LEAL TANK HOUSE
Joseph Silviera Leal and Julia Perry Leal built
this tank house on their ranch in the
Mission San Jose area of Fremont in 1925.
The lower floor was a storage room and the
upper floor a bedroom. The tank on top
stored 5,000 gallons of water pumped from a
100
foot-deep well. It was the only source of water
for the Leal home and livestock for 57 years.
The tank house was reconstructed at Ardenwood in 2004 by community volunteers from local Rotary Clubs and spearheaded
by members of Mission San Jose Rotary.
It is dedicated to the memory of
Charles “Skip” Domville who initiated this
project as part of his efforts to preserve
local history.
A tank house similar to this one, once supplied
all the water for the Patterson House, gardens
and other nearby buildings.
Bernie Leal (grandson of Julia
and Joseph) donated the tank
house to the city of Fremont.
Tank house
Julia Perry Leal and Joseph
Silviera Leal wedding photo,
1899.
The tank house on Leal Ranch.
All photos courtesy of Bernie Leal
