There was little space between the houses and the country road to the north; the outdoor living areas were focused on the south view toward Long Island.

In 1947, shortly before retirement, Lay bought 85 acres (340,000 m2) in Lyme, Connecticut, near Selden Creek, where he spent time with his wife and family during the summers.

They practiced under the name Lay, Hubbard, and Wheelwright and began publishing the professional journal Landscape Architecture in October 1910.

Aware of significant population growth in American cities during the early 20th-century, Lay became increasingly concerned with the availability of urban outdoor space.

Building on his interest in urban planning, he developed some of the first subdivisions in suburban New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

In addition to his other accomplishments, Lay received a silver medal from the 1936 Berlin Olympics for his work on Marine Park in Brooklyn.