Tyler Anbinder discusses in his book Five Points the changes made to Five Points in the post-Civil War era. Demographically, the region was “no longer the most densely populated portion of the city” (343). However, it remained one of the most ethnically diverse sections of America, with “Europe, Asia, and Africa [coming] very closely together” (345). There was a significant decline in prostitution and brothels, as well as several projects to extend previously crowded streets (i.e. Worth Street Project). This turnover gave rise to an influx in large-scale manufactories (346). The most interesting aspect of the reading however, was Anbinder’s rigorous examination of the legislative changes made to housing regulations, and their effectiveness upon being implemented. Landlords “replaced the neighborhood’s old wooden tenements with five- and six- story brick structures” (347), and the state “enacted the nation’s first building codes” (348), which mandated the installation of fire escapes and windows, and prohibited ceilings below eight feet. You would think these modifications would improve the quality of life for many working class ethnic immigrants, but on the contrary the horrors of “tenement problem” were amplified.
How these new building codes worsened the situation is quite fascinating. For instance, the installation of airshaft windows in rooms as part of the dumbbell model did not rid the tenements of foul stenches, but rather spread the unwanted smells and noises from flat to flat. The new model of housing became increasingly expensive, and “appalling basement lodging houses” began proliferating. Anbinder describes that the men and women were “huddled together like cattle” (356). Efforts were made by legislators just for the sake of showing concern, but no real improvement in the quality of life was observed. Yet again, the immigrant working class of New York in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country was taken advantage of. I am interested to see how the implementation of building codes will continue to affect the working class as the middle of the twentieth century approaches.
