New York City Tenement Housing
Dianne Velez
Molloy College
Abstract
A spike in immigration between 1880 and 1919 led to the increased need for
housing. Builders in New York City responded to this necessity by constructing
multiple tenement houses, the majority of which were built in the Lower East Side of
Manhattan. The New York City system of tenement houses had an enormous impact
on New York City.
New York City Tenement Housing
“Between 1880 and 1919, historians estimate that about twenty-three
million people came to America with about seventeen million entering through the
port of New York” (Hopkinson, 2003, p. vii). During these years of peak
immigration, builders rushed to construct quick and cheap housing. Placing cost-
effectiveness as a top priority led to the creation of the multiple family structure and
so the New York City system of tenement housing was conceived. Green-eyed
monster landlords would fit as many people as possible in a single tenement to
maximize their profits. “Having no shortage of tenants, rooms were subdivided,
hallways made extra narrow, and buildings were constructed very close together”
(Hopkinson, 2003, p. 23). Once these buildings were erected, improvements were
not high on the agenda, regardless of the extent of deterioration. “Big Flat was a six
story brick tenement that was known as one of the worst tenements of the Lower
East Side. Its tenants lived in dark airless rooms, with piles of garbage in the
hallways. Because the sinks leaked, many of the walls and floors were wet and
smelly. At one point there were 28 toilets for Big Flat’s 500 tenants”
(Hopkinson, 2003, p.24).
Although the system of tenement houses met the housing need for a large
number of poor immigrant families, it did so without any regard for their
self-worth and physical well-being. These tenements were overcrowded dwellings
with extremely poor sanitary conditions. This impacted New York City by creating
what became an ideal breeding ground for the development and transmission of
infectious diseases, which included cholera, smallpox , typhus, and tuberculosis.
There was little regard for the poor immigrants who contracted these diseases.
“On Gotham Court one cholera epidemic, that scarcely touched the clean wards,
killed tenants at the rate of one hundred and ninety-five to the thousand of
population” (Riis, 1971, p.6). Immigrants did not have access to good healthcare.
“Many feared that epidemics, ‘the plague,’ would be spread from the tenement
districts to wealthier areas through the clothing produced in tenement sweatshops”
(Dolkart, 2007, p. 54). In 1892, the Factory Law of 1886 was amended to include
regulation of tenement sweatshop manufacturing, but it proved difficult to enforce
(Dolkart, 2007).
Another negative impact of this system was the growth of delinquency it
fostered. “The gang is the ripe fruit of tenement house growth, it received and
nursed the seed. New York’s tough represents the essence of reaction against the old
and the new oppression” (Riis, 1971, p. 171). A multitude of gangs overran these
New York City tenement slums, and although they were rivals to one another, they
shared a common philosophy: defiance of law and order. Although it can be agreed
that it was unethical, it does not require great intellect to understand how the
oppressed mutated into the oppressor. “Bravado and robbery are the real purposes
of the gang members, and the more notorious they are, the warmer the welcome”
(Riis, 1971, p.172). “The police made a gallant gesture late in 1910 against several of
the gangs which had incurred their displeasure, or had operated with such boldness
that public sentiment made even the politicians fearful of protecting them; and
when the smoke of battle cleared away, half a score of the most noted figures of the
underworld had been imprisoned” (Asbury, 1927, p. 321). Kudos to New York’s
Finest!
The hard necessities of the poor became the favorable circumstance of the
wealthy. In the 19th Century, little concern was given to children doing hard work.
Although education was free, their hard knock life mandated them to earn their
keep and contribute to the family. The tenement housing system accommodated the
workplace with plenty of children to exploit. “In 1896, a new education law was
passed that required children ages eight to twelve to go to school full time”
(Hopkinson, 2003, p. 56).
On a positive note, different groups of people began to sympathize with the
urban poor and made strides in ameliorating their environment. Journalist Jacob
Riis, an immigrant himself, wrote a book in 1890 called How the Other Half Lives.
His writing as well as his photos strongly impacted those who read it. “It carried the
reader directly into the world of the tenements.” (Hopkinson, 2003, p.56) Various
ideas lay behind the housing reform movement. Some wanted to decrease the
incidence of disease, while others hoped to rid the streets of thugs. Some aimed to
reinstate values and morals, while others simply understood that environment has
a strong influence on individuals. Regardless of the motivating reasons, this group
worked with tenants and housing reform began to take hold. The Tenement House
Law of 1901 emphasized better lighting, sanitation, and new fire and safety
Standards. Buildings were only allowed to cover 70% of the lot, eliminating dark
inner courtyards. It also required that cold water faucets be installed in each
apartment. Lastly, a Tenement House Department was created (Hopkinson, 2003).
From here forward, immigrants began to actively fight for their rights.
Although the New York City Tenement housing system degraded immigrants
and stripped many of their self-dignity, it did not eradicate their strong sense of clan
and community. Their nationalistic pride and desire to live in close proximity to
those of common ancestry, resulted in clusters, also known as ethnic enclaves. In the
face of adversity, they held on and stood strong, creating a city that’s greatly diverse
in character.
References
Asbury, H. (1927). The gangs of New York. New York, NY: Thunder’s Mouth Press.
Dolkart, A. (2007). Biography of a tenement house in New York City. Santa Fe, NM:
The Center for American Places, Inc.
Hopkinson, D. (2003). Shutting out the sky. New York, NY: Orchard Books.
Riis, J. (1971). How the other half lives. New York, NY: Dover Publications
