[natural_tts]

 Walt Whitman Houses — Full History

The Man Behind the Name: Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

To understand Whitman Houses, one must first understand the extraordinary poet for whom it was named. 6Walt Whitman (1819–1892), often proclaimed America’s greatest poet, lived mostly in Brooklyn and Manhattan between 1823 and 1862, where he worked as an editor, journalist, and writer, and lived in many different residences.

12 One of those residences in Fort Greene was home to the poet Walt Whitman, who served as editor of the *Brooklyn Eagle* newspaper. 6 It was in his Brooklyn residence that Whitman finished his epochal first collection of poems, *Leaves of Grass*, which was published and for sale in Brooklyn in June 1855. 6 Today, *Leaves of Grass* is considered one of the most important American works ever written.

Whitman also had deep ties to the very land on which the development now stands. 15Poet Walt Whitman, then the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, strongly advocated for reclaiming the space near the fort for use as a public park. 12In response to the conditions on Myrtle Avenue, which had become an Irish shanty town known as “Young Dublin,” Whitman called for a park to be constructed and stated in a column in the Eagle, “[as] the inhabitants there are not so wealthy nor so well situated as those on the heights…we have a desire that these, and the generations after them, should have such a place of recreation…”

3 There is a plaque on the exterior of the Eagle Warehouse, which was constructed on the original location of the *Brooklyn Daily Eagle* where Whitman once worked. His poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is inscribed along the railings of Fulton Ferry Landing, and Walt Whitman Park is located off Cadman Plaza East in Downtown Brooklyn. 12 The Brooklyn Public Library’s Walt Whitman branch is also located at 93 Saint Edwards Street — just steps from the housing development that bears his name.

Fort Greene’s Historical Roots & African American Legacy

The neighborhood in which Whitman Houses sits has a deep and important African American history — predating the housing development itself by over a century. 12New York State outlawed slavery in 1827, and 20 years later “Coloured School No. 1,” Brooklyn’s first school for African Americans, opened at the current site of the Walt Whitman Houses. 12Abolitionists formed the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1857, which hosted speakers such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman and aided in the work of the Underground Railroad. 12By 1870, more than half of the Black population in Brooklyn lived in Fort Greene, most of them north of Fort Greene Park.

World War II & The Fort Greene Houses (1941–1944)

Whitman Houses did not begin as an independent development — it has its roots in a massive wartime housing initiative known as the Fort Greene Houses. 12During World War II, the Brooklyn Navy Yard employed more than 71,000 people. Due to the resulting demand for housing, the New York City Housing Authority built 35 brick buildings between 1941 and 1944, ranging in height from six to fifteen stories, collectively called the Fort Greene Houses.

2 The complex was built near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and many of its first residents were longshoremen and laborers supporting the war effort. 10 According to Brooklyn Navy Yard Archivist Dennis Riley, many of these employees lived in homes close to the neighborhood or in the Walt Whitman Houses that were built in 1944.

Completion & Division into Whitman Houses (1944 & 1957–58)

1 The Walt Whitman Houses are a housing project in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, completed on February 24, 1944. 1 The development was named after the 19th century poet Walt Whitman, who lived and worked in Brooklyn. 12 Production at the Brooklyn Navy Yard declined significantly after the war and many of the workers either moved on or fell on hard times. In 1957–58, the houses were renovated and divided into the Walt Whitman Houses and the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses.

Layout & Design

1 The project consists of fifteen buildings, 6 and 13 stories tall, with 1,659 apartment units. It covers an 18.44-acre expanse. 1 It is bordered by St. Edward’s Street and Park, Carlton, and Myrtle Avenues. 5 The buildings in this development were constructed with reinforced cast-in-place concrete superstructures enclosed by solid masonry walls comprised of face brick and concrete masonry block backup, finished at the interior with painted plaster. 8 As of recent NYCHA data, there are 1,659 total units with 7,390 rental rooms, housing 3,399 residents. Among the residents, 626 families — or 41% — are on fixed income.

Newsweek’s Damning Portrait (Late 1950s)

Almost immediately after the renovation and division into Whitman and Ingersoll Houses, serious problems emerged. 12Just one year after the renovation, Newsweek profiled the housing project as “one of the starkest examples” of the failures of public housing. The article painted a picture of broken windows, cracked walls, flickering or inoperative lighting, and elevators being used as toilets.

The Navy Yard Closes & Economic Decline (1966–1980)

12 Further depressing the area was the decommissioning of the Navy Yard in 1966 and the dismantling of the Myrtle Avenue elevated train in 1969, which made the area much less attractive to Manhattan commuters. 10 In 1966, the city’s industrial employment dropped almost 50 percent, and between 1970 and 1980 Brooklyn lost 371,000 residents. After this economic downturn, the Whitman and Farragut housing projects became more poor and segregated.

