Van Rensselaer Lower Manor House
Also known as: Klavarack
Why it's listed
Set back from Route 23B on a sloping 1.3-acre lot in Claverack, this house grew in stages. Its core is a one-and-one-half-story stone dwelling from about 1715, with a kitchen hearth and bake oven. A five-bay frame section with a center chimney and a long front porch was added about 1790, joined to the stone part by a hyphen. The stone section's roof was raised about 1870, and further rooms and a modern kitchen were added in the twentieth century. A ca.1825 English-style barn stands behind the house, and a ca.1950 florist shop near the road does not contribute to the property's character. The house was listed for its link to the Van Rensselaer manor, whose Claverack lands were managed from here, possibly by Samuel Ten Broeck and his wife Catharine Van Rensselaer from about 1715. It was also listed as a vernacular building whose layers record local architectural change from Dutch Colonial through Federal and later styles.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is tied to the management of the southern boundary of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck and to Claverack's shift from landlord-tenant relations to occupant ownership. It is also significant architecturally, since its fabric records Colonial, Federal and later nineteenth-century changes over nearly three centuries. It is described as one of few surviving dwellings linked to the daily running of the Van Rensselaer manor.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 97001615, listed January 7, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 103 NY 23B, Claverack |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | January 7, 1998 |
| Reference number | 97001615 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1715-ca.1870 |
| Architectural style | Colonial/Dutch Colonial |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the florist shop on the property is operated by the current owners, and a modern kitchen wing was added in the late twentieth century. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.22479, -73.72509 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 97001615.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7913607
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.