Noted Katonah architect is also a rock-solid neighbor

Architect Robert Siegel, above, designed his family's Katonah cubed-shaped contemporary next to the John Jay Homestead. Right, the stone-faced contemporay, inside and out. GARY CORRIGAN PHOTO

By JOYCE CORRIGAN

Circa 1500, when the master builders of St. Peter’s Basilica cruised over to the nearby Colosseum to help themselves to slabs of marble and limestone, they were practicing the Renaissance version of recycling and repurposing — with a side of creative scavenging. With the pope’s blessing, of course: he dismissed the Colosseum as a ruin of pagan Rome.

Five hundred years later, when architect Robert Siegel began designing a home for his wife, Lynn, and their three young children on a Katonah property adjoining the historic John Jay Homestead, the process was pretty much the same — with a few key differences.

Siegel’s bold, stone-faced, cube-shaped contemporary, completed in 2014, was inspired not by Jay’s early 19th century house but essentially by the picturesque, iconically Bedford fieldstone walls that snake their way across the grounds. But no St. Peter’s–style pillaging here. Siegel’s 4-acre parcel was cleaved from the original 750-acre John Jay Homestead holding (62 acres remain and are owned by New York state) and the stones he used came straight from the historic land beneath his feet. 

The geometry of the Siegel house, garage and site elements also aligns with the scale and orientation of Jay’s abandoned stone-and-wood barns.

“My house answers a common riddle of contemporary architectural practice,” Siegel said. “‘How do you design a home that looks unique, but not out of place?’” He laughed before adding, “It wasn’t as if I was going to do a Federal-style farmhouse like Jay’s — I couldn’t if I tried. But I would only build something in total harmony with the Homestead.”

In essence, Siegel wanted John Jay’s blessing.

So, with plans in hand — and a few still in his head — he marched over to the Homestead to meet its then-historian Allan Weinreb.

“They understood what I was trying to do,” Siegel recalled, “and, with all modesty, knowing Jay himself was a visionary and deeply respectful of the land as I am, I do believe he would have approved.”

Coincidentally, Jay’s Bedford house is currently undergoing a massive restoration of its own, with Martha Stewart serving as chair of the Landscape Committee.

About those stone walls. After 27 years of public service — as the nation’s first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and twice governor of New York — Jay retired to live out his days as a gentleman farmer. In addition to those surrounding the property, Jay carefully built his distinguished “ha-has” — sunken, mortarless stone barriers embedded into the landscape so the lawn appears to flow seamlessly from house to field. This European-influenced 18th and 19th century design controlled grazing livestock while preserving carefully framed views.

“I regard the walls as emblematic of Jay’s choice to leave politics and oversee his beloved Katonah farm,” noted Siegel, who, like Jay, had moved his family from lower Manhattan to Katonah. “Once I decided to design a stone house, the trick was finding someone who knew how to execute it.” 

He turned to Italian-born mason Gabriele Astrologo, a longtime Bedford Hills resident and local legend. Astrologo died in his 90s in September. 

“I wanted the façade grounded in horizontality and texture,” Siegel recalled. “Gabriele knew exactly what to do.”

Jay could only marvel at the 21st century features of the Siegel house: industrial-level foamed aluminum walls; marble floors crafted to resemble wood; oversized windows designed to frame bucolic views and create seamless indoor/outdoor rooms; and abundant radiant-heated floors.

“We walk around the house barefoot 365 days a year,” Siegel said smiling. “Comfortably.”

Among Siegel’s other architectural projects are the federally commissioned U.S. Land Port of Entry in Calais, Maine; the Korean Embassy in Beijing; the Swiss Air First Class Lounge at JFK; and the recently completed Harvey School Weil House & Barn Admissions Building on Jay Street — also conveniently a stone’s throw from Siegel’s home. 

The Weil House and Barn restore the simplicity, spirit, and spatial clarity of the original farm homestead, balancing heritage with innovation. Two red barns, joined by a sun-drenched glass breezeway that blurs indoors and out, honor the campus’s agricultural roots while creating a warm, reassuring environment for students navigating the admissions process.

The tagline of Manhattan-and Katonah-based architect Robert Siegel’s firm — now called simply Siegel — is “Not Just Architects,” meaning that beyond designing buildings, they are innovators, problem-solvers, and strategic partners in shaping spaces. To that, one might add, “and good neighbors.”

Rob and Lynn have enjoyed the hiking trails for more than a decade; their three children attended Homestead History Camp for many summers and their daughter, Lucy, while in high school, digitized John Jay’s ledger. For several years, the Homestead hosted an annual July 4th celebration during which Siegel — dressed as John Jay — read the Declaration of Independence from the porch. As it happened, two of the Siegel children attended John Jay High School; another went to Harvey and is now headed to graduate school at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

The Siegels are nothing if not rooted on Jay Street.

“The greatest compliment I receive about my home is that it looks like it’s always been here,” he mused.

And he’s not done. Siegel has begun researching and planting many of the same tree species original to the Homestead property.

“I’m carefully selecting species that can survive and thrive in today’s climate,” he reflected. “Like my house, I expect the trees will be here long after I am.”