Quarters A, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Federal period residence in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, United States.
Quarters A is a three-story wooden building in the Federal style, set on raised ground inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It has leaded windows, carved wood trim, and traditional board siding along its exterior walls.
The building was constructed in 1805 under architect Charles Bulfinch and served as the official home of the Navy Yard's commanding officer. Over the course of the 1800s, it housed a succession of senior officers who oversaw the yard through a period of growing American sea power.
The wooden facade and carved trim reflect the restrained style that was fashionable among American institutions in the early 1800s. The building gives a sense of how rank and daily life were once bound together within a working shipyard.
The building is inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard complex, which has a controlled entrance at Little Street and Evans Street. Access to this part of the site generally requires prior arrangement, so it is worth confirming availability before visiting.
Commodore Matthew C. Perry, later known for opening Japan to trade with the West, lived here between 1841 and 1843. The raised position of the building gave its occupants a direct view over the East River and across the entire working yard below.
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