The Jay Heritage is proud to present “The Five O’Clock Room” a new seasonal series of educational programs for adults focusing on the topics most integral to the JHC’s mission of increasing an understanding and appreciation of American History, Architecture and Landscape. The Fall 2007 series is titled “AMERICAN SPLENDOR-GRAND ARCHITECTURAL WORKS, 1840-1930, An Authors’ Lecture Series” and consists of three lectures on that period of American architecture contemporaneous with the buildings on the Jay estate.

Kate Lemos & Bill Morrison, Carrere & Hastings-The Master Architect Series.
Carrere & Hastings are perhaps most famous for their design of the New York Public Library but there are so many more of their other New York monuments and buildings that will be the subject of this engaging talk and photo presentation.

Due to the ongoing restoration work at the Jay property, the series will he held at The Apawamis Club, 2 Club Road in Rye, New York. Each Sunday lecture will begin with a 4:30pm Reception with refreshments, followed by the Lecture, Author Q&A, and Book-Signing. Each lecture is $35 ; $90 for the series of three. Reservations are required. For more information and to order tickets, please call the Program Coordinator at (914) 698-9275.This series has been generously sponsored by Acanthus Press, Windward Development and Robert S. Burton, Architect.

A landmark event will take place when the Jay Heritage Center will unveil the restored drawing room of the Jay Mansion. The public is invited. Bruce MacDonald, president of Ashwood Restoration and project manager of the Jay House restoration will be on hand to conduct tours and talk about the way the restoration process has revealed the architectural history of the house. The drawing room, a magnificent, expansive room that commands a sweeping view of open meadows extending to Long Island Sound, is the largest room in the house. Under the supervision of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, who oversaw the restoration of Grand Central Terminal, the room has been taken back to the way it appeared in 1838. The room has been substantially completed, and the transformation from its former deteriorated state is stunning. Sculptor David Flaharty, who has worked on ceiling medallions in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the White House, recreated the medallion in the Drawing Room of the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay Mansion.

For the past two years the Jay Heritage Center has presented an ongoing series of lectures on John Jay and other Founding Fathers. Now it’s time for the women to get their due. Carol Berkin will speak on her book Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence. Ms. Berkin has appeared in documentaries on PBS and the History Channel. The lecture will be followed by a book signing and light refreshments. Admission is $5 per person. Reservations are recommended. Event will take place at the Jay Heritage Center, 210 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580. For further information or to reserve seats call 914-698-9275 or e-mail jayhc@earthlink.net.

Selections from an exhibit of period photos, newspaper accounts, and objects celebrating the ownership period of Warner Van Norden, who transformed the Jay farm into a Gilded Age estate. Van Norden was a prominent banker in the circle of J.P. Morgan. He bought the Jay Estate in 1905 and raised zebras and other exotic animals on the property. He built the large Classical Revival Carriage House and the Zebra Barn.

By Hugh Howard, author of Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson: Rediscovering the Founding Fathers of American Architecture. The ingeniously told story of Thomas Jefferson’s once-forgotten architectural legacy—and the man who rediscovered it 100 years later. $5 per person. Reservations recommended. For further information, please e-mail jayhc@earthlink.net or call 914-698-9275

Children age eight to eleven can immerse themselves in the world of architecture during the week-long program. The campers will discover the fundamentals of architecture by studying the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House, along with the two other 19th-century mansions, which are part of the Boston Post Road Historic District. With guidance from professionals, each camper designs and constructs a dream house and a building essential for a city, such as a school or fire department. After learning about the basic principles of zoning, the campers will organize their buildings on a giant map of the Boston Post Road. Cardboard boxes and other recycled materials are used to create the colorful, bustling mini city. Hours: 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. $195 per camper. The Jay Heritage Center is located at 210 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580. For further information call 914-698-9275 or e-mail jayhc@earthlink.net.