Lower East Side Historical Exhibit Opens at Henry Street Settlement
This exhibit will teach kids and adults about Lower East Side history.
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An educational and interactive exhibit for all ages, visitors will be immersed into what the Lower East Side was like at the turn of the 20th century, when it was the most crowded neighborhood in the world. The exhibit features “windows” through which visitors can “see” typical street scenes from 1893. Photographs, videos, stories, and quotations will provide valuable historic takeaways on how reformers came together during the Progressive Era. An interactive element includes picking up a speaker to listen to stories that compliment pictures in the exhibit. Artifacts on display include a Henry Street guest book signed by Rosa Parks, Wald’s nurse badge, and a nurse’s bag from the turn of the 20th century.
This exhibit teaches children about waves of early immigration, rapid industrialization, and urban crowding. The House on Henry Street traces the history of the Lower East Side and the settlement across six distinct areas, including immigrants’ arrival in America, the problems they faced, how those problems led to action, the legacy they left behind and more.
It is a thought-provoking exhibit that can teach children to be more aware of their current surroundings, contribute to change, and proceed to help others.
The exhibit is open Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm, and by appointment on evenings and weekends. Admission is free. The House on Henry Street is located at 265 Henry St. on the Lower East Side. For more information, visit henrystreet.org or call 212-766-9200 x2257.
