Town of Roosevelt – Roosevelt NJ

Town of Roosevelt, Late 1930s

A cooperative community founded under the New Deal’s Resettlement Administration: “The town of Roosevelt was established by the federal government—one of the many planned cooperative communities created under President Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression. Originally called Jersey Homesteads,… read more

Ben Shahn Mural – Roosevelt NJ

Mural painted by Ben Shahn at the community building. Hightstown, New Jersey.

The Farm Security Administration commissioned this mural in 1937-38 to commemorate the New Deal resettlement community of Jersey Homesteads, now called Roosevelt, N.J. The mural can still be seen in the Roosevelt Public School. “Ben Shahn’s mural for the community… read more

Roosevelt Public School – Roosevelt NJ

Original Otto Wester Doors

The school was constructed as part of the original Resettlement Administration settlement. Parts of the original school have since been added, but portions of the building are still original. The building houses the town’s beloved Ben Shahn mural, as well… read more

Garment Factory (former) – Roosevelt NJ

Jersey Homesteads Garment Factory 1936

“Five hundred acres of the 1,200 acre tract were to be used for farming, and the remaining portion for 200 houses on 1/2 acre plots, a community school, a factory building, a poultry yard and modern water and sewer plants…. read more

Resettlement Community Housing – Roosevelt NJ

Roosevelt NJ Completed Homes

“In December 1935, the Resettlement Administration hired Alfred Kastner, a German-born architect and city planner who was known for his designs for low-cost housing, as Principal Architect. Kastner, in turn, hired Louis I. Kahn, then a young architect, as his… read more