Benicia Historical Society

Page 7 CHIOTTI HOUSE ~ c. 1870 1025 West 2nd Street History: This house is one of hundreds of new homes built in Beni- cia between 1860 and 1900. Although the population growth during this period was not great, the amount of construction is evidence of ample prosperity. This prosperity did not result in the building of lav- ish dwellings, however, and one of the most striking features about “Old Town Benicia” is the lack of extremes in housing. It also seems that in late 19 th century Benicia, ostentatious living was considered bad form. Architecture: This is a one-story classical revival house with an atypical moderately sloped roof. The house features a front gable that is closed with an elaborately bracketed band and cornice. The win- dows are narrow double hung with a bracketed pediment at the top. The pediment functions to visually tie the paired windows into a sin- gle unit.