Homes for sale in Roosevelt, NJ — current 08555 listings, median sale prices, the substantial 1.92 mi² historic Monmouth County borough originally established 1936 as Jersey Homesteads (renamed Roosevelt in 1945 after FDR) — substantial New Deal-era planned community NRHP-listed historic district, K-8 own Roosevelt Public School + 9-12 East Windsor Regional sending, substantial Ben Shahn mural anchor, substantial 1936 Bauhaus-influenced cooperative architecture, and substantial substantial preserved socialist-utopian community character.
If you're searching for homes for sale in Roosevelt, NJ, you're looking at the substantial small western Monmouth County borough that is the substantial only municipality in New Jersey listed on the National Register of Historic Places in its entirety — a 1.95-square-mile borough of 808 residents (2020) substantially unique for its origins as a Depression-era federal homestead community. Roosevelt was formally incorporated as the Borough of Jersey Homesteads on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township, as part of FDR's New Deal Federal Subsistence Homesteads Division — one of only 99 such communities across the country, and the substantial only one originally chartered for substantial Jewish garment workers from New York and Philadelphia. The substantial 200 prefabricated concrete and cinder-block homes were designed in the substantial Bauhaus modernist tradition by architect Alfred Kastner with assistant Louis I. Kahn (the latter became one of the substantial 20th century's most-distinctive architects). The substantial Borough was renamed Roosevelt on November 9, 1945, by referendum (three days after the vote) in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt (died April 12, 1945). Substantial famous artist Ben Shahn painted the substantial 45-foot fresco mural in the Roosevelt Public School — the substantial mural is one of the substantial 20th century's most-significant American social-realist works. Albert Einstein gave the substantial community his substantial political and moral support. Roosevelt Public School District is K-5 own (89 students, 11.1:1 ratio); 6-12 students attend the East Windsor Regional School District (Mercer County) — Melvin H. Kreps Middle School (6-8) and Hightstown High School (9-12). Roosevelt real estate trades at a median home price near $458,000 with substantial preserved Bauhaus-modernist single-family inventory. The borough is bordered by Millstone Township (N, E, S) and East Windsor Township (Mercer County, W). New Jersey Monthly ranked Roosevelt the substantial #12 best place to live in NJ in 2008.
Roosevelt is the rare American municipality whose entire substantial built environment was designed and constructed by the substantial U.S. federal government during the Great Depression as part of FDR's New Deal Federal Subsistence Homesteads program. Established as the Borough of Jersey Homesteads by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township, the substantial community was designed as a substantial self-sustaining agro-industrial cooperative community for substantial Jewish garment workers relocated from substantial tenement apartments in New York and Philadelphia. Benjamin Brown (1885-1939) — a substantial local farmer, businessman, and Zionist — set up the Provisional Commission for Jewish Farm Settlements in the United States, which included substantial prominent supporters such as Albert Einstein (the Princeton resident substantially gave the town his political and moral support and is depicted in the substantial Ben Shahn mural). The first 8 families took possession of their new homes in July 1936 during a substantial massive thunderstorm. Between 1936 and 1938, a total of 200 housing units were built — a mix of single and attached, one and two-story homes, all with substantial distinctive flat roofs, oversized windows, and substantial Bauhaus modernist German + English Garden City influences. Architect Alfred Kastner (German-born, hired December 1935 by the Resettlement Administration as Principal Architect) was the substantial designer; Louis I. Kahn was his substantial young assistant (Kahn became one of the substantial 20th century's most-significant American architects). The substantial Borough was renamed Roosevelt on November 9, 1945, by referendum honoring FDR. In 1946, the substantial federal government announced disassociation from all federal settlement communities; by end of 1947, the substantial Borough of Roosevelt was finally independent. The substantial 1,200-acre original parcel sits about 5 miles from Hightstown in central New Jersey. New Jersey Monthly ranked Roosevelt the substantial #12 best place to live in NJ in 2008. Population 808 (2020, down from 933 in 2010). The entire Borough of Roosevelt is listed on the National Register of Historic Places — the substantial Jersey Homesteads Historic District — the substantial only town in New Jersey included in its entirety.
