Victorian gem; ‘one of the most important’ homes in downtown area on sale for first time

One of Gilroy’s most historic homes is for sale for the first time. 
The yellow Victorian “Chesbro House” at 7541 Church St., between Fourth and Fifth Streets, was built in 1890 by former Gilroy Mayor Heverland R. Chesbro. It is listed for $579,950.
“The home is one of the most important ones in the downtown area,” said Connie Rogers, president of the Gilroy Historical Society. “And it’s always been in one family until now.”
The three story, five bedroom house which has a sitting room, formal dining room and commercial kitchen, was used as a bed and breakfast by current owner Elizabeth Barratt, Chesbro’s great-grandaughter. 
The backyard has a trumpet vine that blossoms with bright orange flowers and is as old as the home itself. The yard is also shaded with a mature fig tree, lemon tree and apple tree. 
The home has been updated with new plumbing and electricity, Barratt said.
“It’s a very livable house, despite the Victorian atmosphere,” she said.
Ever since she bought the house 18 years ago from her aunt, Barratt said people who walk by stop to chat with her and ogle the home’s English charm. 
“Sometimes I’d give them an impromptu walk-through,” Barratt said. 
Chesbro bought the house and land for $2,600. Modern and luxurious for its time, the house was wired for electricity a decade before the utility was available in town. Indoor bathrooms and running water also made the Chesbro home one of the most lavish around. 
The Gilroy Advocate (the prior name of this newspaper) wrote in 1890 that the Chesbro home was, at the time, the “chief ornament” of the block. 
“It strikes the eye most favorably from the street,” the paper wrote. 
The house became a hub for gatherings of Gilroy socialites, according to Barratt’s book she wrote in 2011 about her great-grandfather, “A Country Doctor in the Valley of Heart’s Delight: The life and times of pioneer Gilroy physician and Mayor Heverland R. Chesbro, MD.”
“In the Chesbro house itself, life soon took on the higher caliber of social formalities expected of an up-and-coming citizen,” Barratt writes. 
In 1907, Chesbro became the second man to own an automobile in Gilroy. His efforts on behalf of Santa Clara County water conservation were later assumed by his son, Dr. Elmer J. Chesbro, after whom Chesbro Dam is named. Heverland died in 1947.
“The property has a rich history,” Rogers said. 
Barratt plans to retire with her husband in the Carmel area.
“I’ll miss it something awful, for the two of us rambling around in a house like that, it doesn’t make sense anymore,” said. “I just hope that the right family will buy it and love it like we do.”
At this time, Barratt said no open houses are scheduled, but the home is available for anyone to see upon request. Contact listing agent Katherine McBride at (408) 505-1913 for more information.