Lower East Side History Project

09/30/2026

Actor Federico Castelluccio (L) was a guest at a lecture LESHP founder Eric Ferrara (R) gave last night about The Godfather at a private club in Midtown Manhattan.

09/17/2026

Time to dust off this article:

The Feast of San Gennaro has been a beloved tradition in New York City's Little Italy for nearly a century. This annual event invites visitors to experience the rich heritage, mouthwatering cuisine, and lively atmosphere that have come to define our historic neighborhood.

08/16/2026

Feast of San Rocco today at Most Precious Blood Church

08/16/2026

NY Marble Cemetery, 1939 and now. 41 1/2 Second Avenue.

Does anyone know who may have taken the 1939 photo? (It is not a trivia question, we want to know.)

06/30/2026

Happy 250th!

Explore how colonial farms, Revolutionary conflict, and Washington's presidency reshaped the Lower East Side before 1800 in New York.

06/13/2026

06/12/2026

You think it’s sweltering now? Imagine no air conditioning, no refrigeration, no relief from the heat, and no safe way to store food. Then imagine access to ice controlled by greed, monopoly, and political corruption. This happened in 1900.

How NYC’s 1900 Ice Trust monopoly raised prices, fueled Tammany corruption, and endangered tenement families, especially infants.

05/12/2026

05/11/2026

04/30/2026

The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy presents A Walking Tour of Hassidic Williamsburg! Sunday, 3 May at 11AM. Sign-up now: https://www.nycjewishtours.org/join-a-tour/3may26

Step into streets where centuries-old shtetl traditions meet the bustle of modern life in Brooklyn. See modest row houses, Yiddish storefronts and newspapers, as well as scores of strimels (distinctive fur hats), sheitels (wigs), and shtiblekh (prayer rooms) in one of the world’s largest Hassidic communities. Join educator and urban historian Bradley Shaw for an immersive experience in this fascinating neighborhood, including significant synagogues like Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom, the oldest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, and Beth Elohim, an 1875 Gothic Synagogue built by Reform Jews and now housing a Hasidic yeshiva. You will also visit Lee Avenue, the main shopping area, Bais Rachel, a NYC High School turned girl’s yeshiva, and hear other stories of the fabric of Hasidic Williamsburg, with a little bit of Hipster Williamsburg mixed in.