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Community Corner

Then and Now: McInnes House

Once the only house on the block, 21 Lovell Ave. is now in the heart of downtown.

One of the first houses in Mill Valley is still standing, and it does so just one block from downtown.

The McInnes House sits at 21 Lovell Avenue. The Then and Now photos show the similarities between the house built in 1891 and its 2011 edition. It was built on the corner of Lovell and Bernard avenues. The original owner was John Henderson McInnes, who purchased the lot as well as the entire block, which now is encompassed by Lovell, Bernard, Throckmorton, and Corte Madera avenues.

When the house was built, there was nothing else on the hill, and the front door faced what would soon become Depot Plaza. Today the entrance is on Lovell Ave.

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John McInnes was a downtown merchant and a true mover and shaker of his day. History paints him as a hard working entrepreneur who had a penchant for aggravating the locals and being constantly involved in lawsuits.

In the 1890 auction, John Henderson McInnes and wife Eliza acquired 10 lots in the block bounded by Throckmorton, Bernard, Lovell, Corte Madera avenues. J.H., as he was known, was a leading merchant, involved in supplying groceries, fuel, general supplies and building materials to the young town. He ran an early salon in Jagton.

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McInnes was a builder credited with the constructing the original Tavern of Tamalpais and other projects. He and son Andrew were also real estate agents. McInnes served as a director of the Mill Valley School Board and ran for country supervisor. He also was a persistent gadfly in the Tamalpais Land and Water Company, for which he was in almost constant litigation. At one time, he owned and ran a hardware store downtown and it was the location of the first telephone switchboard.

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