The Jay Estate in Rye is considered one of the most significant historic properties in the country.
With its restored mansion, the site is the keystone of the Boston Post Road Historic District (click here to see Part I of this column). However, its designation as a National Historic Landmark District was only possible after a long preservation effort by numerous government and private parties.
In 1979, the Methodist Church, which then owned the Jay Estate, sold the property to a local real estate development firm, DGM Partners. The buyer then announced plans to build nearly 40 housing units on the property as well as rehabilitate the mansion and carriage house. It is not clear from contemporary newspaper accounts whether the church knew the developer’s plans before completing the sale.
A 13-year grassroots campaign followed, involving litigation, public hearings, and advocacy by many historic and environmental organizations, which united as the “Jay Coalition.” One of the steps was to have the property landmarked by the city of Rye and use local law to constrain the new owner’s development options.
In 1987, The New York Times reported that “the dispute between a Larchmont developer and a coalition of environmental groups over the future of a 22.4-acre property in Rye has entered a new phase since the City Council recently agreed to support condemnation, which would ensure public ownership of the land.”
Diane G. Millstein, the property’s owner under the name DGM Partners-Rye, said she “would probably sue the City Council for damages if it continued to tamper with her property … I’m mad as a hatter, and I’m going to fight for my private-property rights.”
In 2012, Westchester County and New York State entered into an agreement with the Jay Heritage Center, transferring the management of 21.5 acres to the nonprofit and shifting restoration costs from taxpayers to private donors.
Rob Astorino, who was then county executive, stated: “It has been over 20 years since the county, working with New York state, came to the rescue of the Jay Property, saving it from demolition. Now the county is stepping in again with an innovative public-private partnership to preserve it for future generations in a way that doesn’t fall on taxpayers.”
“The nonprofit group that runs the historic Jay mansion will take over the upkeep and restoration of the surrounding landscape, including apple orchards and gardens,” Suzanne Clary, the center’s president, told The Journal News. “The center will also help preserve an environment that controls invasive plants and protects native birds. We envision a 23-acre educational campus with indoor and outdoor classrooms.”
It is important to recognize the historical connection of the Jay Estate to the adjacent Marshlands Conservancy, which began with a 120-acre gift in 1967 and now encompasses roughly 147 acres. In 1997, Westchester County formally set aside the Marshlands as a wildlife sanctuary preserved for passive recreation and habitat protection.
For more information, visit the Friends of Marshlands website at marshlandsconservancy.org.
