Museum at Eldridge Street

The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue. Built in 1887, it is an architectural marvel and a symbol of immigrant aspirations realized. The building is the first grand synagogue purpose-built by Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the United States, and was nearly lost to neglect before the Museum’s 20-year, $20 million restoration project returned the space to glory and public use.

Visitors are welcome to tour the National Historic Landmark and learn about its time as a cultural hotspot in the bustling Jewish Lower East Side, to its decades of decay, to its miraculous rebirth as a 21st-century Museum in present day Chinatown.

Walking Tours: 

The best way to see New York City is on foot, guided by knowledgeable and proud New Yorkers! While the Museum at Eldridge Street has been offering neighborhood walking tours for many years, we are excited to offer a series of freshly designed walking tours of the Lower East Side and beyond. Our expert guides are passionate about this city, and well-informed about local history, traditions, rumors, and fun facts. Stops will include restored synagogues, tenements, repurposed buildings, immigrant history and stories, and much more.

With public and private options, our walking tours will take you to amazing sites and landmarks, and cover what makes our neighborhood so special. Each of our guides is an experienced storyteller with historical knowledge and insider “secrets'' behind famous stops. Listening devices will enable you to hear your guide’s stories and explanations clearly. Tour lengths vary between 1 hour to 2 hours, depending on the type.

Whether you are planning your next family outing, a school trip, or a corporate event, we've got you covered!