The entire 286 acre district includes 5 properties: The Jay Property also known as the Jay Estate (23 acres with 3 owners – the Jay Heritage Center, New York State and Westchester County Parks – managed by Jay Heritage Center as of July 9, 2013), Whitby Castle & Rye Golf Club (110+ acres owned and managed by the City of Rye), the Jay Cemetery (3 acres privately owned and closed to the public), Lounsbury (13 acres, privately owned), and Marshlands Conservancy (137+ acres owned by Westchester County Parks). These 5 properties–and this unique district– received National Historic Landmark status in 1993 because of the site’s association with Founding Father, John Jay , who grew up and is buried within the district, and because of the architectural stature of the 3 pre-civil war estates –including their associated buildings and landscapes. There are fewer than 2500 NHLs in the nation and 262 of them (slightly over 10%) are in New York State.

This entire 286 acre American treasure has been further recognized as an archaeologically sensitive zone by New York State’s Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service because of its cultural affiliations which include Middle Woodland, Late Woodland, Late Archaic and periods of historic significance of 3000-4999 BC, 1000-2999 BC, 1499-1000 AD, 1749-1500 AD, 1825-1849, and 1850-1874.