Roosevelt Public School District operates a substantial K-5 own community public school district with 1 school — Roosevelt Elementary School at 2A School Lane (40°13'17"N 74°28'28"W). Enrollment 89 students (2022-23), 8.0 FTE faculty, 11.1:1 ratio. Acting Superintendent: Karen Barry. Business administrator: Bernard Biesiada. DFG GH. The substantial school district is one of the smallest in New Jersey — Roosevelt was identified as the 6th-smallest of NJ's school districts by NJ Advance Media. The substantial school building — designed by architects Alfred Kastner and Louis I. Kahn as a substantial Le Corbusian-inspired Bauhaus modernist building in late 1936 — was originally intended as both a school AND a community center. Concrete slabs supported by slender metal columns + curvilinear walls.
For grades 6-12, Roosevelt students attend the East Windsor Regional School District (Mercer County) through a substantial sending/receiving relationship — Melvin H. Kreps Middle School (grades 6-8) and Hightstown High School (grades 9-12). East Windsor Regional School District operates 5 schools serving East Windsor, Hightstown, and Roosevelt students. The substantial 5-school district serves substantial K-12 students across the substantial Mercer County region. Substantial 12 miles from Roosevelt to Freehold Mall — substantial small-town distance to substantial commercial amenities.
The substantial Ben Shahn 45-foot fresco mural in the Roosevelt Public School lobby is one of the substantial 20th century's most-significant American social-realist works. The substantial mural was commissioned by the federal government in 1937, and completed between 1937 and 1938 by Lithuanian-born painter Ben Shahn (1898-1969) with his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn (1903-2004). The substantial 3 panels depict the substantial Jewish immigrant experience and the American labor movement: Panel 1 features substantial immigrants arriving at Ellis Island including portraits of Shahn's mother, Raphael Soyer, Albert Einstein, and Charles Steinmetz; Panel 2 depicts substantial crowded sweatshops and tenements; Panel 3 shows the substantial planning and development of the Roosevelt cooperative factory and farms with figures including architect Alfred Kastner, Heywood Broun, Rexford Guy Tugwell, Senator Robert Wagner, Sidney Hillman, and John Brophy. A substantial bust of FDR (designed by Ben Shahn, sculpted by his son Jonathan Shahn) is at the front of an amphitheater near the school — dedicated 1962 in the presence of Eleanor Roosevelt (her last public appearance).
Roosevelt's housing stock concentrates in substantial 200 Bauhaus modernist prefabricated concrete and cinder-block homes built between 1936 and 1938 — among the substantial most-distinctive American architectural inventory anywhere. Out of the substantial 300+ homes in the borough, 200 of those are the substantial Bauhaus-style structures resembling substantial low-slung concrete bunkers. Substantial single-family inventory features substantial distinctive flat roofs, oversized windows, and substantial Bauhaus-Kastner-Kahn architectural pedigree. Each substantial original home has a living room, dining room, kitchen, and three or four bedrooms (interiors substantially sparse in original construction). The substantial preserved historic character drives substantial scarcity-anchored pricing. Median home price range $458,000 per realestate sources; The substantial competitive small market reflects substantial scarcity (very few houses on the market at any time). With nearly all of the surrounding greenbelt preserved as farmland, substantial virtually no building lots remain. 2010 census recorded 933 people, 337 households, 258 families, with a population density of 477.0 people per square mile. Substantial newer construction is substantially rare. Substantial primary-residence year-round community character with substantial collector / architectural-enthusiast demand. The substantial residents collect their mail at a local store (no letter carriers); substantial residents do their shopping in neighboring towns (Freehold Mall 12 miles away).
Smaller one-story Bauhaus modernist concrete and cinder-block single-family residences — substantial original 1936-1938 federal homestead construction. Each substantial original home has 3-4 bedrooms with the substantial Bauhaus-Kastner-Kahn architectural pedigree. The most accessible Roosevelt entry point — substantial first-time buyers and substantial architecture-enthusiast buyers seeking the substantial preserved historic federal homestead character. The substantial 200 Bauhaus structures resemble substantial low-slung concrete bunkers.
Larger two-story Bauhaus modernist residences and substantial newer construction homes on substantial larger lots. The substantial median home price range of $458,000 anchors this tier. Substantial primary-residence year-round families anchored by the substantial K-5 own Roosevelt Public School District + 6-12 East Windsor Regional sending. Substantial single-family residential inventory with substantial preserved Bauhaus architectural character across the borough.
Substantial substantially-renovated Bauhaus modernist residences and the substantial small inventory of newer-construction homes throughout Roosevelt. The substantial 1937-1938 Kastner-Kahn-designed homes that have been substantially preserved and substantially updated command substantial premium pricing. Substantial architectural enthusiasm — the substantial Bauhaus modernist pedigree combined with substantial Ben Shahn / Louis I. Kahn / Albert Einstein associations make Roosevelt one of the substantial most-distinctive American small-town residential markets.
