'Five Points: NYC's Most Notorious 19th-Century Slum' Webinar

Today, the south end of Chinatown is defined by clean parks, bubble tea shops, and even towering courthouses — but back in the 19th century, it was internationally known as one of the world's most notorious slums, described by Charles Dickens as where "poverty, wretchedness, and vice are rife." This is the story of the former Manhattan neighborhood of Five Points, and what still remains.

Join New York Adventure Club as we step back in time to explore the forgotten stories and historic remnants of Five Points, a 19th-century slum that was infamous for decades as New York City’s center of violent crime, unemployment, prostitution, gambling, infectious diseases, and filth.

Led by licensed NYC guide and neighborhood expert Lloyd Trufelman, our virtual experience will include:

• The history of Five Points and how it grew into one of the world's most notorious slums, and why its reputation might not be deserved
• A digital showcase through modern-day Chinatown to trace the stories and remnants of Five Points, including New York's oldest tenement, old churches, and even a building that once hosted rat-on-rat fights
• A discussion around films and television shows based in Five Points, such as Martin Scorsese's 2002 film “Gangs of New York," and how historically accurate they really are

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Lloyd — any and all questions about Five Points are welcomed and encouraged!

Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week.

See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

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***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

****If the event has already passed, but it's been less than a week, you can still register for it on our website's active replay section!

Testimonials

"Great graphical overlays of art, photos and maps to show then and now. It was great that he was able to address questions throughout the presentation." -Kristin

"The guide's knowledge and enthusiasm, the variety and number of slides, the excellent overlays of outlines on current sites, the pleasure and engagement of the audience." -Kim

"Great visuals. I know I would enjoy the walking tour but this was just as good. Lot’s of interesting info." -Sondra

"I thought that the virtual talk was successful because it could access images and locations that would be hard to access just doing a walking tour and the overlays on the slides of current neighborhood overpass neighborhoods were really wonderful" -Valerie

"Lloyd did a great job presenting, he gave great examples and tied things together nicely. Left you wanting to know more. I cannot wait to be able to go up to NY to visit and see all the places he pointed out. I also liked that you are allowing us to watch it again. I want to go back and write down places that I would like to go and visit." -Betty

"Lloyd Trufelman was very knowledgable and a great story teller. Images were terrific, especially the very helpful overlays." -Nancy

"The host was extremely knowledgeable and was a good communicator. The visual aids were very interesting." -Carolyn

"Lloyd was knowledgable and told a great story. He had excellent graphics, photos and slides. Loved everything about this webinar." -Ruth

"I loved all the visuals and pointing out where the locations were in relation to present day NYC. Thank you!" -Leslie

"History of Five Points was not black and white - reputation was not reflective of reality. well researched, lively and knowledgeable presenter" -Michael

"Very informative guide, interesting content, and an empathetic view of the people who used to live in NYC." -Cameron

"Excellent speaker, very well researched, excellent documentation. Overlays of old and new maps, photos and drawings particularly helpful since area has changed so much. Excellent historical and social info as well. He clearly has spent a lot of time researching and preparing his talk." -Pe

"Our guide was extremely well informed and made the tour especially interesting with the visual overlays of the past onto the present so we could identify the area. He showed fabulous Jacob Riis photos and read interesting quotes from history." -Valborg

"The lecturer had a passion for the subject matter and an interesting viewpoint. He is extremely knowledgeable and the webinar was very well prepared." -Helaine

"smooth, professional presentation. I've never been to that part of NYC but will add it to my Bucket List for after Covid!" -Ellen

"The visuals and their descriptions were highly interesting, especially those that included superimposed images of structures and the current locations." -Chris

"I liked the speaker’s knowledge, historical sketches and the slides where a location in Five Points is sketched on top of current NYC space" -Anna

"I liked the accuracy of the history backed up with artist renderings and illustrations from the time period." -Robert

"I loved the virtual tour and it made me want to do it live once I am back in the city! Fascinating details and the overlays of the Five Point district, etc. over what is presently there really brought the talk /tour to life." -Janice

"As always, the leader was knowledgeable and interesting, and the slides were excellent in letting me picture the area." -Mollyann

"I liked all the history included in the Webinar. It felt like I was actually walking through the area." -Sharon

"This is my second event with y’all. They are always so well done! Very informative and easily holds your attention throughout the presentation." -Elizabeth

"The pictures and commentary were amazing, informative." -Mary

"The history of the area was well researched and enthusiastically presented." -Jeanne

"Fantastic presentation - great mix of history with what's there today." -Virginia

"The visuals, especially the overlays, were great." -Austin

"I liked that it moved along nicely, well presented, nice mix of old pictures and new." -Rosemary

"I liked the photographs and other visuals, and the presenter’s expertise." -Joan

"I loved the superimposed outlines of the historic buildings, against the modern ones now in place. I don’t live in NYC, but I have family there, and I have studied 19th century history, so this topic was very interesting to me." -Michele

"I liked the indepth knowledge of the presenter and the PowerPoint presentation that kept comparing then and now to help geographically situate us." -Laurie

"A great deal of accurate, interesting information," -Kathleen

"The lecturer had a great knowledge of the area and the history." -Michie

"I liked the historical info, a mixture of pictures from the era and current day depiction of the area." -Patricia

" Distant relatives lived in 5 Points so I was interested to learn the history of it. I learned so much. I once worked in NYC and didn't know anything about the 5 Points area." -Shirley

" Gave a good insight and challenged the preconceptions about Five Points. Great selection of images and a good presentation style, informal yet authoritative." -Maybelle

" It was very informative and the speaker kept my interest. Thank you so much for offering these online events!" -Dana

" Enjoyed every minute, thank you" -John

" I liked that the speaker took us on a walking tour and told us the addresses of many historic sites, because I want to explore that neighborhood myself— with a new perspective!" -Lisa

"Learned about historic disadvantaged community in New York" -Michael

"The thorough analysis and brilliant scope of knowledge of Lloyd, the presenter. Lloyd knew to bring gone places into visuals and talked about important books and persons who made a difference." -Sarita

"Very exciting presentation, I loved it, learned a lot of new content, even though I already knew a lot about this subject." -Shelley

"Thoroughly researched. Great visuals to match. The presenter really did some extra digging to find unknown facts and pictures. Also, nice commentary about how people deserve honor and respect regardless of what they do for work. It was very touching." -Guest

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Categories: Virtual, Neighborhoods