Whitby is a Gothic Revival house designed by Alexander Jackson Davis. It was built between 1852 and 1854 on a 40-acre site with dramatic views of Long Island Sound. In 1920, Whitby was converted from a private residence to a clubhouse, and an 18-hole golf course was built on the site.  In 1965, the City of Rye purchased Whitby, added a swimming pool, and created the Rye Golf Club.  In 1995, it Whitby was closed and suffered from years of neglect.

The plan to save Whitby was to create a place for public dining and banquets. This was accomplished by demolishing inappropriate additions, restoring the original A.J. Davis house, and adding a wing with banquet rooms. The addition more than doubles the size of the original building, but appears to be secondary to the main building. We restored or reconstructed all of the original interior spaces to function as a restaurant. We rebuilt and enclosed a porch to create one of several dining rooms adjacent to a bar and terrace, and we converted former second-floor bedrooms to private meeting and dining rooms.

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To enhance the landscape, the parking lot in front of the building was relocated and the front lawn, visible from Route 1, was recreated.  A new generous terrace, overlooking the Sound and golf course, connects the main building and banquet hall addition.