Mills, Robert, Dairy Barn
Also known as: Burleigh H. Murray Ranch
Why it's listed
On a hillside near Half Moon Bay, a redwood dairy barn built for English-born entrepreneur Robert P. Mills in 1889-1893 stands on a sandstone foundation laid by Italian stonemason G.B. Martini. It follows the English Lake District bank barn form, with wagon roads on the uphill side to deliver hay into the loft. Originally 200 feet long and able to house 100 cows, it lost about 35 feet of its southern end between 1917 and 1925. Its platform frame is held in tension by vertical iron rods, a method experts consulted for the nomination had not seen elsewhere in the United States. The listed area also includes a bunkhouse, a covered stone culvert, an arched stone bridge, retaining walls along Mills Creek and the remains of a grainery basement. The property was listed for architecture, for its link to Mills, who helped promote local development, and for its place in the area's dairy history. It is now a state park unit and is not in use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the barn combines English bank barn design with Italian stonemasonry in a California setting. It is the only identified English bank barn in California and one of very few farm structures of its size in San Mateo County. It also reflects Robert Mills's role in the growth of Half Moon Bay and uses an iron-rod tension system that may be unique.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000120, listed February 15, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Higgins Purissima Rd., Half Moon Bay |
|---|---|
| County | San Mateo County |
| Listed | February 15, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000120 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1889-1897 |
| Architect / builder | Mills, Robert P.; Martini, G.B.; Mills, Charles |
| Architectural style | Other: English Bank Barn |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant/not in use; the property is a park unit of the California Department of Parks & Recreation. About 35 feet of the barn's southern end was lost between 1917 and 1925. |
| Acreage | 25 |
| Coordinates | 37.45566, -122.38944 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000120.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.