Jay Heritage Center at the Jay Estate, a 23-acre park & historic site

Our non-profit, the Jay Heritage Center (JHC) is dedicated to transforming the 23-acre Jay Estate into a vibrant educational campus, hosting innovative and inclusive programs about American History, Historic Preservation, Social Justice, and Environmental Stewardship.

JHC Will Expand Geoethermal System and ADA Features

Sen. Shelley Mayer Awards $500,000 for Further Mansion Restoration

RYE, NY – New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer joined Suzanne Clary, President of Jay Heritage Center, and trustees and staff to announce $500,000 in state funding, secured by Senator Mayer, to restore the 1838 Jay Mansion.

With increased visitation each year, Jay Heritage Center has faced greater need for restoration of the Jay Mansion, which serves as the welcome center to the Estate. The funding will help finish the mansion entryway, build additional ADA compliant restrooms, expand the innovative sustainable geothermal heat and cooling pump systems, and install other amenities to accommodate the increasing audience.

The 1838 Jay Mansion is a national historic landmark that has embraced sustainability, illustrated by many of the modern technological advances to its infrastructure. The Estate will also host programs commemorating America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026 and the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery in New York State in 2027, which will heighten the Estate’s usage and visitation. READ MORE HERE PLUS VIDEO

Meet Wena Teng and Zachary Vanderslice

Margaret "Maggie" Nolan O'Neill Fellows 2024

We are delighted to introduce our two O’Neill Fellows for 2024, Wena Teng and Zachary Vanderslice. Read more about their areas of study here.

The Margaret “Maggie” Nolan O’Neill Fellowship was established in 2022 in memory of Margaret “Maggie” Nolan O’Neill (Class of 2021), who studied Political Science Government, and Political Philosophy at Columbia University, with a keen interest in the application of those studies in the modern world. The purpose of this academic opportunity is to advance scholarship in American history and geopolitics while fostering respectful dialogue of topics relevant to the evolution of our nation, the shaping of its democracy and place in the global arena. Inspired by Maggie’s own passion for intellectual discourse and boundless curiosity about our country’s history and political landscape, the fellowship allows an undergraduate or graduate student at Columbia University to use the JHC campus, archives and advisors as resources and includes a stipend for an immersive summer experience. The selected fellows are invited to present their final research to the public in a fall program.