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303 Elizabeth Street
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Mott Street Barracks
Post
ca. 1890 Construction on the six tenements that would become known as the Mott Street Barracks began in the 1850s. Begun by stonemason Martin Walsh, a recent Irish immigrant, the tenements would become one of the most notorious in the city. Each floor had two small apartments. These apartments, in turn, were made up of three rooms, with only one window. Moreover, these windows were overshadowed in all the back apartments by the construction of a second set of structures, directly behind the street-facing tenements. (the photo depicts the narrow alley between the two.) The dark, cramped corridors and apartments of the Mott Street Barracks soon became home to a host of pests, rodents, and disease. The lodgings didn't have plumbing so the waste and outhouses were emptied in the cellar. Filth and refuse crowded the entrances and ground. The child mortality rate at Mott Street was so high that Riis claimed that one in three children died. Moreover, the barracks were no stranger to violent crime. Robberies were fairly common and a series of murders and gang fights secured Mott Street's notoriety beyond its filthy conditions. Following a series of increasingly irate complaints by the health department, Mott Street's owner repainted the tenements and added a new cornice, but the changes were skin deep. Otherwise, the buildings remained the same. In 1896, the Health Department seized the buildings, offering one dollar in compensation. Initially razing the back buildings, it soon became clear that there was no improving the barracks, and the entirety of the tenements was demolished.
Interior Life: How the Other Half Lived
Story
On June 5th, 1870 Jacob Riis arrived in New York with 40$ and a revolver. Riis was one of the millions of immigrants arriving on the shores of the United States at the end of the 19th century. Seeking a better life, the immigrants were packed into the tenements and slums of New York. In the 1880s, the Lower East Side was the most densely populated place in the world. Riis's documentation of the inhabitants of these neighborhoods would make him famous and drive a reformist movement.
Photos
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Mott Street Barracks
"Scene on the Roof of the Mott Street Barracks"; Scene on the roof of the Barracks (no. 116), naked children. The roof of a tenement building known as the Mott Street Barracks between Bleecker and Houston Streets.
Mott Street Barracks
The Mott Street Barracks.
291 Elizabeth Street
Face of 291 Elizabeth Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows face of 291 Elizabeth Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building. Shows apartment buildings with decorative entrances, and fire escapes.
302 Mott Street
Excavation on north side of East Houston and Elizabeth Streets: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows the street excavation on the north side of East Houston and Elizabeth Streets as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Photo shows excavation site including wooden fencing dividing the space, piles of bricks, construction workers, and a view of the Volunteers of America building in the background. Original photographic logbook reads: Looking west - camera set on shanty, 50 ft. North of Houston St. sidewalk, Sta. 28+00, showing street excavation on north side of East Houston and Elizabeth Streets.
302 Mott Street
Face of 302 Mott Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows face of 302 Mott Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building, looking east. Also shows Gus & Willie Luncheonette, signage, fire escapes, clotheslines with hanging laundry, and pedestrian.
297 Elizabeth Street
Face of 297 Elizabeth Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows face of church rectory at 297 Elizabeth Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building.
295 Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth Street Sidewalk: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows sidewalk on the west side of Elizabeth Street between E. Houston Street and Bleecker Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set 125 feet north of E. Houston Street north base line looking north. Also shows automobiles, buildings, and apartment houses.
293 Elizabeth Street
Face of 293 Elizabeth Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows face of 293 Elizabeth Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building. Shows apartment buildings with decorative entrances, and fire escapes.
302 Mott Street
West Side of South Wall of 302 Mott Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows west side of south wall of 302 Mott Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of south wall of building, looking north. Also shows empty lot, A.D. Weiss signage on side of building, additional signage, buildings, and pedestrians.
295 Elizabeth Street
Face of 295 Elizabeth Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows face of 295 Elizabeth Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building. Shows apartment buildings with decorative entrances, and fire escapes.
301 Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth Street Curb and Gutter: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows west curb and gutter of Elizabeth Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set 125 feet north of E. Houston Street north base line, looking north. Also shows buildings, roadway, and automobiles.
291 Elizabeth Street
South Wall of 291 Elizabeth Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows south wall of 291 Elizabeth Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of south wall of building, looking north. Also shows buildings, clotheslines with hanging laundry, and empty lot with construction equipment, materials, debris, and workers.
59 East Houston Street
Front of 57 & 55 East Houston Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows the front of 57 & 55 East Houston Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Photo shows United Equipment Co., Azzaro's Luncheonette (Charlie & Frankie Ice Cream Parlor), Fishermen's Wharf Restaurant on the corner, and pedestrians. Original photographic logbook reads: Looking south - camera set on E. Houston St., showing front of buildings #57, 59 and 61 E. Houston.
308 Mott Street
Mott Street Sidewalk: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows sidewalk on the east side of Mott Street between E. Houston Street and Bleecker Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set 100 feet north of E. Houston Street north base line looking north. Also shows truck, storefronts, and signage.
304 Mott Street
Face of 304 Mott Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows face of 304 Mott Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building, looking east. Also shows fence, signage, fire escapes, clotheslines with hanging laundry, trash cans, and cat.
308 Mott Street
South Side of 308 Mott Street: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows south side of 308 Mott Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set up in front of building, looking east. Also shows automobiles, parking lot, fence, signage, fire escapes, and trash cans.
301 Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth Street Curb and Gutter: Chrystie Street Connection Negative shows curb and gutter of Elizabeth Street at E. Houston Street as part of the documentation of the construction of the Chrystie Street Connection (NYCTA). Camera set at northwest corner of Elizabeth and E. Houston Streets, looking north. Also shows buildings, barricade, construction workers, excavation, pulleys, and pedestrian in foreground.
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