One of several buildings in town that are built of the distinctive native tufa stone. The Bonelli House was built in 1915, and is not only recognized with historic markers, but has also been placed on the US National Register of Historic Places. A plaque in front tells us that the restoration of this home, now used by the Mojave Museum, was a Bicentennial Project in this town.
The National Register plaque reads as follows:
"This building has been placed on The National Register of Historic Places By the United States Department of the Interior.
Bonelli House
Built 1916
Built by George Bonelli, prominent Kingman citizen, this is an excellent example of the Colonial Revival style built of locally quarried tufa stone. The captain's lookout and the encircling porches on both the first and second story are outstanding features. George Bonelli, the son of a Swiss stonemason, operated a large ranch a general store and a jewelry store in Kingman, and a meat market in Chloride. His original home burned in 1915, prompting the construction of this house.
Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), City of Kingman Historic Preservation Commission, Main Street Kingman & National Park Service (NPS)"
The sign in front of the Bonelli House reads:
"Bonelli House
1915
City of Kingman
Bicentennial Project
National Register
1975"
For more on the Bioelli House and the Mojave Museum, see here: (
visit link)
"BONELLI HOUSE
A peek at the past... preserved for the future.
Bonelli House 1899
The House Yesterday: Built in thirty days at the end of 1894; George A. Bonelli paid $40 for the spacious property in Kingman. This original house was a gift for his bride, Effie E. Tarr, who he wed on January 1, 1895, in the Methodist Church directly across the street. George desired the latest innovations so he had the two-story house wired for electricity.
Twenty years later, January 1915, a suspected electrical short in the wiring on the second floor brought the house down in flames. All escaped to safety but the Bonelli family lost most of their possessions. A few items that did survive that fire are displayed.
The House Today: Located at the corner of 5th and Spring Streets, this second home built by George and Effie Bonelli was completed in October 1915 after nine monthBonelli House Todays’ labor. Now preserved, the House provides us with an excellent example of Anglo-territorial architecture as well as the lifestyle of a prominent Arizona family at the turn of the 20th century.
Contractor, Mr. Pendergrast, used local stone for its thick exterior walls and on the inside a fire-resistant mixture of plaster and lime was applied to all walls. To increase its fire safety, George and Effie designed their home with exit doors to the veranda in each room, on both levels. A system of passive air-conditioning was provided in two ways: Leafy vines grew upward on chicken wire stretched from the eaves to anchors at ground level and gave excellent shade cover for the wrap-around veranda; and, the cupola (captain’s tower), which is accessible only through the ceiling of an upstairs bedroom, served as a chimney to draft the hot desert air upward and out the roof. The cupola was also used as a look-out for the Bonelli boys at play... girls were not allowed!
The Family: The parents of George A. Bonelli (1869-1933) were Daniel Bommeli (Switzerland) and Ann Haigh (England)—pioneers who met aboard ship in 1860 on their way to America. The Bommeli family name had been changed by Daniel’s father (Hans Georg Bommeli) to Bonelli in Switzerland when he became a Mormon. After much difficulty, this plucky couple ultimately founded the town of Rioville, in Nevada Territory, a town that now lies beneath the waters of Lake Mead. Rioville is where George Albert Bonelli and his six siblings were born—and several died—one brother as a result of rattlesnake bite! College-educated, and innovative like his father, George became a major cattle rancher in Mohave County with 250,000 acres of spring-fed land to graze his herds. Effie and their children were fully involved in these pursuits, and to the cattle business they added four successful retail shops as well as active involvement in church and civic organizations. “Wealthy but grounded” might be a good synopsis of the Bonelli family life and times in Kingman.
Effie E. Tarr Bonelli (1875-1961) was the daughter of W.A. L. and Addie C. Wyman Tarr. Mr. Tarr was the Santa Fe Railroad station master in Kingman in the early 1900’s. Effie, an energetic and progressive young woman, was employed at the Kingman depot as telegraph operator for two years before she and George were married. The couple became the parents of nine children while they lived in their first house, one of whom died in 1905 (Alfred) during a scarlet fever epidemic.
The eight remaining children made their own unique mark in history. Though most moved from Kingman to live in other places, the Bonelli House remained the epicenter of happy family gatherings for two generations. The Bonelli’s seventh child, bachelor Joseph (1907-1974), was the last of the family to live in the House. With the help of his nephew Ben Bonelli, an attorney in San Francisco at the time, Joseph and the City of Kingman reached an agreement. The deal closed at the end of December 1973, with the stipulation that the House would be maintained as a historical site.
The Restoration: The City of Kingman, in cooperation with the Daughters of the Mohave County Pioneers, turned the Bonelli House into a museum as part of the United States Bicentennial Project. In April 1975 it was placed on the National Register of Historical Places and the first floor of the house was open to the public in 1978. But it took ten more years before the upper floor could be opened.
In 2008-09 the interior walls and exterior wood trim were repaired and repainted, display items were cleaned or restored by Kingman volunteers. Maintenance and further restorative projects are scheduled and completed as funds become available."