Washington Spring Road-Woods Road Historic District
Also known as: Hd-a
Why it's listed
Washington Spring Road and its side lanes, Woods Road and Dirt Lane, form the historic riverside core of Palisades, New York. The district runs down a narrow, hilly valley from Route 9W to the Hudson River and includes 42 properties, mostly two-story single-family houses of frame, stone or brick, along with a Presbyterian church. The oldest are Dutch-vernacular dwellings from the 1700s, clustered near the old river landing, where a ferry operated as early as 1689 or 1700. Later houses show Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate and Second Empire styles. Sloop captains, shipwrights and merchants lived here when the landing prospered as a transshipment point. After river traffic declined and the railroad arrived, wealthy New Yorkers built country retreats. In the early twentieth century, landowner Mary Tonetti drew artists and writers, including Bertram Goodhue, Carl Sandburg and John Steinbeck. Craftsman and Medieval Revival houses on Woods Road date from that era. Despite modern development nearby, the district keeps the scale of a rural river settlement.
Significance in brief: The district is the historic core of Palisades' riverside community, which began as a Hudson River landing and transshipment center. It later became a country retreat for wealthy New Yorkers and an enclave for prominent artists and writers in the early twentieth century. Its buildings show a wide range of architectural styles, from Dutch vernacular to Craftsman, and the district keeps its rural river-settlement character.
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 90001015, listed July 12, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly, area along Washington Spring Rd. from Highland Ave. to Hudson R. and N approx. 1/2 mi. along Woods Rd., Palisades |
|---|---|
| County | Rockland County |
| Listed | July 12, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001015 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Includes Eric Gugler, W. Heath, Clinton Gilbert, M.L. Robbins (architects); Bobby Hyde and Peter Thomsen (builders) |
| Architectural style | Ethnic vernacular "Dutch," Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, French Second Empire, Neo-Colonial, Medieval Revival, Dutch Colonial Revival, Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are well preserved, with some minor alterations; the district retains its rural character while surrounding areas have seen suburban intrusion. |
| Acreage | 40.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.01224, -73.90701 (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 90001015.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7972193
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.