Cultural Revitalization: Fort Greene’s Renaissance (1968 Onward)

10 The cultural institutions on the southern side of Fort Greene Park sought to attract residents and change the perception of the housing projects. According to filmmaker Nelson George in his documentary *Brooklyn Boheme*, the new homeowners in Fort Greene in the late 1960s were “jazz musicians who could afford the mortgages and loved the proximity to the jazz clubs of the West and East Village.” 10 In 1975, the annual street festival called the Atlantic Antic began at the same time the Brooklyn Academy of Music was being revitalized under new president Harvey Lichtenstein.

Decades of Neglect & Infrastructure Challenges

2 Like many NYCHA developments, Whitman Houses faced decades of neglect, including aging infrastructure, delayed repairs, and recurring public safety concerns. 5 The intervening 60 years took a toll on the thirty-five buildings. The required repairs included masonry repair and replacement, new lintels at windows, and replacement of aging curtain wall windows at the entrances. 5 Nelligan White Architects and NYCHA investigated several options for addressing the deteriorating parapets, including a modular metal perimeter guardrail. 16 More than 100 apartments have been empty for an average of eight years, a persistent problem in NYCHA’s management of the complex.

Major $200 Million Renovation: The Whitman/Ingersoll Upgrade

In recognition of the severe deterioration of the complex, a massive capital investment was eventually made. 11The Walt Whitman and Raymond Ingersoll Housing in Fort Greene, Brooklyn underwent major renovations to bring all 3,500 apartment units to current standard and ensure the units are in optimum condition for future generations. New York City invested in excess of $200 million on comprehensive improvements to the complex, to bring elevator service to each floor, enlarge the apartments, modernize the kitchen areas, and upgrade the heating and electrical systems in all 35 complex buildings.

Public Safety Concerns

Public safety has long been a concern at Whitman Houses. 16Shaquille Upson, 22, was sentenced to 22 years to life in prison for a 2014 murder. 16Police said they saw an armed suspect jumping a fence at the Walt Whitman Houses before a shooting.

Despite these incidents, community members and elected officials have rallied together to address safety issues. 16Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo led a rally outside the Walt Whitman Houses in Fort Greene to bring attention to public safety concerns and push for improvements.

Free Wi-Fi & Community Improvements

16 Free Wi-Fi was brought to basketball courts, playgrounds, and seating areas in the complexes as part of a broader city effort to modernize NYCHA developments and connect residents.

New Basketball Court: Kings-Queens Court (2024)

In 2024, a long-awaited community upgrade finally arrived. 14The old basketball court was run down and unusable for 20 years. 14The complex received a beautiful new court, which kids from Whitman named the “Kings-Queens Court” — in part after the original basketball court name.

Demographic Shifts & Growing Diversity

12 Some news articles from the mid-2010s to 2021 have spoken about the significant growing Asian population, especially the Chinese-speaking population, most particularly in the affordable NYCHA housing developments of Walt Whitman Houses and Ingersoll Houses. 10 Census tract 185.01, which includes the Walt Whitman Houses, saw a 1,150 percent increase in Asian population from 2000 to 2010. 10 Despite the growth of Asian and white populations in Fort Greene, the Black population in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill has decreased by more than 30 percent.

Fort Greene Park Controversy (2018–2023)

As a direct neighbor of Fort Greene Park, the Whitman Houses community has been involved in disputes over park renovations. 15In January 2020, a New York Supreme Court judge ordered the city to reassess the park renovation plans to raze more than 80 trees, including 58 mature trees in the northwest section nearest the Ingersoll and Walt Whitman Houses. 15The move was lauded by the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club, as well as local residents. The city filed a notice of appeal in February 2020. 15In 2023, Friends of Fort Greene Park sued NYC Parks, claiming the agency had not conducted an environmental review for the redesign.

Notable Residents

2 Whitman Houses has been home to residents who rose to national prominence, including rapper Talib Kweli. Known for his socially conscious lyrics and deep engagement with Brooklyn’s political and cultural life, Kweli has spoken about how his upbringing in the complex shaped both his identity and his music.

Historic Significance

8 The Whitman Houses property is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places — a recognition of its architectural and historical significance as one of NYCHA’s oldest surviving large-scale developments. 10 The Walt Whitman public housing buildings have since been landmarks in Fort Greene’s northern section. 10 Built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority, these developments were home for 29 percent of Fort Greene’s 2010 population.

