San José City Landmarks

The Filice Residence is a Period Revival Tudor-styled, single-family residence built in 1939. Bruno Filice came to the Santa Clara Valley in 1909, and for many years operated a grocery store on S. First Street. During this time his son John M. completed high school and became a printer in a print shop next to the grocery store. With the repeal of the Volstead Act (Jan 16, 1919- December 5, 1933) Bruno Filice began acquiring vineyards and purchased the old San Martin Winery in San Martin. The family had been winemakers, Bozzo and Filice, since 1700. As the wine business grew, Bruno sold Globe Printing and John M. worked full time in the wine business as manager and the designer for labels and the winery. In 1938, as a winery executive and also managing Globe Printing, John Married Anita Copy and purchased the lot for the residence. A year later the house was completed.

The unique features of this residence are its steeply

pitched multi-planar gabled roofs with their projecting wooden

supports and carved end boards. Another design feature that is

somewhat unusual for a house in coastal California is the

abundant use of brick facing which covers the entire first floor

of the house on all four elevations. Historically, brick trim

was sometimes used as ornament but full brick sheathing is

rather rare in San Jose residential development where wood and

stucco predominate. 

–Adapted from 2019 DPR form, Bonnie Bamburg, author