Dutchess County Court House
Why it's listed
Dutchess County's courthouse at 10 Market Street in Poughkeepsie is a four-story building of red brick and stone, erected in 1902-1903 to designs by local architect William J. Beardsley. It cost about half a million dollars and opened on December 29, 1903. Its symmetrical facade has alternating bands of brick and stone, quoins at the corners, Palladian windows with stucco swags, and a full-story arched entrance. Inside, terrazzo floors, ironwork and woodwork survive. The site matters as much as the building: five courthouses have stood here, beginning in 1720. In the summer of 1788 the state's ratifying convention met on this ground, where Alexander Hamilton and John Jay argued for the Constitution against Governor George Clinton, and the narrow vote made New York the eleventh state to ratify. Original deed terms require that one unused jail cell remain in the basement. The courthouse is still in use.
Significance in brief: It is a monumental Classical Revival early-20th-century civic building that dominates the historic intersection of Main and Market Streets. It occupies the site of all five of Poughkeepsie's courthouses, the first built in 1720. The 1788 debate over ratifying the U.S. Constitution took place on this site, when New York became the eleventh state to ratify.
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 82001130, listed November 26, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 10 Market St., Poughkeepsie |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | November 26, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001130 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William J. Beardsley of Poughkeepsie (architect); later alterations supervised by Charles J. Cooke |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival II |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a courthouse; condition listed as good. Alterations include a removed cornice, new brickwork and an added interior floor. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.70407, -73.92919 (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 82001130.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q682501
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.