1993 - 2013

     It is our pleasure to announce that Classical has turned 20 this year!

     We cannot believe how far we've come since our founding in 1993, all thanks to your generous support and sustained interest in what we do. Because of friends and supporters like you, Classical American Homes has been able to continue our preservation mission. The story began....

     Classical American Homes started as a non-profit foundation in December 1993 with Dick Jenrette's gift of Ayr Mount, built circa 1815, in Hillsborough, NC. It became our first historic house museum. The Baker Houses' carriage house at 69 East 93rd Street was the next house to be given in 1996 to CAHPT for use as its headquarters. The most recent gift was Millford Plantation in Sumter County, SC in 2008. Roper House, Cane Garden, Edgewater and Baker House at 67 East 93rd Street are all still private residences of Dick Jenrette's and are slated to be given to CAHPT at a future date.

     Classical American Homes was founded with a mission to preserve, protect and open to the public examples of American residential architecture, surrounding landscapes and scenic trails, fine and decorative arts for the first half of the nineteenth century. This has remained unchanged, except for the addition of "surrounding landscapes and scenic trails." With approximately 1000 acres comprising the property at all six houses, we realize the overall significance that the land plays in relationship to these houses and the enjoyment it provides to the visitor. Over time we have purchased property surrounding our houses to further protect them from encroaching development.

     Continued.... click here to read more.

(photo courtesty of Kent Murray)

     The evening featured memorable remarks by the Mayor of Hillsborough, Tom Stevens, and Dick Jenrette (see below). Mayor Stevens presented Mr. Jenrette with a

(photo courtesy of Kent Murray)

 locally-crafted key to the town of Hillsborough and an Official Accolade for his generous preservation of Ayr Mount, its associated scenic trails, and surrounding land in the Eno River Valley. Mayor Stevens began his comments by asking, "What does one call someone who lives in Hillsborough?" His answer? "Lucky!" - due in part to individuals like Dick Jenrette. He praised Dick's vision for Ayr Mount and thanked him for his gift to the community and beyond. Bill and Schatzie Crowther were also applauded for their constant and exemplary management and care of Ayr Mount and its scenic trails.

    Pictured at left: Anne Faircloth & Fred Beaujeu-DuFour and Dick Jenrette; center: Vic & Mary Grady Bell, Buddy Jenrette, Dick Jenrette; at right: Julia Carpenter and Dick Jenrette.

Pictured at left: Schatzie Crowther and Charles Floyd; center: rolling hills at Ayr Mount (photo courtesy of Kent Murray); at right: Macon, Josie and Jim Patton.

Pictured at left: Mac Griswold and Chip Callaway; center: Bill Crowther and Hopie Avery; at right: Dick Jenrette at Ayr Mount (photo courtesy of Kent Murray).

Pictured at left: Peter & Suzanne Pollack with Stephen Schar; center: Emory Clark and Caroline Meyer;

at right: Elizabeth Ravenel, Kathy Ravenel, Anne Cleveland.

 Pictured at left: Chenyi Avsharian performing; center: Chenyi and pianist, Amy I-Lin Cheng; at right: Millford at dusk.

     This program is part of an on-going series of music presentations to benefit the Friends of Millford, a group of supporters who share a deep appreciation for Millford and who are interested in preserving its legacy for the future.

     To see photos and videos of the Music at Millford program, click here to see photos and videos of the Music at Millford program on our Facebook page.

     Exciting news -- more Manning family heritage found its way back to Millford this summer! The spouse of a Manning descendant contacted us regarding several pieces of Manning family silver, along with a mahogany chest that originally housed a full set of Manning Family silver flatware.  The mahogany chest is now one of the newest pieces to our collection and boasts a silver nameplate with the inscription "J.L. Manning" for Governor John Laurence Manning. Select pieces of Manning silver were also acquired and include: a footed waste bowl by S. Kirk and Son (Baltimore), a Ball Tompkins & Black (New York) chalice, and a ladle with inscription. The silver chalice is inscribed "JLM from MGC" and came with a calling card that remains with the piece indicating that it was most likely a gift to John Manning from his mother-in-law, Mary Good Clarke, probably at the time of his marriage to his second wife, Sallie Bland Clarke.  

Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, 1792.

