Today, the Lower East Side of New York City is a trendy neighborhood filled with popular bars and restaurants. However, more than a century ago, it was the heart of the city's tenement housing. Over the years, poor New Yorkers, most of whom were immigrants, lived in cramped and often unsanitary tenement apartments.

These apartments were small, sometimes only 325 square feet, yet could accommodate up to 10 people. Moreover, tenement residents often did not have access to running water and frequently shared only a few outdoor toilets. The tenements were not required to have windows for decades, and these cramped conditions led to the spread of diseases.

By the year 1900, 2.3 million people, two-thirds of New York City's population, were living in tenement housing. Take a look at the gallery below for a glimpse into New York's tenement life, and then continue reading to learn more.

The Spread of Tenements in New York City

Between 1800 and 1880, New York City's population doubled every 20 years. In the 1840s, the population grew by 60% from 312,710 to 515,547. By the 1850s, it had risen to 813,669.

Much of this growth was due to immigration. Irish fleeing the Potato Famine came to New York in large numbers, while German immigrants escaping the 1848 Revolution came in similar waves. (In fact, so many German immigrants arrived in New York in the mid-19th century that part of the East Village was called Kleindeutschland, or Little Germany.)

German Consulate General New York/FacebookA German immigrant family arriving in New York City around 1860.

Indeed, many of these immigrants settled in the Lower East Side, just as wealthy New Yorkers living there began to move further uptown. Immigrants (and poor New Yorkers) moved into housing built for single families, but these homes were quickly modified to accommodate as many people as possible. Walls were built to create new rooms, additional floors were added, and back tenement buildings were constructed in backyards.

This created dark, crowded conditions filled with diseases. Yet millions of people continued to live in New York's tenement housing until the 20th century.

Life in New York City Tenement Housing

New York Public LibraryA lively scene on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side, captured by the New York City Tenement Department. Circa 1902-1914.

By 1900, approximately 2.3 million people, two-thirds of New York City's population at the time, were living in tenement housing, particularly in Manhattan's Lower East Side. According to the Tenement Museum, it was common for a family of 10 to live in just 325 square feet - about half the size of a subway car.

Rents in tenement housing could vary. The Tenement Museum also reports that in 1900, a ground-floor apartment in a tenement building rented for $12 to $13 a month (about $500 today), while an apartment on the fourth floor of the same building rented for $9.50 to $10 (approximately $400). At that time, ground-level apartments were the most desirable and thus commanded higher rents.

However, regardless of rent or floor, many slums were not pleasant places to live.

While residents were crammed into small, shared spaces, many slum buildings lacked windows or access to fresh air. Moreover, slum residents did not have private toilets or running water; they often shared outdoor toilets and taps in the backyards of their buildings. This made it difficult for tenants to cook, wash clothes, and clean. And it facilitated the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhus, and tuberculosis.

Indeed, it was no secret that life in the slums was hard. In 1843, the Society for Improving the Conditions of the Poor described slum housing as generally flawed in terms of size, layout, water, heat, and ventilation; it also noted that courtyards, sinks, and sewage systems were in poor condition.

However, significant reforms would take time.

Reform of Slum Housing in New York

In 1865, a report was published by the citizens' association concerned with hygiene and public health in New York City regarding the city's health status. According to the New York Public Library, this report found that more than 65% of the city's population lived in substandard housing conditions. Indeed, that year it was estimated that about 500,000 people lived in slum housing in New York, which constituted a large portion of the city's approximately 900,000 residents.

New York Public LibraryThree people appear to be collecting water, standing in front of outdoor toilets in a slum backyard. Circa 1902-1914.

This report was followed by the Tenement House Law in 1867; this law stipulated that slum buildings must be equipped with fire escapes and have windows in every room. It also mandated that one toilet be provided for every 20 residents.

However, these regulations were not implemented immediately.

Meanwhile, the conditions of the slums also caught the attention of writer and photographer Jacob Riis. While working as a police reporter, Riis frequently encountered the horrific conditions of New York slum housing. He photographed what he saw and published these images in his 1890 work How the Other Half Lives.

The photographs were particularly striking because the upper classes of the city were experiencing the prosperity of the Gilded Age.

Jacob Riis/Wikimedia CommonsStreet children sleeping on a grate for warmth on Mulberry Street. Circa 1890-1895.

More attention began to be drawn to the slums, and further reforms were made. The Tenement House Law of 1901 worked rigorously to improve hygiene conditions, fire escapes, and access to light, and it banned the practice of building tenements in narrow spaces of nearly 25 feet. Subsequently, old tenement buildings were updated, and new tenement buildings were constructed according to these new building regulations.

As a result, conditions in the city began to change. The slum clearance policies of the 20th century demolished many slums, and the government began to offer public housing projects. The first of these housing projects in New York City opened in East Village in 1935, with developers first demolishing an old tenement.

As every New Yorker would say, housing remains a problem in the city. However, thanks to the reforms of the 20th century, apartments in New York City have more windows (and more toilets) and are generally safer, brighter, and healthier living spaces. Such conditions were unattainable for many people living in tenement buildings in the 19th and 20th centuries.