Benicia in Solano County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Commandant's Home
Built in 1860
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 4, 2010
1. Commandant's Home Marker
An imposing residence of classic Georgian architecture with 14-foot ceilings and 24-inch brick walls. The lumber for the wainscoting, parquet floors, paneling, stair rails and balustrades was carried by ship "around The Horn".
During the last half of the 19th Century, the house was a popular gathering place for Bay Area society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military.
Location. 38° 2.806′ N, 122° 8.002′ W. Marker is in Benicia, California, in Solano County. It is on General D.P. Quandt Lane near Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Benicia CA 94510, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, in Sacramento Valley, and specifically in the Central Valley. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gen. Quandt Lane (a few steps from this marker); Clock Tower (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1849 - Benicia Arsenal 1964 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Prisoner-of-War Burials (approx. 0.6 miles away); Father Peter Augustine Anderson, OP (approx. 0.9 miles away); In Memory of the 100th Anniversary of Saint Dominics Parish of Benicia (approx. 0.9 miles away); 1854 Saint Pauls Episcopal Church 1954 (approx. 1.3 miles away); Saint Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Benicia.
this page online
Also see . . . History of Benicia. City website entry (Submitted on November 8, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 12, 2011
2. Commandant's Home Seismic and Rehabilitation Dedication Plaque
Directly in front of the Commandant's Home is a dedication plaque from May 2009, listing various officials and donors involved in the building's rehabilitation efforts. (Click on picture to enlarge.)
Photographed by US Army Photographer, circa 1900/1912?
3. Benicia Storehouse (upper middle) and Commandant's Home (upper right)
This undated photograph, provided courtesy of the Historic American Buildings Survey, shows the Benicia Arsenal Storehouse and Commandant's Quarters (amongst the trees), as seen a few hundred yards northwest. The photograph predates 1912, as the Storehouse was gutted by fire and explosion, and was afterwards rebuilt with one less story and one less tower.
Photographed by US Army Photographer
4. Commandant's Home, circa 1915 (Image courtesy of Historic American Buildings Survey)
Photographed by Sirlin Studios, 1977
5. Interior, Main Hall looking west (photo courtesy HABS)
Photographed by Sirlin Studios, 1977
6. Commandant's Home, circa 1977 (Image courtesy Historic American Buildings Survey)
In the shadows on the right a historic marker is visible, of the same size and general look as the current one, and in the same location. It may or may not be the same.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, March 12, 2011
7. Commandant's Home, circa 2011
"Historic Commanding Officer's Quarters (Previously known as the Commodant's Residence - Arsenal Building No. 28): Built in 1860 by Col. Julian McAllister, the two-story, 8883 sq.ft., 20-room Greek Revival mansion was used as a residence for the commander of the Benicia Arsenal, as well as the former home of poet Stephen Vicent Benet, whose father commanded the post from 1905 to 1911. The interior has intricate inlaid parquet flooring and elegant scrollwork and woodwork. The building, located at One Commandant's Lane, is listed on the National Register of Historical Buildings and is now owned by the City of Benicia. It was once leased as a restaurant, which later closed in 1979 after a kitchen fire. Closed for over 20 years, funds were raised for much-needed renovations and were completed in 2009,..." - from the Benicia Chamber of Commerce's history of Benicia.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 2,489 times since then and 150 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on March 13, 2011, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
