Benicia, a city on the Straits of Carquinez north of San Francisco, was an important place in early California history. It was a gold rush town, site of a major United States arsenal and briefly the capital of California. However, subsequent growth in the Bay Area largely by-passed Benicia, resulting in a town that by 1976 was largely intact but mostly hidden in plain sight beneath faded paint and later additions. When theHistoric American Building Survey came to town in that year the result was a remarkable recovery of the history of the place and a new appreciation of its architectural heritage, eventually leading to this book, a pioneering study of nineteenth century California architecture and urbanism.

‍