Dwight-Hooker Avenue Historic District
Why it's listed
Dwight Street in Poughkeepsie curves in a crescent, lined with trees and broad lawns, and together with four houses on Hooker Avenue it forms a planned neighborhood of about six acres. The land was once part of the Whitehouse estate and was surveyed and laid out around 1895, with advice from Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, who was known for picturesque, tree-lined residential planning. Most houses date from 1895 to 1915 and show eclectic styles, including Shingle, Tudor Revival, Spanish Revival and Colonial Revival, in clapboard, stone, stucco, stained shingle and terra cotta roofing. Local architects Percival M. Lloyd and DuBois Carpenter designed several of them, and Carpenter had two hollow tile residences built by the Poughkeepsie Engineering and Contracting Company. When built, the houses were the most modern and distinctive of their type in the city. A few later houses do not contribute, but they sit back on large lawns and do not seriously change the early twentieth-century appearance.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the most architecturally significant turn-of-the-century neighborhood in Poughkeepsie. It was a planned neighborhood laid out about 1895 on part of the Whitehouse estate, with advice from architect Horace Trumbauer. Its houses in eclectic styles were the most modern and distinctive of their type in the city and reflected high-style taste nationally.
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 82001132, listed November 26, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Dwight St. from Hamilton to Hooker, and 79-85 Hooker Ave., Poughkeepsie |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | November 26, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001132 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1895-1915 |
| Architect / builder | Horace Trumbauer (advising architect); Percival M. Lloyd; DuBois Carpenter; Poughkeepsie Engineering and Contracting Company (builder of two hollow tile houses) |
| Architectural style | Eclectic styles: Shingle, Tudor Revival, Spanish Revival, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as well maintained and still a desirable place to live; two modern houses and one c.1953 house are non-contributing. No threats are reported. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 41.69420, -73.92359 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 82001132.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5318099
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.