Legacy & Resilience

2 At its core, Whitman Houses reflect NYCHA’s original mission: to provide safe, affordable housing for working families. Despite periods of hardship and violence, the development endures as a living record of Brooklyn’s struggles, resilience, and collective memory.

In summary, Walt Whitman Houses is one of New York City’s oldest and most historically significant public housing developments. Born out of the wartime housing crisis sparked by the Brooklyn Navy Yard boom, it has survived more than eight decades of economic upheaval, neglect, infrastructure decay, and demographic change — while remaining a living, breathing community in the heart of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, named after the great American poet who once called the same neighborhood home.

The Walt Whitman Houses is a large-scale public housing development located in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Its history is inseparable from the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the industrial boom of World War II, as well as the literary legacy of one of America’s greatest poets.

1. The Namesake: Walt Whitman

The development is named after the legendary American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892).

• The Brooklyn Connection: Whitman was a quintessential Brooklynite. He served as the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and lived in several locations in the borough.
• Proximity: The houses are located just a few blocks from where Whitman lived on Ryerson Street while he was writing Leaves of Grass. This naming was a deliberate tribute to the area’s literary and working-class history.

2. War-Time Origins and Construction (1940–1944)

The Whitman Houses were born out of the national emergency of World War II.

• The Navy Yard Boom: By 1940, the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard was mobilizing for war. Thousands of workers flooded the area, creating a desperate housing shortage.
• Defense Housing: The project was originally conceived as housing for defense workers and their families. It was built simultaneously with its “twin” development, the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses.
• Completion: The Walt Whitman Houses officially opened on February 23, 1944.
• Design: The complex consists of 15 buildings (6, 11, and 13 stories tall). At the time, they were considered state-of-the-art, offering modern amenities to workers who had previously lived in overcrowded, dilapidated tenements.

3. The “Whitman-Ingersoll” Complex

While officially two separate developments, Whitman and Ingersoll are often referred to as a single unit because they share a continuous campus.

• The Super-block: Together, they transformed a massive section of Fort Greene into a “super-block,” replacing the traditional street grid with open courtyards and pedestrian paths.
• Capacity: Combined, the two developments house over 7,000 residents in roughly 3,500 apartments, making it one of the largest public housing concentrations in Brooklyn.

4. Post-War Transition (1950s–1970s)

After WWII ended and the Navy Yard eventually scaled back its operations (closing in 1966), the mission of the Whitman Houses shifted.

• From Workers to Low-Income Housing: The development transitioned from “defense housing” to general low-income public housing managed by NYCHA.
• Demographic Shift: Like much of Brooklyn during this period, the development saw a shift from a white working-class population (many of whom moved to the suburbs) to a predominantly African American and Latino community.
• Fort Greene Context: During this time, the Whitman Houses became a foundational part of the Fort Greene community, a neighborhood known for its deep roots in Black culture, jazz, and eventually, the arts.

5. Challenges and “The Crack Era” (1980s–1990s)

The 1980s and early 90s were the most difficult period in the development’s history.

• The Epidemic: The Whitman Houses, like many NYCHA developments, were hit hard by the crack-cocaine epidemic. The open layouts of the “towers in the park” design, which were meant for fresh air, unfortunately provided difficult-to-patrol spaces for crime during this era.
• Disinvestment: Decreased federal and state funding led to a visible decline in the maintenance of elevators, heating systems, and common areas.

6. Gentrification and Modern Era (2000s–Present)

In the 21st century, the Whitman Houses find themselves in a unique geographical position.

• A Changing Neighborhood: Fort Greene has become one of the most expensive and gentrified neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The Whitman Houses are now surrounded by multi-million dollar brownstones, luxury high-rises, and the high-tech revival of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
• Famous Residents: The area around Whitman/Ingersoll has long been a hotbed for talent. Notable figures with ties to these developments or the immediate vicinity include legendary musicians and actors who grew up in the Fort Greene projects.
• Infrastructure Struggles: Despite the wealth of the surrounding neighborhood, Whitman residents have faced ongoing issues. In recent years, the development has been part of major NYCHA repair initiatives to address aging boilers and lead paint remediation.
• Community Activism: The Whitman Houses have a very active Tenant Association. Residents have been vocal in demanding better living conditions and ensuring that as Fort Greene changes, the low-income families who have lived there for generations are not displaced.

Summary Facts:

• Location: Bounded by Park Avenue, Carlton Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and North Portland Avenue.
• Buildings: 15.
• Number of Apartments: 1,659.
• Opened: 1944.
• Connection: Often paired with the Ingersoll Houses to form one of the city’s largest public housing blocks.