New York State Legislature’s passage of the new Tenement House Act of 1901.  While this act did not officially ban the construction of tenements on twenty-five-foot-wide lots, it made it difficult to efficiently plan such buildings.  Most new law tenements were built on lots with a width of thirty-five feet or more.  As required by the law, these tenements had larger, if still relatively small light courts and occupied somewhat less of the total lot area.  The new law mandated that all rooms have windows and each apartment have its own toilet facilities.  Another important aspect of the law was its impact on older tenement buildings.  The law mandated a series of changes designed to address the dangerous and unsanitary conditions in these pre-existing tenements.  Changes included improved lighting, banning second windowless interior rooms (a provision later rescinded), and requiring the addition of one toilet for every two families.

In 1901, the city finally passed a tough law setting minimum standards for new tenements. “New law tenements” had bathrooms in each apartment, window‐lit halls, better fire escapes, and courtyards rather than airshafts. The buildings couldn't rise any higher than six stories.

These conditions were not confined to the Five Points for long. As the numbers of poor people increased, the slums spread east from the Five Points into Chatham Square and the once-middle class streets along the East River. Fifteen or 20 families squeezed into the red brick Federal‐style houses along Cherry, Madison, and Monroe Streets. Landlords erected “rear buildings” in

The main mission of the ORL was to provide organized play spaces and recreational enrichment for neighborhood children, while encouraging the City to invest in building and maintaining parks and playgrounds. By 1902 the Parks Department assumed control of Seward Park.