Lower East Side Tenement Museum

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum will create a Preservation Action Plan for its tenement at 97 Orchard Street, a National Historic Landmark on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The tenement was home to 7,000 people from 20 nations from 1863 to 1935. The museum has restored the building’s rear yard and six apartments to tell the stories of the immigrant families who once lived there. Increased visitor traffic and environmental fluctuations may threaten the condition and longevity of 97 Orchard’s historic fabric and require the museum to carefully balance access and conservation. With the help of an advisory board composed of preservation and conservation experts, museum staff will develop a preservation action plan that ensures the public’s ability to continue to safely experience 97 Orchard’s historic spaces while preventing deterioration.