Street Talk
Dalma Drive
Dalmatian Coat of Arms
(Source: Wikipedia)
AVE
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By Candace Bowers
MVHA President
Dalma Drive was originally part of a subdivision
owned by Peter Jelavich, who named the street
after the Dalmatia region in his family’s native
Yugoslavia. The original map of the tract showed the street name as
Dalma, and home buyers believed this would be their new address.
However, as the only property owner and resident of the street at
the time, Jelavich had petitioned the county for an eponymous name
change in the 1940s. Thus Dalma became Jelavich for a brief period.
Residents petitioned the city council to reverse the name change in
1950, and it became Dalma Drive in 1951.
Dalma Drive, as shown on the 1960 Chamber of
Commerce map of Mountain View.
Abbott House Restored
On April 30, 2016, residents of the new Mountain View CoHousing
Community hosted an open house for their new housing complex at 445
Calderon Avenue in Old Mountain View. One very special component of the
project is the restoration of the property’s historic Italiante Victorian farm
house, originally built c. 1885 by local carpenter Charles Abbott. At the
time, Calderon Avenue was a rural street and the house was surrounded by
a 12-acre orchard. In 1926, the house was purchased by the Bakotich family.
Anne Bakotich, born in 1917, grew up in the house and lived there until she
passed away in 2007.
Anne Bakotich’s friends and family were invited back to the
property to see the results of the home’s restoration.
The house is now believed to be third-oldest home still standing in
Mountain View. Few knew it existed though; the home was set far back
from the street and hidden by dense foliage. During its restoration, the
house was relocated to the front of the property and is now visible to those
traveling along Calderon Avenue. The house will now be used as gathering
space and a guest cottage by the Mountain View CoHousing Community.
The house’s restoration was a true labor of love and priceless gift to
Mountain View! Thank you, Mountain View CoHousing!
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