The home of the commanding officer of the Benicia Arsenal was built at 1 Commandant Lane, in 1860. The first commanding officer to live there was Julian McAllister who presided over the Arsenal during the period of 1860-1886. He not only built the Commandant’s home but also a number of other buildings in the Arsenal and in the city of Benicia. The Commandant’s home (also known as the Commanding Officer’s Quarters) went through extensive remodeling in the 1870s and 1880s changing it from a severe Greek Revival to its present lighter Italianate style. In the late 19th century, it was the center of the local social gatherings with people arriving by steamboat from San Francisco. At that time, the grounds were pleasant and well-tended. In the early 20th century, the Arsenal commander was Colonel James Walker Benet, whose son, Stephen Vincent Benet, received the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for his Civil War poem, John Brown’s Body. It has since been the home of a succession of businesses including at one time a restaurant. The City of Benicia invested in the restoration of the Commanding Officer’s Quarters and it is now the home of Arts Benicia. This mural depicts Union Army soldiers and possibly a scout. It is unclear what the lavender flag represents.