Commanding Officers Home - Benicia Arsenal - Benicia, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 38° 02.802 W 122° 08.010
10S E 576028 N 4211350
The commandant house at the Benicia Arsenal.
Waymark Code: WM150W5
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/23/2021
Views: 1
"This two story stucco-covered brick residence was erected in 1860. The hipped roof thick is asbestos shingle. Walls of this home are 24". The foundation is made of brick and the building dimensions are 59.65' x 43.9' — 53.9' x 28.1'. Usable space is 5,293 square feet. Ceilings are 13' and 10' in height. Originally, the home north. A veranda extends across the front of the house, part of which has been enclosed to provide additional interior space, A second-story front bay and two rear double-tiered bays were added.
This imposing 20 room mansion of classic Georgian-style architecture contains wainscoting, parquet floors, stair rails and balustrades made of wood brought "around the horn", Each room contained a shallow fireplace since this was the only means of heating the house — most remain today. The basement housed the laundry. A brick tunnel leads from the basement to the near-by storehouse (Clock Tower or Fortress), but there is no record of its having been used as the result of an attack. An adjacent hothouse and spacious gardens with large cisterns still remain.
During the last half of the 19th Century, the house was the scene of much social activity for society in the Bay area. Col. Julian McAllister was the brother of society figure Ward McAllister of the New York "Four Hundred" and of Hall McAllister, prominent San Francisco lawyer, who were frequent guests of the Colonel.
From 1905-1911 the poet Stephen Vincent Benet and his brother William Rose Benet lived here with their parents while their father, Lt. Col. James W. Benet was Commanding Officer of the Post." (
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