{"nrhp_refnum":"76000534","name":"Benicia Arsenal","other_names":["Benicia Barracks"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Army Point and I-680","address_restricted":false,"city":"Benicia","county":"Solano County","state":"CA","lat":38.04979548600005,"lon":-122.13660618068613,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former U.S. Army arsenal and barracks complex on Army Point on the northeast shore of Carquinez Strait at Benicia, Solano County, California. It holds sandstone, brick and frame buildings dating from the 1850s to the 1880s, nominated as a non-contiguous district of building clusters and individual sites.","why_significant":"Benicia Arsenal was one of four permanent arsenals and supply depots for the Pacific Coast. It supplied western troops and ordnance through the Civil War, Spanish-American War, both World Wars and the Korean conflict. Its early hand-carved sandstone buildings, including the Camel Barns, where camels imported by the government were stabled in 1863-64, are noted as architecturally outstanding for their period.","narrative":"Benicia Arsenal is a former U.S. Army ordnance depot on Army Point, overlooking Carquinez Strait at Benicia, California. The government acquired the land in 1847, troops arrived in 1849, and by 1852 the post served as one of four permanent arsenals and general supply depots on the Pacific Coast. By 1859 seven hand-hewn sandstone buildings stood on the site, among them the Post Hospital, powder magazines, the Camel Barns and a three-story storehouse built as a fortress, later topped by a clock tower. Brick officers' quarters, barracks, a guardhouse and three permanent shops followed in the 1860s through 1880s. The arsenal supplied western troops during the Civil War and equipped National Guardsmen in 1898. It served as a principal supply point for Pacific ordnance in World War II, and its civilian workforce peaked during the Korean conflict. Deactivated in 1963, it was listed as a district of three building clusters plus individual sites, because later intrusions fragmented the original setting.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Classic Georgian (described for the Commanding Officer's house); otherwise early hand-carved sandstone and brick military buildings","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is fair and mixed. Some buildings are in use as offices, storage or housing, a few are vacant (Powder Magazine, Commanding Officer's house, Barracks, Headquarters), and Shop #49 has been demolished. The arsenal was deactivated in 1963 and closed in 1964.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.894259-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/76000534.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000534/bb331bd06f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000534/bb331bd06f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benicia_Arsenal_1878.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benicia_Arsenal_1878.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861995","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benicia_Arsenal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4887934"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/solano-county/benicia-arsenal-76000534/"}