San José City Landmarks

The Pomeroy House at 225 Sequoia Avenue, San José, is a 1923 Spanish Eclectic–style residence designed by Andrew P. Hill Jr., a locally notable architect. Built for Clovis and Grace Pomeroy, descendants of one of Santa Clara County’s early settler families, the home sits prominently on the northwest corner of Sequoia and Martin Avenues within the Hanchett and Hester Park Conservation Area.

The one-story, roughly “F”-shaped house is characterized by a complex, asymmetrical plan that emphasizes an indoor–outdoor relationship through courtyards and garden spaces. Key architectural features include:

• Red Spanish-tile roofs with gabled and hipped sections and flat-roofed wings.

• Medium-dash stucco walls accented with art-tile insets, cast plaster ornamentation, and wrought-iron balconets.

• A distinctive octagonal front turret with paired arched French doors.

• Arched windows and doors, decorative ironwork, integrated arbor, and buttressed forms.

• A detached two-car garage, built concurrently with the house, and an ornate wrought-iron entry gate.

The house occupies a double lot in a historic residential area defined by tree-lined streets, landscaped roundabouts, and early 20th-century homes. The setting—marked by mature palms, cork oaks, and consistent setbacks—maintains the integrity of the original neighborhood design envisioned by landscape architect John McLaren.

Commissioned in 1923, the Pomeroy House reflects the period revival trends that shaped California residential architecture in the 1920s. Hill’s design anticipated the casual “ranch-style” indoor–outdoor living later popularized in the mid-20th century.

The Pomeroy family occupied the home until 1931; subsequent owners included the Kreling and Neuroth families. Despite minor changes, the structure has remained largely intact and continues to illustrate the architectural and cultural heritage of early suburban San José.