O'Brien General Store and Post Office
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Schatzell Avenue and Charles Street in Rhinecliff, this three-story, three-bay brick building dates to about the 1860s. Its flat-roofed main block has Italianate features, including a wide frieze with paired scroll brackets, a bracketed cornice, segmentally arched windows with corbelled brick lintels, and an intact nineteenth-century storefront. Two brick and frame wings extend to the rear; the middle one was originally a granary and still holds much of its hardware and equipment. Map research shows J. O'Brien owned the property in 1867, and T. Flynn had acquired it by 1876. The building housed a store, a post office and warehouse space, and it served travelers and residents near the route to the Hudson River. It is the only intact commercial building of its type in the hamlet and remains a local landmark. The building is now used as a residence, and its interior store spaces were substantially altered.
Significance in brief: The building is presented as a rare surviving multi-function general store type, combining a store, post office and warehouse space. It is the only intact commercial building of its type in Rhinecliff and served as a focal point of commercial activity there. Its Italianate detailing is modest and restrained compared with commercial buildings in the larger village of Rhinebeck.
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 87001088, listed July 9, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Schatzell Ave. and Charles St., Rhinecliff |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | July 9, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001088 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect and builder unknown; local tradition attributes construction to a G. Veitch, presumably a local craftsman. |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to residential use; the interior of the store was substantially altered, though the granary wing retains much original hardware and equipment. Condition is listed as good. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Hudson River Heritage Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.91980, -73.95116 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 87001088.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7071672
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.