Jay Heritage Center Celebrates 30 Years with Moonlight Soirée Raising $300K
Unless you have lived in Rye since the 1990s, you might not know the Jay Heritage Center (JHC) on Boston Post Road almost became another housing development. The Peter Jay House and its 23 acre property adjacent to the Marshlands Conservancy was part of a housing development plan in the 1980s and 90s until a broad coalition of environmentalists and historians battled the plan and won.
That was 30 years ago and the five women at the center of the founding of the JHC – Kitty Aresty, Catherine Crean, Karen Kennedy, Rhoda Kornreich, and Deedee Paschal – were celebrated at the JHC’s 30th Anniversary Moonlight Soirée on September 17, 2022.
Speaking at the event, Nonie Reich, daughter of Deedee Paschal, said “I cannot fully grasp what drove them, the hope that kept them going during their 10 year pursuit to keep this site from becoming another housing development. When they set out, I doubt they foresaw what would become a herculean effort to preserve this beautiful open space and retain an important part of Rye’s history.”
The event raised over $300,000 general operating and program initiatives including the JHC Jay Fellows program. Started in 2020, the Jay Fellowship Program offers exceptional graduate students in historic preservation the opportunity to study and work at the Jay Estate.
