In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt decided that the Rhinebeck post office needed a specific design. He didn't just want a government building; he wanted a replica of the 1700 Beekman House, a home belonging to his ancestors that had been destroyed by fire in the early 20th century.
To achieve this, the government used stones from the ruins of the burnt Beekman House to build the walls of this one-and-a-half-story fieldstone structure. Local historians opposed the Kipsbergen style, arguing it was not typical of regional Dutch homes, but Roosevelt insisted the building be built in that style.
Inside, the lobby features random-width pegged oak floors, pine wainscoting, and a ceiling with hand-hewn exposed beams. There is a simulated Dutch door at the entrance and two original oak counters that remain today. The building also contains two display cases with other remnants of the Beekman House.
Today, the building serves the 12572 ZIP code. You can still see the cornerstones made of bluestone - one is a standard datestone naming the ceremony participants, and the other states the building is a replica of the 1700 Beekman House.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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