Many tenements began as single-family dwellings, and many older structures were converted into tenements by adding floors on top or by building more space in rear-yard areas. … Later, speculators began building new tenements, often using cheap materials and construction shortcuts.

What caused tenements to be built?

The Jewish immigrants that flocked to New York City’s Lower East Side in the early twentieth century were greeted with appalling living conditions. The mass influx of primarily European immigrants spawned the construction of cheaply made, densely packed housing structures called tenements.

Why did people move into tenements?

During 1850 to 1920, people immigrating to America needed a place to live. Many were poor and needed jobs. The jobs people found paid low wages so many people had to live together. Therefore, tenements were the only places new immigrants could afford.