Government Tries (Again) To Fix the Tenement Problem
Aside from the Tenement Acts of 1867 and 1879, tenement reform stayed in the realm of philanthropists and private citizens when Riis’ book came out. Government Tenement Acts were riddled with loopholes. Although reform efforts, private and governmental, would continue through the early 1900s, the 1901 Tenement Act seemed to finally have teeth. Tenements were required to include an access point to remove trash and waste.
In the period between 1902 and 1914, the New York City Tenement House Department inspected and photographed the conditions in its tenements for an exhibition. The New York City Tenement Department organized in 1901, had a mission to enforce tenement building standards (and clear up the loopholes) and investigate health, safety, sanitation, and architectural violations in the tenement buildings. This “New Law” didn’t suddenly fix all tenement problems, but helped with the design of new tenements in the city.
