Home of significant figure in Burlingame history to be relocated and preserved

The house is slated to begin being moved Thursday, Sept. 17, to make way for the construction of a five-story apartment complex, which officials approved in 2017. But noting the historic relevance of the site’s current structure, the development team agreed to relocate and preserve it elsewhere.

The house located on Douglas Avenue is the former home of James Murphy, who served as an early city stationmaster and later worked as city clerk before his death in 1940. His wife Jessie Murphy served as a park commissioner and helped develop Burlingame’s identity as “the City of Trees.”

Burlingame Historical Society President Jennifer Pfaff lauded the decision to save the house she considered a model of timeless beauty and simplicity.

“It’s fabulous. I’m grateful to everyone involved and I think it will be beautiful,” she said.

Zers Development and Dreiling Terrones Architecture, two lead parties proposing the apartment development, are helping finance and plan the home’s relocation.

The front portion of the building, built in 1903, is recognized by the city as a historic resource and must be preserved. According to a historical report, the home was the seventh built in Burlingame, and the Murphy family was one of the first to settle in the city.

Should all go as planned, it will mark the second time that the house has been moved. It was first relocated in 1914 from its original location on Burlingame Avenue, when it was displaced to make space for the downtown business district to bloom.

To that end, Pfaff noted home relocation used to be much more common and economical.

“It’s unusual now because it is just an ordeal and costly to move things because of the infrastructure,” said Pfaff, who noted those proposing the move needed to clear their plans with Caltrain before getting approval.

The former Gates House on Donnelly Avenue was also relocated from Burlingame Avenue around the turn of the century. But the house, which suffered external damage in a fire, was demolished to make way for construction of a new mixed-use development at its new location.

G.W. Gates was the city’s first stationmaster also the city’s third postmaster. His home was deemed to be a historical building and eligible for listing on the local and national registers.

A city report claimed the demolition was necessary as the vacant structure was becoming a public safety threat and a harbor of illicit and illegal activity by trespassers.

For her part, Pfaff said she is optimistic a successful relocation of the Murphy House will encourage those who own unique pieces of the past to consider preservation.

“Hopefully this will be an inspiration,” she said.

The address at 525 Oak Grove Ave., where the Murphy House will eventually settle, is currently a wooded lot befitting of the family’s legacy, said Pfaff.

Noting Jessie Murphy’s commitment to establishing the city’s wooded nature, Pfaff said she is confident the homeowner would be pleased to see her home’s new setting. Jessie Murphy was a committed environmentalist who planted many trees throughout Burlingame, including redwoods on and around the Douglas Avenue site.

“If her spirit is to live on, I think she would be thrilled where her house is going to land,” said Pfaff.

Editor's note: This story has been changed because the moving date shifted from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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