tenement

urban dwelling

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

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A tenement is a room or a set of rooms within a larger dwelling or building that is used as a separate living space. This term can refer to an apartment or lodgings. Historically, the term "tenements" has been used to describe dwellings in urban areas, such as those found in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood in the 1920s. These were often characterized by crowded and substandard living conditions, though the term itself simply denotes a separate dwelling unit.12

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apartment house
…New York City apartment, or tenement, a type first constructed in the 1830s, consisted of apartments popularly known as railroad flats because the narrow rooms were arranged end-to-end in a row like boxcars. Indeed, few low-cost apartment buildings erected in Europe or America before 1918 were designed for either comfort…
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…New York City apartment, or tenement, a type first constructed in the 1830s, consisted of apartments popularly known as railroad flats because the narrow rooms were arranged end-to-end in a row like boxcars. Indeed, few low-cost apartment buildings erected in Europe or America before 1918 were designed for either comfort…
Read More