Jarvis, Benjamin, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1895 at 531 N. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, this two-and-one-half story Colonial Revival house was designed by architect Louis Kwiatkowski, who was educated in Vienna and moved to Pasadena in 1893. The wood-frame house has a gabled roof with two cross gables, projecting two-story bays, a porch with Tuscan columns, and walls covered in alternating bands of wood shingles and lap siding. It sits on an Arroyo stone foundation. A detached carriage house, a brick driveway and original concrete steps, walkways and curbs remain on the 0.31-acre lot. The first owner, Benjamin Jarvis (1835-1916), was a Civil War veteran and photographer who recorded much of nineteenth-century Pasadena. The house was listed as a locally significant example of Colonial Revival residential design and as one of Kwiatkowski's few surviving works. It keeps its original location, materials and craftsmanship, and still serves as a single-family home.
Significance in brief: The house is a locally significant, notable example of the Colonial Revival subtype of single-family residence in Pasadena's late 19th-century development. It is also one of the few surviving works of Louis Kwiatkowski, a prominent local architect. It retains a high level of integrity, including its original location, materials, carriage house, paving patterns and concrete details.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000496, listed August 9, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 531 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | August 9, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000496 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895 |
| Architect / builder | Louis Kwiatkowski |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling; the nomination reports a high level of architectural integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 34.15507, -118.14926 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000496.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133290020
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.