Members of the Noronha family originally settled in Terceira, sometime in the 16th century, in the form of D. Luísa de Noronha. Daughter of Pedro Ponce Leão (a member of the Royal Household and aid to Queen
Catherine) and D. Helena de Noronha, D. Luísa had her home in the town of Angra, in the heights of
Rua do Gallo (today
Rua de D. Amélia), today the location of the Palacete Silveira e Paulo. The
solar was named for the family that constructed it in the 18th century; it was constructed in 1781. This extensive manorhouse is unique for a rural landed-gentry of the period, and conveys the importance and wealth of this important family on the agrarian island of São Jorge at the time. ==Architecture==