![Orchard Street 1865-1899](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Orchard_Street_1865-1899.jpg)
Orchard Street is a street in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
which covers the eight
city block
A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design.
A city block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets, not counting any type of thoroughfare within t ...
s between
Division Street in
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
and
East Houston Street on the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
. Vehicular traffic runs north on this
one-way street. Orchard Street starts from Division Street in the south and ends at East Houston Street in the north..
History
![Orchard Street Manhattan IMG 9186](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Orchard_Street_Manhattan_IMG_9186.JPG)
The orchard in question belonged to
James Delancey
James De Lancey (November 27, 1703 – July 30, 1760) served as chief justice, lieutenant governor, and acting colonial governor of the Province of New York.
Early life and education
De Lancey was born in New York City on November 27, 170 ...
, who returned to England in 1775, and his farm was declared forfeit.
Orchard Street is often considered the center of the Lower East Side and is lined end to end almost entirely with low-rise
tenement buildings with the iconic brick face and
fire escapes. First part of
Little Germany and later a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
enclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
, the neighborhood has been home to
immigrant
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
s from the mid-19th century to the present day. The street's past as the heart of the immigrant experience is captured at the
Lower East Side Tenement Museum's centerpiece, the restored 97 Orchard Street tenement.
The street is known for its discount shopping, as Orchard Street was long the Lower East Side's main marketing thoroughfare. There are several
lingerie shops and
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
-owned men's suit stores below Delancey Street, while discount clothing and luggage stores dominate the block between Delancey and Rivington Streets. More recently, upscale boutiques and designer shops have begun to line the street. Every Sunday, Orchard Street from Delancey to East Houston Street closes to vehicular traffic turning the street into a pedestrian mall with stores setting up tables and racks advertising their wares to passersby.
Like the rest of the Lower East Side, Orchard Street has gone through
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
in the past decade, especially above Rivington Street, where boutiques and upscale restaurants have opened shop.
The transition has been slower on the lower end of the street, especially below
Grand Street, which is part of Chinatown's industrial east end, but new restaurants, bars and art galleries have opened in this area in recent years as well.
Meanwhile, several luxury condominiums now stand or are under construction where immigrant families once shared quarters in cramped tenement buildings. Several
boutique hotel
Boutique hotels are small inventory, design driven, unique hotels with their own character, personality and storytelling at the heart of their concept. Positioning is secondary for these hotels as they focus on authenticity and personalization ...
s have also sprouted in the area, with two on Orchard St; the Blue Moon Hotel at 100 Orchard St, and Thompson LES on Allen St.
In popular culture
A short film, "Orchard Street", was made in 1955 by
Ken Jacobs
Ken Jacobs (born May 25, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American experimental filmmaker. His style often involves the use of found footage which he edits and manipulates. He has also directed films using his own footage.
Ken Jacobs directed ...
, who used his new 16mm
Bell & Howell camera to capture the life of the street one afternoon.
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...
has shown it as an
avant garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical De ...
film.
Lower East Side resident and filmmaker Courtney Fathom Sell made ''Down Orchard Street'' over the course of four years. The documentary depicts the evictions suffered by many of the store-owners due to continuing gentrification of the neighborhood.
In the musical "
Ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
" the Latvian immigrant known as Tateh references the corner of Orchard and Rivington, where he makes a living creating silhouettes, in the song "Success": "With ordinary paper, a pair of scissors and some glue I will give you a thing of such beauty!"
Notable places
* The Blue Moon Hotel, 100 Orchard Street
*
Lower East Side Tenement Museum, 97 Orchard Street
* Orchard Street Runners, 36 Ludlow Street (formerly 45 Orchard Street)
*
Scarr's Pizza
Scarr's Pizza is a pizzeria at 22 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
The restaurant was founded in 2016 by Scarr Pimentel, a New York native who learned to make pizza at Lombardi's.
Staff mills so ...
, 22 Orchard Street
References
Notes
External links
The Lower East Side Tenement Museumphotographs of buildings and stores along Orchard St from Chinatown through the Lower East Side.
a virtual walking tour
Lower East Side Visitor Center 54 Orchard
{{Streets of Manhattan, state=collapsed
Streets in Manhattan
Lower East Side