When the Rhinecliff Hotel opened in 1854, it served the bustling Rhinecliff to Kingston ferry across the Hudson River as well as travelers arriving on the new Hudson River rail line. Now, a new generation of holiday revelers can appreciate the historic structure and fine food from the boutique hotel overlooking the Hudson River.
The Rhinecliff served continuously as a hotel, eatery and finally a dance hall until 2003 when the rundown structure on the National Register of Historic Places was purchased by weekenders from New York, brothers James and David Chapman
“I was just coming up for the weekends and going skiing,” said James Chapman who was familiar with the hotel over about five years. “It was so off-the-wall in the bar we enjoyed it. We developed an affection for the place and always said it would be a great place if it was fixed up.”
James Chapman was experienced as a hotelier and restaurateur and his brother David an international financier and so when the hotel was put up for sale, “We bought it pretty quickly.” Â
“The hotel was in pretty desperate need of repair when we bought it,” said James, speaking of the hotel, whose nine guest rooms were opened in July after a five-year renovation and whose restaurant and bar opened again this autumn.
“We didn”™t realize how seriously it was in need of repair, to the extent that it had to be carefully rebuilt,” said James. “We carefully took out anything that was salvageable, the antique floorboards, the wooden beams, stair spindles, the original bar. We took it all out, cleaned it and put it all back.”
Guided by architect David Borenstein, “We just learned it as we went along,” James said, restoring the historic hotel to its former beauty while adding modern accoutrements such as sprinkler systems and some surprises, such as a new concrete foundation, a newly reframed building, a wastewater treatment system and a trip through the local planning and zoning bureaucracy. “We had to do everything to meet current codes. The Rhinebeck Planning Board, he said, “was very helpful to us. It was very complicated but they were very helpful.”
“We”™ve done very well,” James Chapman said. “So far things are going very well, the restaurant is going well, the rooms are full, we”™ve done lots of business. One of our biggest hopes was that our hotel would become part of the local community and we are very pleased that it”™s been very well received. It”™s become a real part of the community.”  Â