Bankers’ Row on Little Lake Street, c. 1895

This photograph captures three of the four houses on Mendocino’s “Bankers’ Row,” a block of elegant homes on Little Lake Street once associated with the town’s business and professional leaders. From left to right, the pictured homes are the C. O. Packard House, the Maxwell-Jarvis House, and the Albert Brown House. The Blair House, the fourth home on the block, stands just beyond the right edge of the image. Mendocino’s first high school, built in 1894, rises behind these houses, while in the foreground lies Heeser’s Field (known today as Heider Field). Each of these homes was equipped with its own water tower and windmill, a hallmark of Mendocino’s 19th-century skyline.

C. O. Packard House

Built in 1878 by carpenter Albert Maxwell for L. A. Morgan, this corner residence was sold three years later to druggist Charles Oscar Packard for $1,600. Packard expanded the home in 1887, added the water tower in 1888, and narrowly saved the house from a kitchen fire in 1913. After his death in 1917, the house passed to his widow and then to their daughter Sine Packard Salvador and her husband John, who sold the home in 1924. Restored in the 1990s as a bed-and-breakfast, the Packard House Inn continues to welcome guests today.

Maxwell-Jarvis House

This two-story home was built in 1878 by Albert Maxwell as his own family residence and praised in the Mendocino Beacon as “one of the finest residences on the coast.” Maxwell lived here only briefly before his death in 1880, after which his daughter Ardell and her husband Henry Jarvis (proprietor of the Jarvis & Nichols Store on Main Street) made it their home for nearly four decades. The house survived a damaging fire in 1966, was rebuilt, and later appeared in film and television, including Murder, She Wrote and Pontiac Moon.

Albert Brown House

In 1880, builder J. D. Johnson constructed this home for Sophia and Cornelia Cranz, sisters who had come to Mendocino to open a private school. They designed the floor plan themselves, which Johnson praised for its comfort and practicality. After Sophia’s death in 1882, Cornelia sold the property to physician Dr. Madison Mosher, who in turn sold it to Albert and Georgiana Brown in 1884. Albert was a distinguished businessman who was instrumental in establishing Mendocino’s electric company, organizing the Apple Fair and Chamber of Commerce, and improving the town’s fire department, schools, and roads. Albert and Georgiana raised their seven children here, and the house remained in the Brown family for 66 years.

Together, the homes of Bankers’ Row remain enduring symbols of Mendocino’s late 19th-century prosperity, craftsmanship, and civic pride.

Celebrate Oktoberfest with a live homebrewing demo and beer tastings from Foggy Coast Brewers and North Coast Brewing Company. See how brewers turn grain into your favorite craft brew, pick up expert tips, and sip beer while taking in the stunning Mendocino Bay view from the Kelley House Museum lawn. Grab your ticket and raise a glass to the art of homebrewing! Saturday, September 13, 12 PM – 4 PM