View of the west side of the Carriage Barn as it looks today.
CARRIAGE BARN PROJECT UPDATE
Although construction on the building is not scheduled to
begin until fall of this year, other important facets of
the Carriage Barn project are moving quickly. Last
summer, Northern Light Productions of Boston was hired to produce a
10-minute orientation video to be shown in the Carriage Barn theater. The
film will provide visitors with important background on John Jay's many
accomplishments before they enjoy their tour of the historic house.
Production of the video is under way, with on-site filming already completed. See our home page for pictures of the filming!
Design Minds, Inc., along with Redmon Group, both of
Alexandria, Virginia, have been hired by the Friends to design the engaging
exhibits that will be featured in the Carriage Barn. The main exhibit
gallery will include a welcome desk and gift shop, a map-model of the
property, computer kiosks with exhibit content, and period news magazines
featuring articles relevant to John Jay's life. The 1911 addition to the
building will feature an activity center with a replica governess's
cart, similar to one the Jay children rode in, and discovery boxes
full of interesting things to explore. Around the corner in the horse stalls,
visitors will see realistic models of horses and experience a sound and
light show emphasizing the importance of horses to the Jay family and Bedford
Farm. You can see an artistic rendering of the exhibit spaces along with a floor
plan in the images...
"FROM OPPRESSION TO FREEDOM: JOHN
JAY AND HIS HUGUENOT HERITAGE"
On
Friday, December 4, a new exhibition, “From Oppression to Freedom: John
Jay and His Huguenot Heritage,” will open in the Back Parlor Gallery.
It will be the second temporary exhibition to be displayed in this new
space.
The exhibition will highlight John Jay Homestead’s recent
acquisition, the 1686 letter of denization of Auguste Jay. This
document established Auguste’s legal right to live and conduct business
in the British colony of New York. The exhibit will also display his
folio-sized Book of Common Prayer, which he inscribed with an
Anglicized revision of his name (Augustus) in 1726, after becoming a
member of the Church of England. Both the letter of denization and the
book recently underwent extensive conservation treatment at the New
York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s
collections care center near Albany.
