Napoleon Byrne came to California from Missouri, bringing his family and two freed slaves. In 1868, he built an Italianate house on 827 acres of purchased land. When the land proved unsuitable for farming, the Byrnes sold the property and moved to the Sacramento River Delta.

The house passed through various owners until it was purchased by the Chinese Christian Missionary Alliance Church in 1951. It was declared a Berkeley landmark in 1976 and a national landmark in 1978. In 1985, a fire destroyed the house. A commemorative plaque marks the location.