Village of Rhinebeck Historic District
Background
The historic nature of our village is of utmost importance to its unique character. Since August 8, 1979, the Village of Rhinebeck has been home to a historic district listed with both the State of New York Historic Preservation Office and the Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places. After a series of public meetings and conversations and a lot of work (both volunteer and professional), that historic district was expanded by both the state and the federal government to become the new Village of Rhinebeck Historic District on January 15, 2021.
Additionally, the village is proud to also have five sites individually listed on the National Register:
The Benner House (1 Mill Street)
The Astor Home for Children (6369 Mill Street)
The United States Post Office (6383 Mill Street)
The Henry Delamater House (6433 Montgomery Street)
The Maples (Rhinebeck Health Center, 108 Montgomery Street)
This work of listing our historic district does not come with automatic protections for the properties in it. Therefore, the village also has two laws on its books, Chapter 64 (Historic Buildings Protection) and Article VIII of our zoning code (Chapter 120-39 — Historic District Overlay). These laws, originally created in 2009, have both protected our individual resources from demolition and made sure that any new construction or major exterior additions/modifications to existing buildings in the district go under a heightened scrutiny process by the Village Planning Board. These laws were amended and updated on June 27, 2023 to reflect the 2021 expansion of the historic district.
If you are curious about our historic district and the individual properties that are in it, please review the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, approved by the Department of Interior on January 15, 2021.
If You Own Property in the Historic District
If you own a property in the Historic District Overlay (pink map), you may be required to go in front of the Planning Board for any changes to your property (see Chapter 120-39, soon to be updated).
If you are considering demolition of all or part of your property and it is inside the boundaries of the Historic District Overlay, the Village Board encourages you to think carefully about the advantages and disadvantages of demolition. You should take into account not only your personal requirements for the property but also your responsibility as a steward of a building within a nationally recognized historic district.
If your property is listed as contributing on the multi-colored map (Village of Rhinebeck Historic District - Local Overlay; Contributing/Non-Contributing Structures by Parcel), you will be required to present your historic demolition application to the Planning Board for review (see Chapter 64 of the village code, soon to be updated).
Please follow up with the Building, Planning, and Zoning department if you have any questions.
Federal/State Tax Incentives
If you own a contributing property in the federal historic district, you may be eligible for state or federal tax benefits for improving your property. Please see the information available at the State Historic Preservation Office.
Please note: the state tax credits expire for the Village of Rhinebeck Historic District if you have not started construction by December 31, 2024.
