The Clevelands are gone, and the house has changed ownership a few times. It is now up for sale again.

Some residents fear that a prospective owner might want to tear down the house that is more than 80 years old and build a new house and stable on the property.

Carole Caselden, who lives next to the estate, said she got the information from a few surveyors who were working on the property.

"It's going to be terrible if they build stables there. It's going to smell," she said.

Her father, Hugh Thomas, voiced his concerns at a Monte Sereno City Council meeting on June 19.

"The historic house should be preserved," Thomas told the council.

Thomas said that the house epitomizes Monte Sereno.

Virginia McQuade, who also lives nearby, said the city should be strict with its building rules. "They were very strict with us when we built our house in 1966," she said.

Lana Malloy, who is a member of the city's cultural commission, said she was interested in preserving the old, historic house.

"I have met with the potential new owner. He wants to be sensitive to the needs of the neighbors," she said.

Malloy said that the house was originally part of the San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915 and was used for an exhibition on Maryland. Subsequently, the house was moved to Los Gatos-Saratoga Road.

A spokesman for the prospective buyer said all talk about the property is just conjecture and gossip, indicating that a decision to purchase the house has not yet been made.

Malloy said that there is no recourse for the city if a buyer wants to tear down an old house.

"Under the current rules in Monte Sereno, an owner's consent is required to preserve an old house," Malloy said.

City Manager Brian Loventhal said he had not received any applications for the piece of property yet. He also said that the Monte Sereno City Council would discuss a new ordinance this fall that will aim to protect old and historic buildings.