These two photographs, taken 40 years apart, show the John & Annie Maria Silveria House located at 10470 Kelly Street in Mendocino. This home was built in 1916 by Pete Hansen and Ray Valentine for John and Annie Maria Silveria.
John and Annie Maria Silveria House, 1985. (Photographer: Bill Wagner)
John and Annie Maria Silveria House, 2025. (Photographer: Robert Dominy)
Annie Marie, daughter of Portuguese immigrants Casimero and Isabella Silvia, was born in Mendocino in 1892, and grew up in the Silvia family home on Rundle Street with her brother Joseph and sisters Mayme, Cecelia, and Belle.
John Maria Silveria was born in the Azores Islands in 1888. He and his brothers Manuel and Joseph came to Mendocino about 1910. These three brothers married three Silvia sisters: John married Annie Marie in 1911, Manuel married Belle in 1912, and Joseph married Cecelia in 1913.
The brothers then persuaded William Heeser to layout Kelly Street at the west end of town and provide them with three buildable lots to provide homes for their brides. All three families lived out their lives on three adjacent properties on the west side of Kelly Street.
John and Annie Marie had no children. John died in 1963, and the property was cared for by his widow until she passed away in 1985. Annie Marie’s great-niece Joyce Valador Corvin, who had taken care of Annie Marie in her last years, inherited the property. Joyce died suddenly in 1996, and Roger Edwards purchased the home in 1997.
Today! Two Walking Tours of Mendocino: Historic District Tour @ 11AM and Murder, She Wrote Tour at 11:30AM. $25