5.  Ira Gershwin Was Born in a Tenement on Eldridge Street, 60 Eldridge Street


It is very likely that the Gershwin talent for words and music began right here on Eldridge Street. According to the site Gershwin in New York , the Gershwin Family lived in over 20 different apartments in New York City and in 1896, their oldest son, Ira, was born in this tenement building. An introverted and literary child, Ira would go on to collaborate with his younger brother, George, and create masterpieces such as “Porgy and Bess”, “Of Thee I Sing” and “Funny Face.”

Today, only a tiny plaque affixed to the building stands as a testament to the Gershwin Tenement.