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2017-10-02 13.13.42

Located at the Historic Union Cemetery.  The Solari Family Windmill was built in the 1880’s on the Solari farm, located at Whipple Avenue and Old County Road in Redwood City.

It was move in the 1930’s to the new family farm located on Manzanita Street near Middlefield Road and the railroad tracks, two blocks east of its present day location. It was again moved in 1990 as the property had been sold. To save the windmill from being demolished, it was disassembled and reconstructed on the grounds of the Garfield School and later disassembled again and stored at a Redwood City maintenance yard.

In May 2007, through the efforts of the City of Redwood City, Redwood City Parks and Recreation Department, and Redwood Parlor No. 66 Native Sons of the Golden West, the windmill was reassembled and refurbished at its present location in Union Cemetery, Redwood City.

The Solari Family Windmill is the last known functional windmill of its kind on the Peninsula.

George Solari, the last owner of the windmill was born in Redwood City on January 14, 1904 and lived on the family farms his entire life. He was a member of the Native Sons of the Golden West, Redwood Parlor No. 66, being initiated on July 17, 1924. He as an active member for 65 years, serving as Parlor President in 1945. George Solari passed on the Grand Parlor on High on March 29, 1998.

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This reconstructed windmill was originally built in the 1890’s on the George Solari family farm which was located near Whipple Avenue and Old County Road in Redwood City. When the area was subdivided in the 1930’s, the windmill was moved to the new family farm located near Woodside Road and Middlefield Road.

In 1990, the windmill was relocated to Garfield School as part of a new agricultural program. In order to save the windmill from demolition, Jean Cloud and Jeri Joseph-Hover encouraged the city of Redwood City to relocate the windmill to the city’s maintenance yard in June 2000. In 2006, the Union Cemetery site was approved as the new home of the Solari Windmill. The final phase of reconstruction was started in early 2007. Redwood Parlor #66 of the Native Sons of the Golden West refurbished the water tank house which was moved to the Union Cemetery site on May 18, 2007. This project was completed with the support of a number of local volunteers and community donations.

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