Benicia Historical Society

Page 5 VAN HORN/FISH HOUSE ~ c.1900 245 West K Street History: The Fish House was built by Franklin and Henrietta Riddell Fish about 1900 and a set of the original architectural drawings still ex- ists. This impressive Queen Anne Victorian is still in excellent shape and both the home and surrounding gardens have recently undergone exten- sive restoration work. As originally built, this house had a second-story balcony to the right of the front entrance, which was enclosed in 1936. Architecture: While Benicia has numerous Queen Anne style cottages, this home is the finest example of what is called the “villa” type of Queen Anne. The chief difference between the cottage and the villa is that the latter has a more imposing scale and one or more towers or turrets. Here we can also see the style embodied in the irregular form and roof silhou- ette, the variety of surface patterns in cut shingles and other decorative details in wood, the paneled brick chimney and the round corner tower. The interior features a mahogany staircase and mantels, stained glass win- dows and numerous decorative plaster brackets. With the renovation came the addition of Victorian print wallpaper from Benicia’s own Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpaper. This is indeed the most elaborate of the nineteenth century homes that still stand in Benicia.