Senators DAMATO and MOYNIHAN followed by introducing the Senate equivalent in November of that year. Our legislation would designate the Lower East Side Tenement Museum as an affiliate of the National Park Service. The Tenement Museum is located at 97 Orchard Street in Manhattans Lower East Side. the heart of Americas immigrant tradition. The building was erected in 1863 and. over the course of 69 years. served as the first American home for thousands of immigrants from around the worid. Much of Americas immigrant history begins in New York. The museum on Ellis Island explains how families from around the worid joumeyed to and arrived in the United States. While many newcomers set out to settle our nations rural frontiers. many more became urban pioneersmen. women and children who settled in the city. For this reason the next chapter of the immigrant tale. their lives in America. deserves closer exploration and recognition. Thus. in seeking a home for this story. the Museum sought the quintessential expression of urban. immigrant lifethe tenement. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum bill recognizes the Museums efforts to preserve. maintain and interpret the themes of eariy tenement life. the housing reform movement. and tenement architecture in the United States. Affiliate status would allow this private nonprofit museum to fully participate in the programs and activities of the National Park Service while complimenting the Park Services trinity of Ellis Island. Clinton Castle and the Statue of Liberty at no cost to American taxpayers. By making the museum an affiliate of the National Park Service. the immigrant story is personalized--linking Ellis Island. the Statue of Liberty and a Lower East Side Tenement. As visitors understand this story more fully. they will gain greater insight into who they are and where they came from. I urge all of you to support this national treasure.
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