How did the street come to have such towering sequoias, which are not indigenous to the Pacific Northwest?
No one knows for sure but there are two well known theories.
The first is that Sero Migliavacca, a prominent banker in early 20th century Bremerton and the city’s first millionaire, had a hand in their planting. Migliavacca, who came from California — where redwoods are indigenous — built in 1910 the fanciest home in all of the city at the corner of Fourth and Veneta, which is now the rectory for Star of the Sea, according to the Kitsap Historical Society.
The second theory, which is more ambiguous, ties in with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard’s roots. Around 1900, someone gave a sequoia to the commanding officer of the shipyard as a gift, according to archives there. The tree was planted in front of what is now the admiral’s quarters.
Those quarters are almost due south from the two Sequoia trees on Veneta, less than a third of a mile away. They also appear to be of similar age. So perhaps someone planted a number of them in the area around that time, though only three remain standing.
It is possible, of course, that a mixture of both theories is correct. Or that neither one is right. The exact answer is likely lost to history.
From Josh Farleys article in the Kitsap Sun Jan 11, 2015.