This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Wine Shop Opens on Peekskill's Historic Waterfront

Dylan's Wine Cellar moves into an architectural gem

Saturday afternoon brought dozens of people to Peekskill’s waterfront to celebrate the grand opening of Dylan’s Wine Cellar. The shop is on the ground floor of the pre-Civil War Standard House, 50 Hudson Ave.

Among the guests were Mayor Mary Foster, county Legislator and ex-Mayor John Testa and Richard and Kathy Cerreta, owners and restorers of the historic building.

When the Standard was built circa 1855 Peekskill’s waterfront and its shipping industry were the flesh and backbone of the community’s economy. Foundries and mills were producing stoves, plows, grates, tools and machinery, all shipped by barge and boat from the wharves. 

Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Standard was designed to accommodate some of the hustle and bustle. At various times the building housed a saloon, a restaurant, a boarding house and a vast array of commercial enterprises, both booming and failing, according to the National Register of Historic Places. There has been a butcher shop on the ground floor, along with a penny candy store. Tenants of the residential apartments on the upper floors included a couple of boat captains and the tavern’s bartender.

As the area’s economy declined and then stagnated, the Standard became derelict, one of the 25 or so neglected foundry-era structures still lingering in the riverfront area. 

Find out what's happening in Peekskill-Cortlandtwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

By the time the old stalwart was facing foreclosure in 1998 its only tenants were squirrels, mice and a tribe of feral cats. Its only commerce was an occasional visit from the tax collector or fire inspector.

“I would walk by twice a day, just watching it go into disrepair,” said Peekskill resident Richard Cerreta. He and his wife, Kathy, saw the potential, talked it over and decided to buy the building. They spent the next two years in renovation. 

“There was no electricity,” Kathy said. “We did everything from scratch. The floors, staircase and most of the facade are original. So is the cupola.” But a great deal of it required expert restoration. “What wasn’t original we refabricated to look like the original. It was a true labor of love.”

The Cerretas’ work was so successful that the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The following year they received an award for “Excellence in Historic Preservation” from the Preservation League of New York.

In a way, the Standard House has come full circle with the opening of the wine store. One of the building's early tenants, Galligan’s Saloon, advertised “a bar well-stocked with the choicest liquors, wines, ales and cigars.” 

For owner Steven Zwick and his wife, Maribel, it is a dream come true. Born and raised in Peekskill, Zwick still lives there, within walking distance of the shop.

They hope to create “a cool, fun environment for people to find wines in a simple way.”

The shop will specialize in everyday wine. “We are everyday wine drinkers ourselves,” said Zwick. “We’re going to stock 400 kinds of wine and 80% of them will cost $30 or less.”

In addition to a vast assortment of domestic and imported wines, Dylan’s will stock selections from Hudson Valley wineries. These include the Whitecliff Vineyard in Gardiner and Marlboro’s Benmarl Winery, where wine grapes have been grown and pressed since 1772 – three-quarters of a century before the foundation was laid at the Standard House.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?