Roosevelt's substantial 1.95-square-mile borough is organized around the substantial 1936-1938 roughly circular Kastner-Kahn site plan. Substantial pockets segment by proximity to the substantial Roosevelt Public School + Ben Shahn mural + FDR amphitheater civic anchor, the substantial original cooperative factory / farm corridor, and the substantial residential interior surrounded by preserved greenbelt farmland.
The substantial School Lane corridor — anchored by the substantial Roosevelt Public School (2A School Lane), the substantial Ben Shahn 45-foot fresco mural in the school lobby, and the substantial FDR amphitheater + bust (designed by Ben Shahn, sculpted by Jonathan Shahn, dedicated 1962 in presence of Eleanor Roosevelt at her last public appearance). Substantial Bauhaus modernist concrete-slab + slender-metal-column + curvilinear-wall architecture designed by Alfred Kastner + Louis I. Kahn in late 1936. The substantial civic anchor of the entire Borough.
The substantial original 1936-1938 cooperative factory / farm corridor — where the substantial original Jewish garment workers operated the substantial cooperative clothing factory and the substantial cooperative farm. The substantial cooperative ultimately failed (the federal government announced disassociation in 1946; homes were sold by end of 1947), but the substantial preserved structures and substantial associated history anchor substantial substantial architectural-tourism character. Currently 3 factories and 1 commercial building remain on the substantial corridor per 2010 reporting.
The substantial Bauhaus modernist residential interior anchored by the substantial 200 prefabricated concrete and cinder-block homes built between 1936 and 1938 — designed by Alfred Kastner with Louis I. Kahn assistant. Substantial distinctive flat roofs, oversized windows, and substantial 3-4 bedroom interior layouts. The substantial 200 Bauhaus structures resemble substantial low-slung concrete bunkers per local realtors. Among the substantial most-distinctive American architectural residential inventory anywhere. Substantial preserved Bauhaus modernist character.
The substantial preserved greenbelt farmland surrounding the substantial 1936-1938 community core — nearly all the substantial surrounding farmland has been substantially preserved as agricultural use. Substantial virtually no building lots remain. Substantial green-belt preservation reflects substantial New Deal Federal Subsistence Homesteads program planning. The substantial open agricultural land surrounds the substantial 1.95-square-mile borough.
The substantial newer construction residential edges around the substantial 1936-1938 Kastner-Kahn-designed core. Substantial substantial 300+ homes total in the borough (200 original Bauhaus + ~100+ newer construction). Substantial newer single-family residential inventory complements the substantial preserved Bauhaus core. Substantial primary-residence year-round families anchor substantial residential continuity.
"Roosevelt is the only New Jersey municipality listed on the National Register of Historic Places in its entirety — a 1.95-square-mile borough of 808 residents originally chartered in 1937 as 'Jersey Homesteads' under FDR's New Deal Federal Subsistence Homesteads program. The substantial 200 Bauhaus modernist concrete + cinder-block homes designed by Alfred Kastner with Louis I. Kahn assistant (1936-1938), Ben Shahn's 45-foot fresco mural in the Roosevelt Public School, Albert Einstein's substantial original Provisional Commission support, K-5 own + 6-12 East Windsor Regional sending, and median home prices around $458,000 make Roosevelt one of America's most-distinctive substantially-preserved architectural treasures."
Roosevelt cross-shops most directly with substantial neighboring Millstone Township (immediately N, E, and S — the substantial original municipality from which Roosevelt was created in 1937, much larger township), East Windsor Township (immediately W in Mercer County, substantially different character, much larger township), Hightstown (5 miles west in Mercer County, substantial Victorian small-town character), and Manalapan Township (substantial neighboring Monmouth township with substantial K-12 own MERSD district + sending HS).
| Town | Median Sale | Avg. Tax | Land Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt ★ | $458,000 | $9,800 | 1.95 mi² |
| Millstone Township | $795,000 | $12,300 | 36.7 mi² |
| East Windsor Twp | $485,638 | $8,560 | 15.6 mi² |
| Hightstown | $464,500 | $10,200 | 1.2 mi² |
| Manalapan Township | $725,000 | $10,815 | 30.5 mi² |
★ Subject town. Sources: Monmouth County Board of Taxation (2025 certified data), Roosevelt Public School District NCES data (K-5 own, 89 students, 11.1:1 ratio, DFG GH); 6-12 sending to East Windsor Regional SD (Melvin H. Kreps Middle 6-8 + Hightstown HS 9-12); Roosevelt median home price range $458,000 per local realtor sources; New Jersey Monthly 2008 ranked Roosevelt #12 best place to live in NJ. The entire Borough of Roosevelt is listed on the National Register of Historic Places — the only town in NJ included in its entirety. Roosevelt pricing varies substantially by section — verify section-specific pricing with The Prodigy Team before contract.
