaurants remain scattered throughout the area, it is no longer dominated by an Italian population as it once was, but it still remains an area dominated by economic struggle.
