At the turn of the century, the Lower East Side was the first stop in America for European immigrants struggling to start a new life. The tenement-lined streets, rather than being paved with gold, were filled with peddlers, noise, dirt and poverty, as evident in this circa 1915 photograph.
Immigrants lived in the miserable conditions -- cramped, decrepit tenement apartments with little space, ventilation, or light, and no heat or plumbing. As an escape, the Lower East Side developed a vibrant street life, with sidewalks and streets filled with crowds and pushcarts selling food, housewares and trinkets.
A century later, the Lower East Side has been transformed, with gritty replaced by glossy. The Times wrote in 2015, "There was a time when immigrants fought to get out of the gritty Lower East Side, but some of their descendants are fighting to get back in as the area has been revitalized. That battle is becoming a bit harder as condominium prices start hitting highs comparable to those in pricier Lower Manhattan neighborhoods like SoHo, NoLIta and NoHo."
