The house standing at 1 Lewis Avenue is the oldest home in the City of Millbrae. It was built in 1865, the same year Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. The house has stood by as the town of Millbrae emerged from the estate of Darius Ogden Mills, who had purchased his 1500 acres in 1860 from the Buri Buri Rancho of Jose Antonio Sanchez. It was there when Millbrae and Burlingame wrangled over the fifteen hundred acres of the Mills estate, and the incorporation of Millbrae in 1946.
The sky blue, three-story frame Victorian stands out within its neighborhood. A three-room rear addition has been constructed, while its kitchen had been modernized since 1865. Much of the dwelling, however, remains original and authentic. This includes the stained glass in the front door, along with the entry hall's original stained wood doors, door facings, and staircase. The upstairs bathroom features porcelain shower heads, plus a sink and wash basin with free standing legs. The living room-parlor windows originally featured stained glass like the front door, but has since been replaced with clear glass panels. The original rose colored carpet once covering the living room has been taken up by the current owners, revealing the original hardwood floor. An original Wells Fargo stamp can be found imbedded in the wall of the attic, from the time when the lumber was shipped to Millbrae for the construction of the house.
This house had initially been built for the family of Alfred F. Green. Green came to California from Vermont in 1851 or 1852, marrying Mary Tilton in 1856. He first lived in San Bruno, became one of the original subdividers of San Bruno, building a home there in 1863. Today, Green Avenue in San Bruno bears his name.
Green's greatest claim to fame came as manager and part owner of the Millbrae Dairy in 1865. Green had already been an experienced dairyman in Vermont. His knowledge of the industry combined with Darius Ogden Mills' entrepreneurial skills to create what became regarded at the time as the greatest dairy west of Rocky Mountains. Green's house stands on property once enclosed by the expansive Mills estate.
Located south of Murchison Drive, east of County Road (now El Camino Real) to the bay shore, the Millbrae Dairy reportedly featured a highly productive herd of Holstein cows. During the dairy's heyday, it is said the Millbrae train depot regularly became overcrowded with milk cans from the dairy. Freight cars transported an average of seven hundred fifty gallons of milk daily to San Francisco residents, the dairy's chief customers. In all, San Francisco consumed more than a quarter million gallons of Millbrae milk annually.
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According to Burlingame Historical Society records, daily milk production continued at the Millbrae Dairy until 1938, when Borden's Dairy Delivery Company purchased the business. Borden's established its headquarters at 198 California Drive in Burlingame. The company maintained a popular soda fountain there, which became a town landmark as well as a favorite socializing spot for local high school students. Much to those students' dismay, Borden's Dairy closed in February of 1970.
D.O Mills had bought out Alfred Green's share of the dairy in 1883. Green became a philanthropist, a benefactor of Millbrae, and a politician. He served on the Millbrae School Board in 1870's, then went on to serve as San Mateo County supervisor, then later as state senator. His son, F.H Green, served as Millbrae's first postmaster, when the post office operated out of the Millbrae train depot. Alfred F. Green died in January of 1910, just days apart from the death of his long-time partner, Darius Ogden Mills.
The house on Lewis Avenue is currently owned by Michelle and Robert Ruppert. Amazingly, in the 137-year history of the house, there have been only four owners. In 1928, the Green family sold the house to Giuliano and Pasquina Rollandelli, who operated a liquor distribution business among restaurants in San Francisco. The Rollandelli family resided at 1 Lewis Avenue for forty years, constructing three additional rooms. In 1970, the house became the property of Robert and Gladys Paul. The Rupperts purchased the home in June of 1984. While raising two children, they managed to steadfastly maintain the traditional appearance of the venerable home.
The Rupperts say older Millbrae residents often pass by the house, relaying memories of the house when the Rollandelli's owned it. One elderly woman even drew a sketch for them, depicting how the house and the surrounding property had appeared in the 1940's. At one point, say the Rupperts, the house apparently went through a stage of dilapidation, with the window shades regularly pulled down. Rumors emerged
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