Levi D. Jarrard House

About

The Levi D. Jarrard House is a historic building located on the Douglass College campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was constructed in 1868 by an unknown architect, as a private residence for Levi D. Jarrard. Levi D Jarrard, was acting as Postmaster of New Brunswick from 1881-1883, but was previously employed as a New Jersey State Senator as well as the Middlesex County Collector. In 1883 he was found to have embezzled approximately $20,000, and had fled to Canada with the funds, leaving his family to struggle with payments on the house. The house was then purchased by John N. Carpender, who would later lease it to the New Jersey College for Women.

This historical building is a well-preserved example of the large brownstone villas that populated New Brunswick during the late nineteenth century; one of the porches has since been enclosed, but the house remains otherwise unaltered. Brown sandstone has been a common building material in New Brunswick for almost 200 years, beginning with 18th and 19th century houses and late public buildings, shaping the civic appearance of New Brunswick. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1982, for its significance in architecture and politics/government.