Commandant's House (Quarters A)

24 Evans Street | DUMBO | built 1901

Open on the map6 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1806

    The Commandant's House is built for the head of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with Charles Bulfinch credited

    Construction began in 1805 and finished in 1806, with architect Charles Bulfinch associated with John McComb Jr. The landmarks commission called it a Federal-style mansion fit for the chief officer of a major naval establishment and the only building in the five boroughs attributed to Bulfinch, with a leaded-fanlight doorway among the finest Federal entrances in the city.

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  2. 1841

    Commodore Matthew C. Perry lives in the commandant's quarters

    Matthew C. Perry made his home in the house from 1841 to 1843 while serving at the Navy Yard. Over his assignment there from 1833 to 1843 he is credited with advancing the Navy's steamship navigation, the education of its enlisted men and officers, and the lighthouse service. His 1854 expedition opened Japan more widely to the West.

    “…it was home to Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858) between 1841 and 1843…”

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 1860

    The house is enlarged in 1860, 1904 and 1936

    The 1805-06 block of the house has been added to three times, in 1860, 1904 and 1936, and the additions substantially increased its size. Even so, the original block keeps Federal-period details inside, including carved wooden paneling and leaded sidelights at the front entry.

    Source: Wikipedia

  4. 1965

    October 14

    The city landmarks Quarters A over the objections of the Navy and the Defense Department

    At a hearing on September 21, 1965, a Navy representative asked that the house be dropped from the commission's calendar, and a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense argued that the city had no authority over federally owned buildings. Five witnesses spoke in favor, and the commission designated it a landmark on October 14, saying the city should state officially its concern that the house be preserved.

    “…the Commission cannot exercise any authority over buildings owned by the United States…”

    Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

  5. 1974

    The house is named a National Historic Landmark for its link to Commodore Perry

    In 1974 the Commandant's House was designated a National Historic Landmark. The designation rests on its association with Matthew C. Perry, commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard from 1841 to 1843, whose 1854 opening of Japan to the West changed trade and international affairs.

    Source: Wikipedia

  6. 1997

    Charles Gilbert and Jennifer Jones buy the privately owned house

    The house is now privately owned, and Wikipedia names Charles Gilbert and Jennifer Jones as the owners who purchased it in 1997. It sits on a bluff above the western side of the Navy Yard.

    Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

Nearby

All 12 buildings with stories in DUMBO