Jay Estate

The Jay Estate
The Jay Estate in Rye, NY
Location210 Boston Post Road, Rye, New York
Coordinates40°57′26″N 73°42′22″W / 40.957304°N 73.706084°W / 40.957304; -73.706084
Area23 acres with 3 owners: NY State Parks, Westchester County Parks and the Jay Heritage Center
Built1745 (1745); 1838; 1907
Built byEdwin Bishop with influences by Minard Lafever, Asher Benjamin and Chester Hills; Frank A. Rooke
Architectural styleGreek Revival; Classical Revival
Restored byJay Heritage Center
Websitewww.jayheritagecenter.org
Part ofBoston Post Road Historic District (Rye, New York) (ID82001275)
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 29, 1982
Designated NHLDCPAugust 30, 1993

The Jay Estate is a 23-acre park and historic site in Rye, New York, with the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House at its center. It is the keystone of the Boston Post Road Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District (NHL) created in 1993. The site is one of two surviving remnants of the 400-acre (1.6 km2) farm where US Founding Father, John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829), grew up, the other intact parcel being the Marshlands Conservancy. It is also the place where Jay returned to celebrate the end of the American Revolutionary War, after he negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris with fellow peacemakers John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The preserved property is located on the south side of the Boston Post Road (US 1) and has a 34-mile (1.2 km) view of Milton Harbor.

The Jay Estate is a recognized historical resource. It is part of a 10,000+ year old Indigenous peoples archaeological site and overlooks the oldest man-managed meadow on record in New York State. It is a significant African American Heritage Trail site. The Jay Estate is also one of a select few national landmarks devoted to education about our country's early nation-builders including Washington's Mount Vernon, Jefferson's Monticello, Hamilton's The Grange, Madison's Montpelier and Jay's retirement home the John Jay Homestead.