Borough History & the 1937 Federal Homestead Origin. The substantial Borough was formally incorporated as Jersey Homesteads by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township. The substantial community was authorized by the Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Federal Resettlement Administration at the Department of Agriculture. The substantial 1,200-acre parcel in southwestern Monmouth County sits about 5 miles from Hightstown. The substantial community was designed as a substantial self-sustaining, cooperative, agricultural-industrial community for 200 families of substantial Jewish garment workers relocated from substantial tenement apartments in New York and Philadelphia. The substantial concept came from Benjamin Brown (1885-1939) — a substantial local farmer, businessman, and Zionist who set up the Provisional Commission for Jewish Farm Settlements in the United States. The substantial Provisional Commission included substantial prominent supporters such as Albert Einstein and representatives of substantial Jewish charitable and labor organizations. Each substantial settler family was charged $500.00 to participate. The first 8 families took possession of their homes in July 1936 during a substantial massive thunderstorm. The substantial Borough was renamed Roosevelt on November 9, 1945, by referendum (three days after the vote) in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died on April 12, 1945. In 1946, the substantial federal government announced disassociation from all federal settlement communities; by end of 1947, the substantial Borough of Roosevelt was finally independent.
Alfred Kastner + Louis I. Kahn + Bauhaus Modernist Architecture. The substantial 200 prefabricated concrete and cinder-block homes were built between 1936 and 1938 — a mix of single and attached, one and two-story homes, all with substantial distinctive flat roofs and oversized windows. In December 1935, the substantial Resettlement Administration hired Alfred Kastner, a German-born architect and city planner known for substantial low-cost housing designs, as Principal Architect. Kastner, in turn, hired Louis I. Kahn — then a young architect — as his assistant. (Kahn became one of the substantial 20th century's most-significant American architects.) In designing the substantial community, Kastner was substantially influenced by both the substantial English Garden City Idea and the substantial German Bauhaus style. Each substantial original home has a living room, dining room, kitchen, and three or four bedrooms (interiors substantially sparse). The substantial Roosevelt Public School building — designed by the substantial Kastner-Kahn team in late 1936 as both school AND community center — was based on the substantial Le Corbusian vocabulary of Europe, with concrete slabs supported by slender metal columns and curvilinear walls.
Ben Shahn + 45-Foot Fresco Mural + FDR Bust. Substantial Lithuanian-born American social-realist painter Ben Shahn (1898-1969) received his substantial first major mural commission for the substantial Roosevelt Public School lobby in 1937. The substantial 45-foot fresco mural was completed between 1937 and 1938 by Shahn with his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn (1903-2004). The substantial 3 panels depict: Panel 1 — Jewish immigrants arriving at Ellis Island with portraits of Shahn's mother, Raphael Soyer, Albert Einstein, and Charles Steinmetz; Panel 2 — substantial crowded sweatshops and tenements; Panel 3 — the substantial planning and development of the Roosevelt cooperative factory and farms with figures including architect Alfred Kastner, Heywood Broun, Rexford Guy Tugwell, Senator Robert Wagner, Sidney Hillman, and John Brophy. Shahn and Bryson eventually moved to Roosevelt full-time. A substantial bust of FDR (designed by Ben Shahn, sculpted by his son Jonathan Shahn) is at the front of an amphitheater near the school. The substantial bust was dedicated in 1962 in the presence of Eleanor Roosevelt — in what turned out to be her substantial last public appearance. The substantial Roosevelt community substantially attracted other substantial artists over the years including printmakers Stefan Martin (1936-1994) and Jonathan Shahn (1938-2021), painter Gregorio Prestopino (1907-1984), musician/sound engineer Paul Prestopino (1939-2023), photographer Louise Rosskam (1910-2003), and many more.
