Commanding Officer's Quarters, Watertown Arsenal

The Commanding Officer's Quarters, Watertown Arsenal is a historic house in Watertown, Massachusetts. During the American Civil War, a new commander's quarters was commissioned by then-Capt. Thomas J. Rodman, inventor of the Rodman gun, for the Watertown Arsenal. The lavish, 12,700 sq ft (1,180 m2), quarters would ultimately become one of the largest commander's quarters on any U.S. military installation. The expense ($63,478.65) was considered wasteful and excessive and drew a stern rebuke from Congress, who then promoted Rodman to Brigadier General and sent him to command Rock Island Arsenal on the frontier in Illinois, where he built an even larger commander's quarters. The Watertown commander's quarters house now houses offices and a museum about the arsenal.

Commanding Officer's Quarters, Watertown Arsenal
Location443 Arsenal Street,
Watertown, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°21′38″N 71°09′47″W
Built1865
ArchitectGeorge W. Horn, Thomas J. French
Architectural styleItalianate
Part ofWatertown Arsenal Historic District (ID99000498)
NRHP reference No.76000279[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 7, 1976
Designated CPMay 14, 1999

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976,[1] and included in the Watertown Arsenal Historic District in 1999.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "MACRIS inventory record for Commanding Officer's Quarters, Watertown Arsenal". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-04-08.


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