     On Friday, October 4th, Dick Jenrette gave a lecture to the Friends of the American Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled, "My 20 Years with Alexander Hamilton." Dick was invited to help celebrate The American Wing's recent acquisition of the John Trumbull portrait of Alexander Hamilton (1792), which is co-owned with The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR, which was a gift to both museums from Credit Suisse, who acquired it from Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. It will rotate between these two insitutions every two years.

     The lecture, which Dick also aptly referred to as, "Adventures with Old Portraits," gave an overview of the Hamilton portrait and recounted the fate of many of the portraits in the former New York Chamber of Commerce portrait collection-all of which featured political and financial leaders from the late 18th to mid 20th centuries.

     In 1980 DLJ purchased the Alexander Hamilton portrait, among others, when the Chamber decided to move from Wall Street to Midtown. This portrait was considered the crown jewel of the DLJ Collection of Americana, greeting guests at the office's elegant staircase. Portraits of President Abraham Lincoln and Generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant were a few portraits from the Chamber's esteemed collection that also went on to grace the walls of DLJ. Dick purchased several portraits for his personal collection, most of which are showcased at The Baker Houses on East 93rd Street in Manhattan. 

     Over sixty Friends of the American Wing attended the lecture. Dick shared his personal account of acquiring the Hamilton portrait and those like it: a tale that involved good timing, prudent decision-making, a bit of luck, and a deep appreciation for a dozen or so world-renowned American artists.

CAHPT Registrar and Treasurer

     This newsletter's Profile will focus on Mrs. Kathy Healy-Gillen, Classical American Homes Preservation Trust's Registrar and Treasurer.  Kathy is one of CAHPT's longest tenured employees, having been with the organization since 2001.  Kathy is responsible for the registration of all the fine and decorative arts in the CAHPT collection and maintains the art database, which individually tracks each item.  Kathy also coordinates special events and the many group tours at Classical American Homes' three properties and Richard H. Jenrette's four properties.  If you have visited a CAHPT property on a tour, it is very likely that Kathy was instrumental in its organization. As Treasurer, Kathy is responsible for banking and all accounts receivable and payable for Classical American Homes. 

     Prior to her time at Classical American Homes, Kathy served as Associate Curator at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where she began working in 1986.  A Long Island native, Kathy has a love and deep appreciation for old houses, and especially enjoys managing CAHPT's and Richard Jenrette's collection of Duncan Phyfe furniture.  Kathy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts Management and Art History from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, and has completed the Attingham Summer School program and the Winterthur Winter Institute.

Angela Mack, Executive Director,  Gibbes Museum of Art

The Baker House, New York City

October 16, 2013, 6:30-8:30 PM

     Dick Jenrette and Classical American Homes welcomed the New York friends of the Gibbes Museum of Art to 67 East 93rd Street on Wednesday, October 16th.The reception was organized by the Gibbes to cultivate support for the museum's upcoming renovation and celebrate their recent opening of the Photography and the American Civil War exhibition over one month ago.

     Executive Director Angela Mack welcomed the crowd on behalf of the Board of Directors and museum staff. She gave comments about the long-term vision for the Gibbes Museum, which includes a multi-million dollar renovation to refurbish and expand upon the institution's Beaux Arts building in Charleston to be led by museum designer Jeff Daly (see pictured below). Mrs. Mack also spoke about the featured exhibit, which was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and includes more than 200 rare pictures of the American Civil War. Jeff Rosenheim, Curator in Charge of The Met's Department of Photographs, was at the reception lending his support (see below). The Met's influence on the exhibit further emphasizes the Gibbes' connection to New York City's arts community, she remarked.

Pictured at left: Philippe de Montebello & Edith Myles, Dick Jenrette, Angela Mack; center: Scott Bessent (CAHPT Board Director) & John Freeman; at right: Dick Jenrette, Angela Mack and Nigel Redden

The Second Annual Wunsch Award

Christie's, New York City

January 22, 2014, 5:30 - 7:30 PM

     Classical American Homes Preservation Trust is honored to be a 2014 co-recipient of the Eric M. Wunsch Award for Excellence in the American Arts from the Wunsch Americana Foundation. We are proud to be acknowledged alongside Linda and George Kaufman, major art collectors of Americana. This honor recognizes dedication and contributions in preserving American Decorative Arts and will be hosted by Christie's, New York City on January 22nd. Please click here for the press release.

