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View a map of this person's neighborhood in 1900
Julius Streicher immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1885. In 1900, the 39-year old was renting a house at 253 East 10th St. in Manhattan with his wife Christine, age 33, who immigrated from Germany in 1889, and their young daughter Eliza. Julius was employed as a provisions dealer (grocer). At this time, he had his first papers toward naturalization. In 1920, Julius, age 59, was widowed and living with his sister Caroline Reign and her two sons at 346 Chauncey St. in Brooklyn, a predominately German neighborhood. He had not yet become a U.S. citizen. When the Streichers lived at 253 E. 10th St., it was in the northern fringes of the Lower East Side. Today, it is in the East Village. The building is no longer comprised of immigrants, as it once was. Rather, the area has become more gentrified over the past decade, and today, the public elementary school, once comprised mostly of Hispanic and black children, is increasingly white. This gentrification upsets Dudley Sabo, 87, who has lived at 253 E. 10th St. for 30 years. Sabo, now retired from teaching art at the Brooklyn Museum, complains that the influx of wealthy residents isn't as friendly as those who lived here before. Van Williams, 42, and an African American, has lived in the building for 18 years. His grandmother and mother moved from Charleston, S.C., to Brooklyn in the late 50s, but moved to this block in the early 60s before relocating again to the Bronx. Williams is a landscaper for homeowners in midtown and uptown Manhattan. His white roommate, Tom Sliva, 55, has lived in this apartment for 27 years. Raised in Yonkers, Tom came to the East Village in the early 70s. He has a chemistry degree from the University of Utah and runs a testing lab for paints and coatings. Both men like the neighborhood for its vibrancy and tolerance. Harvey Weissman, 30, a current resident, once worked as an accountant, but left that job to pursue an acting career. He says he enjoys the creative energy of his surroundings. Most residents at 253 E. 10th St. live alone, unlike their counterparts of 1900. For instance, Connie Massimino, 38, a print production manager for the Sci-Fi Channel, is divorced and doesn't plan on marrying again. Even in 1900, divorce in America was becoming more prevalent. In fact, from 1876 to 1915, divorces increased 15-fold, making the U.S. the country with the world's highest divorce rate. A decline in family values, the pressures of city life, the liberation of women, and male chauvinism were all cited as causal factors for divorce. In addition, cocaine use, which would not be outlawed until 1914, was on the rise, which may also have contributed to climbing divorce rates. |
