Bernardo Fernandez House, Second Empire French mansion in Pinole, California.

The Bernardo Fernandez House is a wood-frame mansion at 100 Tennent Ave in Pinole, built in the French Second Empire style with Queen Anne and Northern Italian elements. Stick trim panels decorate the main structure, brackets above the tall two-over-two first-floor windows support window hoods and eaves, and the central pavilion has a mansard roof with arched dormer windows. A full-height slanted bay on the left side carries a pedimented gable roof.

Bernardo Fernandez, a pioneer resident of Contra Costa County, had this house built around 1894 as his third residence; the two earlier ones were destroyed, one by flood and one by fire. It was listed on the Contra Costa Inventory of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The blend of different architectural styles reflects how wealthy settlers from various backgrounds came together to build their lives in this region of California during the growth years of the area.

The house is located in Pinole on Tenant Avenue and is registered as a historic building. Visitors should note that this is a private residence and viewing is from the exterior only.

The Mariotti family purchased the property in 1969 and preserved a collection of vintage vehicles along with remains of an early schooner called Carlotta that sank in the early 1900s. This unusual combination of automobiles and shipwreck artifacts makes the site particularly worth noting for history enthusiasts.