Built in the first decade of the 19th Century, the Commandant’s House on the western edge of the Brooklyn Navy Yard holds great allure, in part because it’s so hard to get a full glimpse of. On Gowanus Lounge today, read about its history and find out how you can get a closer look at the privately-owned Federal Style mansion starting this weekend. More history on the jump.

From Andrew S. Dolkart’s Guide to New York City Landmarks:

Commandant’s House, Evans Street at Little Street (1805-1806), designated 1965. The design of this frame house has often been attributed to the Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, working in association with John McComb, Jr., but there is no evidence to support this attribution. The house is among the most elegant structures in the Federal style in New York. Of special note are the porches supported by slender colonettes and the pair of especially fine fanlighted entranceways. The house was the residence of Matthew Perry when he served as commanding officer of the shipyard in the 1840s.