The wood-framed Walt Whitman House was constructed in 1848 and is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The Walt Whitman House along with the adjoining three townhouses comprise the Walt Whitman Neighborhood Historic District and is all that remains of the immediate neighborhood. The three townhouses date from the second half of the nineteenth century. The three, three-story houses are of brick construction, postdating Camden’s fire code revisions in place by the 1850s. Stephen Decatur Button, a noted architect pioneering the use of metal-frame construction in masonry buildings, lived in #332 (left).

The State of New Jersey acquired the Walt Whitman House in 1846 to be administered as a historic site. The Walt Whitman Foundation (later Association) was instrumental in the early preservation of the Whitman house and continues as the official friend’s group for the property. The Association was also instrumental in acquiring the other two buildings (326 and 328) to use as a library and offices in support of the Whitman House. The Button House (332) had been divided into apartments during the 1960s and 1970s and following acquisition by the state, served as the residence of the Walt Whitman House caretaker. This building is currently vacant and is in poor condition but retains some of its character defining features. The other two buildings continue to house office and meeting space for DEP and the Association. These later two buildings had undergone substantial renovations over time.

The 2022 Trust grant will help fund the restoration of the Button House adjacent to the Walt Whitman House (left) for interpretation and offices. The grant’s second phase will help fund the rehabilitation of the other two rowhouses next to the Walt Whitman House for use as a visitor center.