The first New York tenement is on Mott Street

"The orange building in the middle of the photo below, 65 Mott Street, looks like an ordinary Manhattan tenement. It lacks a cornice, sure, and a renovation at some point in its history has erased any ornamental features on the facade. But that’s no different to countless other 19th century tenements across the city. Aside from this, you’d never know that this walkup has one distinction that makes it different from its neighbors. 65 Mott Street 'was apparently the very first New York building built specifically to serve as a tenement,' wrote historian Tyler Anbinder in his 2001 book, Five Points—his study of the horrific slum neighborhood this stretch of Mott Street used to be part of. ..."
Ephemeral New York