CATS Welcome! DOGS MUST BE APPROVED UPON REQUEST!
Not for those allergic to cats.
An 18th-century Carpenter Gothic style farmhouse c.1840 style with a trellised porch overlooking fields. Sleeps six in 3 bdrms. The house combines modern utilities (2 full baths, WIFI, smart TVs, washer/dryer, & full kitchen) antique furniture & two 18th-century stone fireplaces . Rural, yet only 1.6 mi. to village with many eateries, 2.8 to grocery store. 8.5 to Rhinebeck, 6 to Bard, and 2 to Aerodrome.
The space
The Cat’s Meow is an 18th-century hand-hewn post-and-beam farmhouse that still sits on approximately 1 acre of land with a small barn, vegetable garden, and fruit trees. The farm once owned all of the fields on and across both its street and the road to the back. Fronted by a fieldstone wall, it is the only historic house on its road, and the fireplaces, exposed beams, and some of the floor boards date from the 18th-century. The original homestead possibly belonged to the Orlich, Fraleigh, or Scholz families. More research is forth coming.
A 19th-century owner remodeled the exterior in the Romantic Carpenter Gothic style, defined by the trellised front porch and board-and-batten siding. The local architectural influencer, Andrew Jackson Downing, and his favor architect, Alexander Jackson Davis, advocated for country villas or cottages that used the indigenous American material, wood, in a style reminiscent of the verticality of European Gothic, thus the name Carpenter Gothic. The prevalence of this style in the Hudson Valley led to the nickname, Hudson River Bracketed. At this time, Jacqueline, the owner does not know if either Downing or Davis consulted on this house, or if it followed one of Downing’s many published patterns. Downing’s conception and Davis’s construction planted the seats for the American suburban house (villas for the middle class), making this home a historic representation of how farm land converted to suburbia. The trellis porch offers beautiful views of fields and hills that once belonged to this property.
Sometime during the early 20th-century, the farm was converted into a boarding house named “Milan Manor.” The current owner’s family purchased the much-damaged home in the mid-twentieth century. Over the past three years, Jacqueline has entirely renovated the structure, wiring, and interior. She has also added period appropriate antiques from the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries. As restored, the house comes with all modern utilities, including two communal full baths (the upstairs bath retains a 19th-century claw-foot enameled tub).
All of the rooms are named for cats. The three bedrooms include Claudis's Room (15’x15’x) with a queen size bed, Lorenzo's Room (17’x12’) with a full bed, and Dolly's Room (15’x11’ and only 6’2” tall) with two twins. The latter two can be united through a locked door. Lorenzo's and Claudis's rooms each have cathedral ceilings with exposed beams. All of the bedrooms include a closet, dresser, mirror, desk, two chairs, a CD/radio player, reading lights, WiFi, and a smart TV. The bedrooms all display either the original floor boards and/or beams. The linen closet off the bathroom stores more towels, linen, blankets, space heater and a cot if an extra bed is needed. The ceilings of the central hall, bathroom, and upstairs doorways are (6’ or 6’1”), as was typical in 18th-century farmhouses.
Downstairs, the ceilings and doorways are all standard height. The newly installed full bath includes a tub with a shower in addition to a washer and dryer. Both bathrooms contain hairdryers and other essentials.
Flanking the central foyer (Frieda's Foyer), are two large living rooms with fieldstone fireplaces that were made from stone mined from the property. The more formal, Silvestrina's Sitting and Dining Room, measures approximately 15’x20’ and has the original beams and wide floor boards. The oak table sits six, but an extension leaf allows for eight. The room includes a smart TV, a comfortable sofa, and two glass-fronted art nouveau cabinets (one with ceramics by local artists).
On the opposite side of Frieda's Foyer (which contains games and tourist information in the bureau) is the more casual, but equally grand, family room, the domain of Artie, the resident mouser if you choose to have cat on demand during your stay. (If you bring your own cats, Artie is content outside with the garage as his nesting space) Artie's Room includes a large-scale TV, books, puzzles, crayons, a writing nook, and an antique (slightly out-of-tune) piano for your playing pleasure.
Off the dining area, Mama Kit's renovated full kitchen opens onto a large back porch with a grill. The porch tables and chairs are arranged for dining or admiring the yard which includes a small barn, a vegetable garden, and fruit trees.
Our guest rooms and hallways resemble a contemporary museum lushly decorated with a wide variety of original photographic artworks by well known local artists. The color photographs depict important historic Hudson Valley architecture and landscapes ranging in scale from 8 inches to 6 feet. All artwork is available for purchase so take home a small piece of the Hudson Valley as a unique souvenir so your pleasurable stay with us will linger for years to come.
All of the rooms (except for the foyer, stairs, and baths) are air conditioned. The downstairs coat closet contains disposable litter boxes in case you cannot transport yours.
The owner lives next door in a modern wing that she built twelve years ago. It connects to the farmhouse through her office, which she keeps locked to respect your privacy, as you do hers. This proximity allows her to arrive quickly if you need assistance.
In spite of its rural surroundings, The Cat’s Meow is only 1.6 miles from the charming village of Red Hook, 8.5 from sophisticated Rhinebeck, 5.9 from the Performing Arts Center at Bard College, 2.1 from the Red Hook Golf Course, 1.9 from the Rhinebeck Aerodrome, and 12 miles from the Omega Institute. Many neighboring farms sell fresh produce and dairy products, while some offer fruit picking or horseback riding. Red Hook Wine can deliver purchases, at no extra cost, before 7:30 pm.
Taxis and Uber can pick you up at the Rhinecliff Amtrak station. While Hertz will meet you at the Poughkeepsie station if you pre-order a rented car. A bicycle store in Rhinebeck does rent, but the number of rentals are very few so you should book well in advance. Car rentals are available in Kingston, just across the Hudson). Zipcar has a location at Bard College, which must be confirmed in advance and might not be operating during the pandemic.
During Covid-19, all of the white bedding and towels are bleached, while the handmade traditional quilts are washed then sun-sanitized. All hard and soft surfaces will be disinfected with Lysol or Clorox products.
Guest access
Guests stay in the Main house. Parking is driveway on the right.
Host lives in the Annex attached on the left side of house.
