Previously Owned by Rhinebeck Royalty
Bergstraesser "got a pretty good deal" on the 1,300-square-foot house, which also has a two-car garage and an 800-square-foot basement featuring a bar. He closed in June 2012, and has since invested about $25,000 in various improvements. Hapeman Contracting of Red Hook painted the entire interior a creamy vanilla, rebuilt a bowed beam in the garage, updated the electrical system, and replaced the downstairs windows.
The kitchen, which features custom cabinets, brushed stainless-steel appliances, a propane burner/convection oven unit, and granite countertops, had been recently updated by the previous owners, the Kirwoods. Mari Kirwood has an interior design studio on Route 9.
"The late Robert Kirwood owned Foster's Coach House, a local bar—his daughter Phoebe runs it now—and that's why the basement looks like a tavern. It's what he liked," says Bergstraesser. "Ironically, the first house I bought in Rhinebeck, the one I lived in with my former wife, belonged to Phoebe."
Bergstraesser, who covers the eastern half of the state in a government-relations capacity, works out of his home when he's not on the road. Bergstraesser studied political science at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, a private liberal arts institution not unlike Bard College.
He's known for his cookouts—the steaks, like his collection of unusual houseplants, come from Adams Fairacre Farms.
"The Shelter, a new tapas and underground wine bar, is my current favorite nearby restaurant," says Bergstraesser. "I also like the Beekman Arms and Gigi Trattoria for skizza, their flatbread version of pizza."
