Where in Wallabout Did Walt Whitman Write ‘Leaves of Grass’?

99 Ryerson Street. Photo by Christopher Bride for PropertyShark

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    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.

    walt whitman

    Whitman in 1887. Photo via Wikipedia

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