Quarters A, also known as the Commandant's House, is a historic house on Evans Street in the

Vinegar Hill Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Built beginning in 1805, with a number of later alterations, it remains a prominent example of

Federal architecture Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

in New York City. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1974 for its association with

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the o ...

, commandant of the adjacent

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

1841–1843, whose

opening Opening may refer to: * Al-Fatiha, "The Opening", the first chapter of the Qur'an * The Opening (album), live album by Mal Waldron * Backgammon opening * Chess opening * A title sequence or opening credits * , a term from contract bridge * , ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

to the west in 1854 revolutionized trade and international affairs. The building is now privately owned.

Description and history

The former Commandant's House is set on a bluff overlooking the western side of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a few blocks south of the

East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...

. It is accessed via a gated drive at the junction of Little and Evans Streets. The house is three and a half stories in height, of wood-frame construction, and finished in wooden clapboards. The building has an extensive history of alteration, but the interior, its original main block, retains Federal period architectural details, including leaded front entry sidelight windows, carved wooden paneling, and wooden floorboards (although the latter have been covered by other flooring). The original block was built in 1805–06, supposedly to a design by

Charles Bulfinch Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...

and John McComb, Jr. Additions have substantially increased the size of the house in 1860, 1904, and 1936. It was built as the quarters for the commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Most notably, it was home to Commodore

(1794–1858) between 1841 and 1843. Perry was assigned to the yard from 1833 to 1843 in a variety of roles, during which time he is credited with improving the Navy's steamship navigation, education of enlisted men and commissioned officers, and improving the nation's

lighthouse service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of the ...

. Perry's signature achievement was his 1854 expedition to

, in which he compelled the previously cloistered nation to open its borders more widely, inaugurating a series of economic and geopolitical changes. The house was declared a

in 1974, while it was still part of the active navy yard. and The current owners of the Commandant's House are Charles Gilbert and Jennifer Jones, who purchased it in 1997.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in New York National Historic Landmarks in New York City Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Brooklyn Houses completed in 1805 History of Brooklyn 1805 establishments in New York (state) Brooklyn Navy Yard