The 1850 House Inn- Rosendale, NY

The 1850 House Inn, an unassuming Italianate on Rosendale’s Main Street, has been welcoming guests for over 150 years. Since, you know, 1850. Though it has changed names more than a few times over the past century, the old brick building remains very much the same. The space has been updated, but respected. It is not stuck in the past, filled entirely with antiques and lace, nor has it been given an incongruent modern makeover. Overlooking the Rondout Creek, it is a relaxing retreat.

The hotel dates back to a time when the small Hudson River Valley town of Rosendale was booming. Although long home to the Lenape, and settled by the Dutch around 1685, the town’s history really starts in 1825 with the discovery of natural cement in the area. Found to be extremely durable and abundant, it was soon the primary source for cement production in the United States. As such, in 1844, the Village of Rosendale was created around the cement producing district, from land that had once belonged to the neighboring towns of Hurley, Marbletown, and New Palz.

Soon, there were over 15 cement plants in Rosendale, employing nearly 5500 men. To meet the needs of all these workers, businesses sprung up along Main Street, including the Central Hotel, as the 1850 House was then known. In 1871, train service was introduced to the town, followed by a 940 foot trestle bridge crossing the Canal and Rondout Creek. When built, it was the highest span bridge in the United States.

For the next several decades, the town thrived; on Main Street alone there were 14 bars, as well as a variety of other shops and services. The popular cement was used coast to coast, including for the base of the Statue of Liberty, the wings of the United States Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Then, the winds of fate shifted. In 1895, a fire destroyed half the village. Soon after, the rise of quicker setting Portland cement devastated Rosendale’s local industry. Over the next several decades, the village lost 70 percent of its population. There were floods and fires, and by 1971, the last cement plant closed. Businesses moved off Main Street, leaving it largely shuttered and silent.

Through it all, the brick hotel at the end of Main Street remained mostly open. It hosted weddings, and marketed itself as a summer retreat from New York City; a riverside resort in the Shawangunk Mountains, close to the Catskills, and Lake Mohonk, with boat rentals, fishing, dinner and dancing. In later years, it was run as a bed and breakfast, with a Parisian flare. At one point, it housed town offices, and long term tenants.

The current owners took over the property in 2012, renaming it The 1850 House. They renovated and restored, bringing back earlier features, such as the dining room’s yellow stained glass, which they found in a wall. With wide plank floors, and delicate transoms, the airy 11 room inn has been returned to its former glory, complete with a cozy tavern and comfortable rooms.

From the hotel’s central location, you can walk to several excellent restaurants, as well as to the shops that have returned to the town. Reminders of the area’s past are abound, such as the old kilns located behind Main Street, and the Railroad Trestle, which has been converted to a pedestrian bridge. A somewhat sleepy destination, especially off season, it’s a pleasant place to stop when passing through the area.

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