The Museum at Eldridge Street is proud to present Lower East Side, 1975: Portrait of a Changing Jewish Neighborhood, an exhibition featuring never-before-seen photographs of the Lower East Side by Richard Marc Sakols.

Join us for an exhibition opening featuring an informal talk by the artist and curator!

A young student in 1975, Sakols ventured down to the Lower East Side to explore the neighborhood where his grandmother was born. With his Pentax SLR, he captured iconic Jewish institutions amidst a diverse and evolving streetscape. His photos of the Eldridge Street Synagogue, taken on a tour led by historian Gerard Wolfe, showcase the precarious state of the building, then in disrepair after years of neglect, and provide a unique glimpse into the earliest efforts to document and preserve its legacy.

The Lower East Side has long been a welcome mat for America’s newest arrivals, and these photos showcase the dynamism and life of the area. By the 1970s, much of the neighborhood’s Jewish population had moved away and more recent arrivals, notably from Latin America and China, along with a bevy of young artists drawn by low rents, ushered in a new chapter of the Lower East Side story. The photographs of Lower East Side, 1975 shed light on this heady cultural moment of change.

Lower East Side, 1975 will be on view December 3, 2024 through May 11, 2025. Learn more about the exhibition at eldridgestreet.org/les-1975.

Ticket Price (Includes Museum Admission): Pay-What-You-Wish

Advanced registration is preferred.

Throughout the run of the exhibition, the Museum at Eldridge Street will offer a series of related public programs and will provide additional content through Bloomberg Connects.

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