Wayne's Dey Mansion Receives Approval For Upgrades

WAYNE, NJ — The former Wayne headquarters of then General George Washington are set to get an investment for upgrades to lighting and HVAC infrastructure.

Passaic County's Board of Commissioners were set to discuss three resolutions regarding projects at the Dey Mansion, where Washington stayed during the summer and fall of 1780.

According to the Tuesday meeting agenda, these resolutions would:

• authorize the Department of Cultural and Historic Affairs to remove some items from the county's artifact collection at the mansion
• award a contract to Clarke Caton Hintz for repairs to the HVAC system at the mansion
• and award a contract to Dell-Tech for a lighting project at the mansion

Northjersey.com reports that the lighting upgrades will cost roughly $414,000, while the HVAC project is expected to exceed $150,000.

The museum and visitor center is currently closed "due to project work," but the grounds are still open.

Dey Mansion was built around 1770, and was first home to Theunis and Hester Dey, according to the county. Theunis Dey had a "prominent role in public life," and represented Bergen County in the State Council.

The mansion served as one of Washington's field headquarters during the American Revolution, and he came to know Dey through his role as Colonel in the Bergen County Militia.

Once the mansion was sold by Richard Dey in 1801, it became a private residence for various owners until the Passaic County park Commission acquired it in January 1930. It was opened to the public as a museum in 1934.

In 2010, the Board of Commissioners, then the Freeholders, began a project to "further restore and rehabilitate the mansion."

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