Little Italy, a neighbourhood in downtown New York City, was once a sprawling, cacophonous bustle of Italians who had left their homeland to capitalise on the promise of the American Dream.

Though they were not the only— or first—nationality to populate lower Manhattan’s tenement buildings, their vivid culture soon left an indelible mark. But as these photographs show, the scope and style of these streets—which have dwindled from 30 blocks to just three —has dramatically shifted since the first wave  of immigrants arrived over two centuries ago.