US Post Office-Rhinebeck
Also known as: Rhinebeck Post Office
Why it's listed
Rhinebeck's post office, at 14 Mill Street in the village center, is a fieldstone building modeled on a house that stood nearby around 1700. Completed in 1939, it has a high jerkin-head roof, a full-width front porch and multi-pane wood windows with shutters. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Hyde Park native descended from the Beekman family who later owned the original house, chose the Kip house as the model and ordered that stone from its ruins be used. About 90 percent of the front wall came from that house. R. Stanley-Brown, a consulting architect, carried out the design. Inside, the lobby imitates an eighteenth-century home, with a pegged oak floor, beamed ceiling and paneled wainscot. Display cases hold items from the Kip house. A continuous mural by local artist Olin Dows, completed in 1940, shows scenes of local history and the 1939 dedication. Most other 1930s post offices in New York were simplified designs, which sets this one apart.
Significance in brief: The building is an almost exact replica of the c. 1700 Kip-Beekman-Heermance house, chosen as the model by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was directly involved in its design and construction. It was the second of five stone post offices in New York State that Roosevelt monitored, and it is the only one that closely copies a specific historic building. Its lobby holds artifacts from the Kip house and a 1940 mural by Olin Dows.
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 88002419, listed May 11, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 14 Mill St., Rhinebeck |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | May 11, 1989 |
| Reference number | 88002419 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1938-1940 |
| Architect / builder | R. Stanley-Brown, Consulting Architect |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Art, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as virtually unchanged since built, with only minor lobby changes; the form marks it as occupied and in government use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.92630, -73.91306 (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 88002419.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2466417
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.