Benicia Historical Society

Page 8 HAUGHEY HOUSE ~ c. 1890 251 West J Street History: Most of the residences in the Downtown Historic District were constructed in the period from 1860-1890. This house, which may be much older than we have been able to establish, is significant as an exam- ple of the early residential development of the City of Benicia and the es- tablishment of a permanent town. It is transitional in style, exhibiting some of the motifs of the early Greek Revival style prevalent in the gold rush era but also some later elements of the Queen Anne Victorian trend. Architecture: This is a transitional Greek Revival cottage which has been restored and carefully maintained. The gabled front roof with eave returns, simple cornice, pedimented and bracketed narrow windows and a recessed entry all point to the restrained, classical Greek Revival style. At the same time, the form of the cottage with its combination of a front facing gable and a shed roof entry is more typical of the Queen Anne cottages. It is, perhaps, one additional example of the mixing or evolution of architectural styles which is quite common in our historic residences.