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Manor of Fact
Behind every home, there’s a story waiting to be told. Manor of Fact explores the fascinating history, architecture, and secrets of extraordinary houses. From grand estates like The Breakers to quirky Spite Houses, each episode uncovers the people, events, and unexpected twists that shaped these remarkable homes. Whether you're a history buff, architecture enthusiast, or just love a good real estate story, each week will be a captivating journey through the most intriguing homes in history.
Manor of Fact
Episode 7 - The Tenement Apartments
Thanksgiving in the Tenements: Stories of Survival, Sacrifice, and the American Home
In this Thanksgiving episode, we step inside the cramped, crowded tenements of the Lower East Side to uncover the real lives behind America’s great wave of immigration. From fire-prone hallways and airless rooms to holiday tables filled with both Old World flavors and New World hope, this episode explores what it meant to begin again in a country that promised possibility but offered little comfort.
Through vivid storytelling, historical context, and the real story of the Baldizzi family — a Sicilian household who made a home at 97 Orchard Street — we honor the resilience, sacrifice, and unwavering optimism that shaped generations of American families.
Whether your own ancestors arrived on the Mayflower or a steamship centuries later, this episode invites you to reflect on the beginnings that made your own beginning possible.
At Thanksgiving, we celebrate abundance. But for millions of immigrant families, the earliest version of that abundance wasn’t about wealth—it was about endurance, community, and belief in a better future.