Hudson River Heritage

Hudson River Heritage (HRH) is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1976, committed to preserving the unique character
of the Mid-Hudson Valley’s historic architecture, rural landscapes and scenic views through education, advocacy and community involvement.

                                                       Hudson River National Historic Landmark District

HRH is the federally designated steward of the Hudson River National Historic Landmark District, a 32-square-mile area stretching from Germantown, in Columbia County, to Hyde Park, in Dutchess County. (We are able to display here only the portion of that District located in the Town of Rhinebeck.) The Hudson River National Historic Landmark District (HRNHLD) was designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in 1990. Federal landmark status acknowledges that the historic resources in the heart of the Hudson Valley are of the highest national significance.

The estates between Hyde Park and the City of Hudson are bound together not only by the river but by the extraordinary influence of the Livingston family. Beginning in 1730, members of this family established numerous country seats along the east bank of the Hudson. Marriages between different branches of the family intensified their sense of being rooted in a special place. Clermont, Wilderstein, Grasmere and Montgomery Place are examples of Livingston family homes which have survived to modern times. The Mills and Vanderbilt families built large mansions, designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, at the height of the Gilded Age. There they feted the new plutocrats of the post-Civil War years at extended house parties and gala balls.

The great public interest in the preservation of the Hudson’s great estates offers hope that these symbols of our national heritage will survive for the enjoyment and education of future generations. A significant step toward fulfillment of this hope was taken when the mid-Hudson Valley was recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1990.

An important portion of the Hudson River National Historic Landmark District is land along the east bank of the Hudson in the Dutchess County Town of Rhinebeck. Property documentation for this Rhinebeck portion of the Landmark District is available for viewing by clicking on one of the links below:

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