Landmarks

John C. Morrill House, at 897 Jackson

The John C. Morrill House, formerly known as "The Briar Rose Inn", until recently a bed-and-breakfast establishment at the corner of N. 19th and Jackson Streets, was built in 1875 by Cornelius J. Harrison. According to the Winter 1996 edition of the Northside newsletter, "Harrison was heavily involved with the Farmer's National Bank and the horse drawn trolley system, which was San Jose's first form of public transportation. He also was on the welcoming committee when President (Ulysses S.) Grant toured California."

The John C. Morrill House was once part of Harrison's thriving walnut orchard. The house next door was the carriage house, and the house on the corner of 18th and Jackson was the servants' quarters," Northside reported. "The garden cottage was originally the pump house that pumped the water for the orchard."

The Inn is decorated with period Victorian antiques, along with Bradbury and Bradbury period reproduction wallpaper. The Inn has six bedrooms, including the garden cottage. Formal tea is served in the afternoon, cookies and sherry are served in the evening by the fire, and a full breakfast is served in the solarium overlooking the heart-shaped pond. "There is also a wrap-around porch, wonderful for romantic, quiet summer evenings," the Northside newsletter rhapsodized. "As you walk through the rooms you feel transported back in time as you look at the old ornate fireplace mantles, the beautifully redone mirrors, and the comfortable antique beds you just want to climb into. Every corner of the house has something beautiful to look at, whether it be an old clock or vase, or a dried flower swag draping over a hutch."

John C. Morrill House's gardens boasts eighty roses and seasonal flowers, a gazebo, the afore-mentioned pond, and several arbors, and can accommodate weddings for up to 175 guests.

The John C. Morrill House building is located at 895 Jackson Street. The property was purchased by a private owner in 2004 and is no longer operating as a Bed and Breakfast.

return to top

This NNA web page sponsored by eNative, "Know YOUR neighborhood!"