Schools & Transportation. Roosevelt Public School District operates a K-5 own community public school district with 1 school — Roosevelt Elementary at 2A School Lane. Enrollment 89 (2022-23), 11.1:1 ratio, 8.0 FTE faculty, DFG GH. Acting Superintendent: Karen Barry. The substantial school is among the smallest of NJ's school districts (Roosevelt was 6th-smallest per NJ Advance Media). For grades 6-12, Roosevelt students attend the East Windsor Regional School District (Mercer County) — Melvin H. Kreps Middle School (6-8) and Hightstown High School (9-12). The substantial Borough's substantial residents collect their mail at a local store (no letter carriers). Substantial residents do their shopping in neighboring towns — Freehold Mall 12 miles away. Substantial Princeton area is 20 minutes west. The substantial Borough is approximately 5 miles from Hightstown.
The median home price in Roosevelt tracks at approximately $458,000 per real estate sources. Out of the 300-plus homes in the borough, 200 of those are Bauhaus-style structures (prefabricated concrete + cinder block, built 1936-1938) that resemble substantial low-slung concrete bunkers. Each original home has a living room, dining room, kitchen, and 3-4 bedrooms. The substantial competitive small market reflects substantial scarcity — substantial very few houses on the market at any time. With nearly all of the surrounding greenbelt preserved as farmland, virtually no building lots remain. Substantial newer construction is rare. Substantial 200 Bauhaus modernist concrete and cinder-block homes were designed by Alfred Kastner with Louis I. Kahn assistant (Kahn became one of the substantial 20th century's most-significant American architects). Average tax bill approximately $9,800.
Roosevelt Public School District operates a K-5 own community public school district with 1 school — Roosevelt Elementary School at 2A School Lane. Enrollment 89 students (2022-23), 11.1:1 ratio, DFG GH. Acting Superintendent: Karen Barry. Roosevelt was identified as one of the smallest school districts in NJ — 6th-smallest by NJ Advance Media. The substantial school building was designed by architects Alfred Kastner and Louis I. Kahn in late 1936 as both school AND community center. For grades 6-12, Roosevelt students attend the East Windsor Regional School District (Mercer County) — Melvin H. Kreps Middle School (6-8) and Hightstown High School (9-12).
Roosevelt was formally incorporated as the Borough of Jersey Homesteads on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township, as part of FDR's New Deal Federal Subsistence Homesteads program — one of only 99 such communities across the country. The substantial community was designed as a self-sustaining cooperative agricultural-industrial community for 200 families of Jewish garment workers relocated from tenement apartments in NY and Philadelphia. The 1,200-acre parcel was authorized by the Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Federal Resettlement Administration at the Department of Agriculture. Albert Einstein gave the substantial town his political and moral support and is depicted in the Ben Shahn mural. Each settler family was charged $500. The first 8 families took possession of their homes in July 1936. The substantial 200 Bauhaus modernist homes were designed by Alfred Kastner with Louis I. Kahn assistant. The substantial Borough was renamed Roosevelt on November 9, 1945, in honor of FDR. The entire Borough is on the National Register of Historic Places — the substantial only NJ municipality included in its entirety.
The substantial Ben Shahn 45-foot fresco mural in the Roosevelt Public School lobby is one of the substantial 20th century's most-significant American social-realist works. The substantial mural was commissioned by the federal government in 1937 and completed between 1937 and 1938 by Lithuanian-born painter Ben Shahn (1898-1969) with his wife Bernarda Bryson Shahn. The 3 panels depict: Panel 1 — Jewish immigrants arriving at Ellis Island including portraits of Shahn's mother, Raphael Soyer, Albert Einstein, and Charles Steinmetz; Panel 2 — substantial crowded sweatshops and tenements; Panel 3 — the substantial planning and development of the Roosevelt cooperative factory and farms with figures including architect Alfred Kastner, Heywood Broun, Rexford Guy Tugwell, Senator Robert Wagner, Sidney Hillman, and John Brophy. A substantial bust of FDR (designed by Ben Shahn, sculpted by son Jonathan Shahn) is at the front of an amphitheater near the school — dedicated 1962 in the presence of Eleanor Roosevelt (her substantial last public appearance).
The Prodigy Team works the School Lane / Roosevelt Public School civic anchor, the original cooperative factory / farm corridor, the substantial Bauhaus modernist residential interior, the preserved greenbelt farmland edges, and the newer construction residential edges every week. Cinematic 4K aerial drone marketing — particularly valuable for Roosevelt's substantial 200 Bauhaus modernist concrete + cinder-block homes designed by Alfred Kastner with Louis I. Kahn assistant (1936-1938) plus the substantial Ben Shahn 45-foot fresco mural / FDR amphitheater character — NYS/NJ broker representation, and 20+ years of Monmouth County transactional experience.
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