Benner House
Encyclopedia
The Benner House is located on Mill Street in the village of Rhinebeck
, New York, United States, just off US 9. It was built by a German immigrant
, Johannes Benner, in the 1730s. It is the oldest house in the Village of Rhinebeck.
It is a rare example of a one-room-plan stone house in the Hudson Valley
built to German traditions
, rather than Dutch. It is the sole house with that floor plan remaining in Rhinebeck. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
is oriented diagonally to Mill Street, making it prominently visible to southbound traffic leaving Rhinebeck on the highway. Its lot
is mostly wooded, with an open area to allow a view of the road and the valley from the front. A modern frame
garage is at the northwest corner of the lot. It was built in 1938. It is not considered a contributing resource
to the Register listing.
It is a -story rectangular home with a gable
d roof. An asymmetrically placed Dutch door
is located in the south (front) facade, with flared stone lintels like the windows nearby. It is behind a shed-roofed porch with a shallow-arched frieze
and square columns that spans the entire facade. On the north is a gabled frame wing with a more moderately pitched
roof, exposing the two attic windows above it on the main block.
The frame clapboard wing was built around 1930.
with his parents and brother sometime in the early 18th century. Local tradition holds that he, or a member of his family, built the house around 1739, although no records have been found confirming this. It is further believed that the first meetings of the local Methodist church were held in the house half a century later, in 1791–92. The earliest deed
known shows the house owned by an S.S. Myers in 1797.
By 1850, locally prominent landowners the Livingston family
owned the house, using it as a support building for their nearby Grasmere
estate. At one time it was believed to be a writing school. In 1874, Ann O' Brien purchased the house. She died in 1900, and the property passed to her son, Civil War Veteran, Thomas O' Brien. In 1946, Thomas O' Brien died. The Property then passed to his two daughters, Ann Gregory and Mary Sullivan. It later passed through several other owners into the late 20th century.
It was recognized as a historic structure in 1966. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Local Lore has it that the house was a stopping point for soldiers during the American Revolution.
The October 26, 1929 edition of the Rhinebeck Gazette describes bins found in the top story or garret of the house. These were traditionally used to store grain out of the reach of pilfering Indians. However, there are more practical reasons that local grain was stored in the garret of the house. It was more secure from rodents in the barn and would have been a dryer atmosphere, because even when heat was not required, a fire for cooking was always burning in the fireplace.
Rhinebeck (village), New York
Rhinebeck is a village located in the Town of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 2,657 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, New York, United States, just off US 9. It was built by a German immigrant
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, Johannes Benner, in the 1730s. It is the oldest house in the Village of Rhinebeck.
It is a rare example of a one-room-plan stone house in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
built to German traditions
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
, rather than Dutch. It is the sole house with that floor plan remaining in Rhinebeck. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Building
The Benner House is one of the most historic homes in the Rhinebeck Area. It is located at the oblique intersection of Mill Road and Route 9 on the southern fringe of the village. The northern (rear) facadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is oriented diagonally to Mill Street, making it prominently visible to southbound traffic leaving Rhinebeck on the highway. Its lot
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
is mostly wooded, with an open area to allow a view of the road and the valley from the front. A modern frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
garage is at the northwest corner of the lot. It was built in 1938. It is not considered a contributing resource
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Register listing.
It is a -story rectangular home with a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. An asymmetrically placed Dutch door
Dutch door
A Dutch door , or stable door , or half door , is a door divided horizontally in such a fashion that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens...
is located in the south (front) facade, with flared stone lintels like the windows nearby. It is behind a shed-roofed porch with a shallow-arched frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and square columns that spans the entire facade. On the north is a gabled frame wing with a more moderately pitched
Roof pitch
In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof, and a pitched roof is a roof that is steep.The roof's pitch is the measured vertical rise divided by the measured horizontal span, the same thing as what is called "slope" in geometry. Roof pitch is typically...
roof, exposing the two attic windows above it on the main block.
The frame clapboard wing was built around 1930.
History
Johannes Benner/Bender emigrated to the Hudson Valley from Upper BavariaUpper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
with his parents and brother sometime in the early 18th century. Local tradition holds that he, or a member of his family, built the house around 1739, although no records have been found confirming this. It is further believed that the first meetings of the local Methodist church were held in the house half a century later, in 1791–92. The earliest deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
known shows the house owned by an S.S. Myers in 1797.
By 1850, locally prominent landowners the Livingston family
Livingston family
The Livingston family of was a prominent family which migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from William, 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States...
owned the house, using it as a support building for their nearby Grasmere
Grasmere (Rhinebeck, New York)
Grasmere is a national historic district and estate located at Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York. It consists of 12 contributing buildings and four contributing structures. The main house was originally built about 1824 and expanded about 1861 and in 1907-1908. The original house was built on...
estate. At one time it was believed to be a writing school. In 1874, Ann O' Brien purchased the house. She died in 1900, and the property passed to her son, Civil War Veteran, Thomas O' Brien. In 1946, Thomas O' Brien died. The Property then passed to his two daughters, Ann Gregory and Mary Sullivan. It later passed through several other owners into the late 20th century.
It was recognized as a historic structure in 1966. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Local Lore has it that the house was a stopping point for soldiers during the American Revolution.
The October 26, 1929 edition of the Rhinebeck Gazette describes bins found in the top story or garret of the house. These were traditionally used to store grain out of the reach of pilfering Indians. However, there are more practical reasons that local grain was stored in the garret of the house. It was more secure from rodents in the barn and would have been a dryer atmosphere, because even when heat was not required, a fire for cooking was always burning in the fireplace.