Where in Wallabout Did Walt Whitman Write 'Leaves of Grass'?
Much is known about the life of Brooklyn literary king Walt Whitman, but can you locate the residence where he penned his opus? In Wallabout, Whitman wrote the first version of his greatest and best known work, Leaves of Grass, at 99 Ryerson Street. Now hidden behind an uninspiring vinyl facade, the Italianate clapboard row house is the…
Much is known about the life of Brooklyn literary king Walt Whitman, but can you locate the residence where he penned his opus?
In Wallabout, Whitman wrote the first version of his greatest and best known work, Leaves of Grass, at 99 Ryerson Street. Now hidden behind an uninspiring vinyl facade, the Italianate clapboard row house is the only known Brooklyn home of the great American poet still standing.
It was here that letters of the many mixed reactions to Leaves found their way after its controversial 1855 publication. Both the praise and damnation for Whitman’s now-historic epic came to this very door.
Those not in the know would be unlikely to guess this was Whitman’s home. There is no plaque here, but he’s honored in the area.
The nearby Walt Whitman Houses, a NYCHA development, bear the acclaimed author’s name.
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Why publish this instead of reposting Suzanne’s relatively recent, far better article about the exact same thing?
We used to own 108 Ryerson and during that time I read a New Yorker article about Whitman’s residence on Ryerson. He lived with his mother who built 99 and developed other property in the area.
I owned and lived at 87 Ryerson for many years….not at the same time as Walt, however. I love that block.