Tenement

Bad, dumpy, crapoladominiums of apartment buildings made famous in early 20th century literature about crowded New York housing, and home to recent immigrants from Europe. Think: early Godfather. When DeNiro was young. And he got the gun. And took out the guy in the white suit.

Those were tenements, arguably the most famous in history. They burned quickly. Killed lots of people. Were miserable to live in during the hot summers. But they were kind of a "rite of passage" for those escaping Europe in the era, so they hold a soft spot in American history and are still preserved in New York for all to see (how much tougher their grandparents were than they are now).