Greek Revival and Neoclassical, the J. Neely Johnson House of 1853 is one of the city's early, elegant domestic statements. This was constructed for William Cozzens, a horticulturalist from New England who came to California via Panama — yet Cozzens couldn’t pay the builder and lost the house in court that same year. Ownership passed: Selden A. McMeans, State Treasurer elected in 1853, bought it in 1854, then sold it in January 1856 to David S. Terry, a California Supreme Court justice.
In 1856 it was a home of J. Neely Johnson, the fourth governor of California; a press report says Johnson gave a brief speech from the balcony before being escorted to the State Capitol for his inauguration. Johnson, a lawyer by trade, had moved to California during the 1849 Gold Rush and served from 1856 until 1858. The next, fifth governor, John B. Weller, lived across the street.
The house was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is currently owned by Irene Ho of Sacramento. Notice the balcony where Governor Johnson gave his brief speech before his inauguration, the façade, and the street where Governor Weller once lived.