The building at 97 Orchard Street was contracted by Prussian-born immigrant Lukas Glockner in 1863 and was modified several times to conform with the New York State Tenement House Act.

As such, the building stands as a kind of time capsule, reflecting 19th and early 20th century living conditions and the changing notions of what constitutes acceptable housing.

Thanks to extensive restoration over many years (overseen in phases by Perkins Eastman and Li/Saltzman Architects) visitors can explore two different buildings—97 and 103 Orchard Street—and view recreated apartments that represent eras across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

[9] The Tenement Museum attracted some negative press in 2007 related to its employees seeking union membership[10] as well as for its planned acquisition of the building at 99 Orchard Street through eminent domain in 2002.

The museum also provides a documentary film and offers tours with costumed interpreters for portraying the building's former residents, tastings of their communities' typical foods, and neighborhood walks.

The building at 97 Orchard Street was built prior to the passage of the 1867 act, which required at least one toilet for every 20 tenants, a connection to the city's sewage system, and a fire escape.

To comply with the 1901 act (which required buildings to include running water, gas, light, and ventilation), some of the partition walls were retrofitted with windows, and toilets and air shafts were built.

[19] It was spoofed in a 2017 Saturday Night Live skit in which Louis C. K. and Kate McKinnon played Polish immigrants telling ethnic jokes about Italians.