Restoration Plans For 1838 Jay Mansion Get $500K Boon From State

RYE, NY — A "jewel" of Westchester will get a loving polish and some modern upgrades that will make a historic site more accessible to all.

NYS Senator Shelley B. Mayer joined Suzanne Clary, President of the Jay Heritage Center, trustees and staff to announce $500,000 in state funding to restore the 1838 Jay Mansion.

Speakers noted that the Jay Estate is where founding father John Jay returned to celebrate the end of the American Revolutionary War after negotiating the 1783 Treaty of Paris with John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Part of the Boston Post Road Historic District, the Jay Heritage Center is a National Historic Landmark that is also part of a 10,000+ year old Indigenous archaeological site and is an important African American Heritage Trail site.

While the 1838 Jay Mansion is a national historic landmark, it has also embraced sustainability, as shown by many of the modern technological advances to its infrastructure. The cash infusion from Albany is expected to help continue this course.

With an increase in the numbers of visitors each year, the Jay Heritage Center has a greater need for restoration of the Jay Mansion, which serves as the welcome center to the estate. The funding will go towards finishing the mansion entryway, building additional ADA-compliant restrooms, expanding the sustainable geothermal heat/cooling pump systems, and installing other amenities to accommodate the increase in visitors.

"I am very pleased to present President Suzanne Clary and Jay Heritage Center with $500,000 in state funding to restore the beautiful 1838 Jay Mansion," State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said. "The Jay Heritage Center does exceptional work preserving our local history, acknowledging the diversity of our American story, and celebrating American history first-hand right here in our community. It is an exceptional space, and I look forward to the day when everyone can experience and learn about the history of the Jay Mansion and the full story of our United States history."

The Jay Heritage Center was recently awarded a 2024 Best of Westchester Award for public Lectures and Talks.

The estate will host programs commemorating America’s semiquincentennial in 2026 and the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery in NYS in 2027.

"The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) is enormously grateful to Sen. Shelley B. Mayer for this exceptional $500,000 grant," Clary said. "Over 35,000 visitors come to the Jay Estate each year and many especially look forward to touring the Greek Revival building designed with iconic emblems of democracy. This transformational grant will expand JHC's capacity to host even more award-winning, inclusive events for our community, our partners, school groups, and educators, and afford them greater access and comfort."

Many of Jay Heritage Center's partners were on hand to celebrate the grant, including: African American Men of Westchester: Lee Jones, Olney Reynolds, Hugh Marriott, George Malone; American Women of African Heritage: President Gloria Welcome, Francine Shorts, Bridget Crichlow, Teresa Murphy; Japan Society of Greater Fairfield County: President Jackie Alexander, Hazue Tamara; Friends of the Rye African American Cemetery: Joan Grangenois-Thomas; Con Edison: Jane Solnick, Governmental Affairs Westchester; Save the Sound: Libby Alexander; Jay Heritage Center Board: President Suzanne Clary, Tim Yates, Olney Reynolds, Tracy Edwards, Lindsay Martin (and her daughter Bea); Jay Heritage Center Staff: Meredith Slater, Lucia Maestro, Alan Drewry, Barbara Specht; Jay Heritage Center Summer Fellows: Zachary Vanderslice (Columbia University), Wena Teng (Columbia University), Shannon Stemper (Haub Environmental School of Law), Sumana Ali (Haub Environmental School of Law), Kiki Montgomery (Colgate University).

"Jay Heritage is one of Rye's most important and worthy not-for-profits and the Jay Mansion is one of the jewels of Rye," City of Rye Mayor Josh Cohn said. "We are enormously grateful to Senator Mayer for providing funds for the Mansion's restoration."