{"nrhp_refnum":"72000918","name":"Jay, John, Homestead","other_names":["Bedford House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jay St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Katonah","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":41.25041718800006,"lon":-73.65891765795344,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-07-24","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1981-05-29","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A country house and farm complex on Jay Street (State Route 22) in Katonah, Westchester County, New York, begun as a farmhouse in 1787 to John Jay's design and enlarged in 1800-1802 and 1818. It is also known as the Bedford House.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the homestead as a landmark of the ideals and contributions of John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States. It is also valued because Jay's descendants lived there continuously until 1959, so the house reflects the changing tastes of a prominent American family.","narrative":"Set near one of the highest points in Westchester County, this farmhouse and its surrounding farm buildings in Katonah were developed by John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States. Jay inherited an estate of about 1000 acres and authorized a small farmhouse in 1787. After retiring as New York's governor in 1801, he oversaw its expansion into a larger home, with further additions in 1818. The five-bay, two-story wood-frame central block has recessed one-story wings, and its design was kept deliberately simple to suit the American countryside. Jay's descendants occupied the house until 1959, so later additions and furnishings were kept alongside areas restored to his period. Original doors, some mantels, and some of Jay's furniture and paintings survive. Outbuildings include an overseer's brick cottage from 1799, a laundry, carriage barn, and sheep barn. The State of New York now owns the property and operates it as a museum.","period_of_significance":"18th Century (specific dates 1787, 1800-02, 1818, 1904, 1923-24)","architect_builder":"John Jay (designed the house)","architectural_style":"Federal period, combining New England and Hudson Valley elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the State of New York and open to the public as a museum; portions restored to the period of John Jay's residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.726435-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/72000918.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000918/86f2fca0ce-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000918/86f2fca0ce-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Jay_Homestead_2007.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Case</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Jay_Homestead_2007.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323071","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay_Homestead_State_Historic_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6241707"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/jay-john-homestead-72000918/"}