In 1893 world traveler and businessman Oscar Thieme purchased 27 acres of sheep pastures at the corner of Lester Street, now the extension of Rumpau Street, and Lemon Street, now Chase Drive, and planted Lisbon lemons. Wanting to recreate the beauty of his German homeland, he brought rare plants from places he visited. A beautiful Victorian carriage house designed by Corona architect Leo Kroonen was built, and gardens accommodated a wide variety of specimen trees, ornamental shrubs, vines and flowers. A citrus curing shed was later converted to a home when the mansion designed by Kroonen was never built. After the Thiemes returned to Germany, W.H. Jameson bought the property in 1906, preserved the gardens, and opened the estate for social events. The grand entrance on Chase Drive, through the ornate gate, was widely known, and the ornate wooden gate structure remained in use from the late 1880s to 1946.