The hallway was dark and cold. There were no windows providing any form of ventilation. I could imagine 22 people passing through these entry and exit ways in the hot summer and cold winter. The walls were dark and gave the impression that these homes were taken by people with little income. There was a staircase leading to the second floor. The mahogany was shiny, and for some odd reason it made me feel comfortable as I began exploring the second half of the home.
Due to the lack of lighting, I used my senses of touch, sound, and smell to guide me along this hallway. The texture of the walls appeared cracked and old. There was no sound of birds, children playing or cars passing by the street, only silence. It was quiet and uncomfortable because it felt as though the home was isolated from the neighborhood. This was my first look at the life once shared by thousands on the Lower East Side.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City preserves the history behind the memories and struggles of the families that resided in these apartments at 97 Orchard Street, where more than 7,000 people from 20 nations lived between 1863 and 1935. Many people refer to tenements as slums because of the hard conditions inside and outside the home. Life became a struggle and sacrifice for those who worked endless hours for little pay, and for those who tried to maintain a sense of family when it felt as if it was coming apart.
I went on a tour of the museum to look firsthand into the life of four different families during immigration. All four families created a sense of community with one another. Each family had a provider who worked either inside or outside the home, which provided a sense of security for the children. These families endured hardship, but remained connected to their past and hopeful for their future.
The first home we saw was that of the Gumpertz family, who were German Jews. They were from Prussia and arrived before World War I. The husband was a heel maker and the wife was a homemaker. They had four children but lost the youngest child, Isaac, to diarrhea. The guide showed us his death certificate, which had the standard questions such as name, age, and type of death. I found it interesting that one of the questions asked for race or color if you were not white. This was a reminder of the struggles of poverty and racism.
The family stayed connected and did not have time to properly mourn Isaac’s death because the next day brought new challenges. Hygiene became an issue for the family. They would have a bucket that was used to bathe one another and wash the dishes. Of the three rooms in the home, the best room was the one with a window for ventilation. This was more expensive and hard to come by for a mother with children. The two other rooms were rented out to workers in the garment industry.
The kitchen had a fireplace and stove. There was not a sink; they brought water from a pump and used it to wash their clothes. The guide passed around an extremely heavy iron that was used to press the clothes. The family had endured their own personal hardship with the loss of their child and a drop in the economy. Mr. Gumpertz lost his job and was not able to provide for his family. One day he never came home. It is still a mystery as to what happened to him. Ms. Gumpertz took responsibility for the family and put her own feelings aside for the children’s sake. There was not any time to mourn the loss of her husband because she had to figure out a way to survive and take care of the children.
The next family we visited was the Baldizzi family, who were Sicilian Catholics. The husband was a cabinetmaker and the wife was a homemaker. The kitchen had a bathtub that was used for a table as well. There was a gas meter that cost 25 cents. The family spent their time gathered around a table playing Chinese cards. The guide played an audio track of Josephine, the daughter, who spoke with the educators at the museum about her experience living in the tenement homes. She remembers her mother listening to Italian soap operas. Her mother was extremely neat and tidy. Josephine said her skin would itch from the starch that was used on her clothing.
The family received home aid, consisting of clothes and shoes. Josephine received a pair of men’s shoes, which was embarrassing for a child going to school. She stuffed her shoes in order to make them fit better. The atmosphere of the space was peaceful and welcoming. As Josephine spoke of her memories, her voice brought laughs amongst the tour group. She did not feel as though her life was an embarrassment, but rather a struggle that brought her family closer together.
Jacob Riis, photographer and author of How the Other Half Lives, looked closely into the lives of thousands of people living in these poor conditions. In today’s society, we are struggling with similar challenges such as poverty, disease, and malnutrition for children. The only way to improve our future is to look back at our past. These two families may not have known each other, but they all endured struggles to survive. Each individual living in the tenement, in the very hallway I stepped into, shared a common bond: the hardship of living in a tenement.
Jessica Alfonso is a Rutgers-Newark student. Posted September 2006.