Autumnal garden at Edgewater, NY.

     Summer and the beginning of autumn flew by in the blink of an eye! Over the past five months our properties have seen visitors from all around the country and the world - from California and Illinois to Hong Kong and the UK. While diverse, our new friends surely have in common an interest in preserving these homes for their beauty and historical significance.   

     This summer we have had the pleasure of welcoming visitors from the Asheville Art Museum, the Owens-Thomas House, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Summer Institute, the Preservation League of New York State and a special guest, Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, with CAHPT Board Director Amie James and members of the Colony Club Foreign Visitors Committee. We suggested at that time that Mrs. Ban Soon-taek would enjoy a trip to Edgewater when the leaves were at their peak -- and she took us up on it! In mid-October, Mrs. Ban returned to Edgewater with her husband, UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, and 10 Ambassadors and their spouses from Finland, Yugoslavia, Portugal, Malta, Tunisia, Thailand, Spain, Hungary, Chile, Vietnam, and the Phillippines, along with members of the Colony Club Foreign Visitors Committee. They enjoyed Edgewater and other Hudson Valley sites on a gorgeous Autumn day.

     The Fall season began with a whirl. In New York City we welcomed the Harvard Business School Women's Association of New York, The New York Friends of the Gibbes Museum of Art and members of the Atlanta Ceramics Society, who also made a journey up the river to see Edgewater.

   Atlanta Ceramic Circle members at 67 East 93rd Street.

     Edgewater was especially popular this fall! The Greenwich Antiques Society, The Greenville County Museum of Art, Victorian Society, Princeton University Art Museum and Historic Natchez Foundation all visited the Hudson Valley home. Two groups even came via boats up the Hudson River on two beautiful fall days--members of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The NYYC presented Dick Jenrette with an official plaque as a token of their appreciation. But like all of our visits - the pleasure is truly ours!

New York Yacht Club members on the Hudson River; NYCC members in front of Edgewater; Jack Smith accepting NYCC plaque of appreciation.

     In the South, Roper House welcomed members from the George Washington Foundation, curators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors from The Preservation Society of Charleston and members of the Speed Art Museum. In addition to the 20th anniversary reception, Ayr Mount held two wedding celebrations and hosted members of the Friendly Force Club-an Anglo-American exchange program based in Raleigh.

Twenty Questions for Twenty Years!

1. What movie influenced Dick Jenrette's love of classical architecture?

2. True or False. In 1854, Edgewater had a unique octagonal library added to it by A.J. Davis, which later became Gore Vidal's study.

3. Ayr Mount is located along which important early trading route?

a) Carolinian Silk Road

b) Old Indian Trading Path

c) Tar Heel Tunnel

d) Trader Joe's Produce Aisle

4. What was the first house Dick Jenrette purchased to begin his collection of houses?

5. The architect/builder of Millford Plantation, Nathaniel Potter, was related to which famous Potter who helped save Millford from destruction during the Civil War? 

a) Helen Beatrix Potter

b) Harry James Potter

c) Brig. Gen. Edward Elmer Potter

d) Gen. William T. Sherman

6. What does the Guggenheim Museum have in common with the Roper House?

a) Roper House's architect was the great-uncle of Frank Lloyd Wright, the 

Guggenheim's architect

b) Robert William Roper was Solomon Guggenheim's close friend

c) the spiral design of the Guggenheim Museum was said to be in interpretive 

"modern columns" inspired by the Roper House

d) Solomon Guggenheim, who built his namesake museum, once owned and 

resided at the Roper House

7. Which house belonged to a prominent banker who founded Citibank?

8. President George Washington didn't necessarily sleep there, 

however he keeps "watch" at these two houses.

9. Which one of our houses was owned by the same family 

for 170 years?

10. Column-mania --

Which house has the most?

Which is the only house with Corinthian columns?

Name two houses with Doric columns?

Name two with Ionic columns?

Click here for the remaining ten questions!

Visit our new website on November 22nd for answers to these Twenty Questions.

Support our mission to preserve, protect and open to the public examples of classical American residential architecture, surrounding landscapes and scenic trails, as well as fine and decorative arts of the first half of the 19th century.