I read this video-article in The Washington Post today; hopefully it's not hidden behind a paywall. It's about the Tenement Museum in NYC that has a refurbished example of a turn-of-the-century New York Tenement building. Though earlier than the OTR period, several of the era's top comedians grew up in such environments. The piece might provide some context for jokes from the period that seem obscure today about living conditions and apartment living of the day.
Ryan