Olivas Adobe in Ventura, California

California Adobes

Adobe construction was introduced to California by the Spanish in 1769. Adobe buildings make use of local, plentiful materials needed for adobe bricks, made by mixing clay-rich mud, straw, animal manure and sand in a pit. The mixture is then shoveled into molds and left to bake in the sun. The Spanish used adobe widely, and every Spanish presidio, pueblo and mission was made almost exclusively of adobe. Modern construction requires materials to meet earthquake safety standards, which the original adobe buildings did not. When you visit adobe house museums, missions and other historic adobe structures, you'll often find they've undergone some sort of restoration process.

ANAHEIM: Peralta Adobe
6398 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road
Anaheim, CA 92807
(714) 973-3190
ocparks.com
The Ramon Peralta Adobe is the only one still standing in Santa Ana Canyon today. The Peralta Adobe contains a small museum featuring the history of the Santa Ana Canyon from the first Spanish explorers to the area in 1769 to the present. Artifacts excavated on site, a timeline mural, furnished period room and numerous photographs trace the history of the first European settlers to the canyon.

CALABASAS: Leonis Adobe Museum
23537 Calabasas Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
leonisadobemuseum.org
The gracious Monterey style 2-story adobe home of Miguel Leonis (King of Calabasas — Miguel Grande) and his Chumash wife, Espiritu, is a local treasure and worth a stop on trips on Highway 101. The property also boasts the 1870 Victorian charmer, the Plummer House, along with a vineyard, barnyard livestock and lots to learn from knowledgeable docents.

CALIFORNIA MISSIONS

CITY OF INDUSTRY: Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum
15415 East Don Julian Road
City of Industry, California 91745
homesteadmuseum.org
Now owned and maintained by the City of Industry, it is believed that William Workman and his wife Nicolasa Urioste had Gabrielino Indians build an adobe residence on their property. The Homestead Museum includes an 1840s adobe and the Spanish Colonial Revival mansion, La Casa Nueva.

ENCINO: Los Encinos State Historic Park
16756 Moorpark St.
Encino CA
Guided tours of De La Ossa adobe are offered. Located in the San Fernando Valley, the California rancho includes the original eight-room de la Ossa Adobe, the two-story limestone Garnier building, a blacksmith shop, a natural spring, and a pond. parks.ca.gov

FORT TEJON: Fort Tejon State Historic Park. Most of the buildings at Fort Tejon were built of adobe bricks, including the hay and mule corrals. Lumber was hard to come by and very expensive so civilian contractors made most of the bricks at the fort in the marsh area, southeast of the park office. The Mexican and Indian contractors were paid either per brick (usually .01-.02 cents) or a flat rate per 1000. The bricks were stored behind the kitchen mess hall. Adobe bricks are very susceptible to weather damage. Band Quarters washed away before it was completed when an unexpected rainstorm hit before the roof of the building was constructed. parks.ca.gov

GLENDALE: Catalina Verdugo Adobe in Glendale
2211 Bonita Drive
Glendale, CA 91208
glendalca.gov
California Historical Landmark #637 is the oldest structure in Glendale, was home to Catalina Verdugo who, with her brother Julio, owned much of today's Northeast Glendale. Before the The Treaty of Cahuenga at Campo de Cahuenga (now North Hollywood) ended the Mexican-American War, a meeting was held in 1847 on the Oak of Peace grounds. The adobe originally consisted of the main room and the south wing. The north wing was added in the early 1900s, after it was sold to land developer F.P. Newport.

GLENDALE: Casa Adobe de San Rafael
330 Dorothy Drive
Glendale, CA 91202
glendaleca.gov
California Landmark #235  was built around 1870 by Tomas Sanchez, former sheriff of Los Angeles County, using adobe blocks to form the walls covered with stucco. By 1930 the Casa was slated for demolition. The City of Glendale purchased the adobe in 1930 and by 1932 La Casa de Adobe de San Rafael was completely refurbished. It maintains the original Monterey-style corridor (covered porch), beautiful sunken garden, brick patio, sandy brown tile roof, and long narrow front windows.

LOMPOC: La Purisima Mission State Historic Park parks.ca.gov

LONG BEACH: Rancho Los Alamitos
6400 Bixby Hill Road
Long Beach, CA
rancholosalamitos.org
Enter through residential security gate at the intersection of Anaheim and Palo Verde
Located atop a hill in the gated Bixby Hill, you must drive through a guard gate to visit the stately rancho once owned by the Bixby family and now operated through the City of Long Beach. In addition to the 1800 adobe, a 1948 horse barn and a new exhibit center, the grounds, plants and flowers are a highlight.

LONG BEACH: Rancho Los Cerritos
4600 Virginia Road
Long Beach, California 90807
rancholoscerritos.org
Drive through the neighborhood of Virginia Country Club estates to discover the real charmer, Rancho Los Cerritos. Docent led tours and a welcome center with videos get you up to speed on the history of Long Beach's famous families and their holdings. While there, stop by Johnny Reb's on Long Beach Blvd. for some authentic, hickory smoked ribs and chicken.

LOS ANGELES: Avila Adobe
10 E. Olvera St
Los Angeles, CA
elpueblo.lacity.org
Built in 1818 by Francisco Jose Avila (served as LA's mayor in 1910,) the adobe is believed to be the oldest house in Los Angeles.

MISSION HILLS: Andres Pico Adobe 
10940 Sepulveda Blvd
Mission Hills, CA 91346
sfvhs.com
Built in 1834, the structure originally built for Andres Pico, general of the Mexican-California armed forces, now houses a museum.

MONTEBELLO: Sanchez Adobe
946 Adobe Ave
Montebello, CA 90640
montebellohistoricalsociety.org
1844 Sanchez Adobe museum was originally owned by Juan Matias Sanchez.

MONTEREY: Monterey State Historic Park  parks.ca.gov

MONTEREY: Path of History tour of Adobes
Custom House | Pacific House | Casa del Oro | First Brick House | Old Whaling Station | Old Fisherman's Wharf | Mayo Hayes O'Donnell Library | Casa Soberanes | Casa Serrano | Steinbeck / Lara-Soto Adobe | Colton Hall | Casa Gutierrez | Monterey Museum of Art | House of Four Winds | Larkin House | Sherman Quarters | Casa Amesti | Gabriel de la Torre Adobe | Cooper Molera Adobe | Robert Louis Stevenson House | Casa Abrego | Pacheco Adobe | Royal Presidio Chapel/San Carlos Cathedral

NORTH HOLLYWOOD: Campo de Cahuenga
3919 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA
campodecahuenga.com
An adobe-like museum serves the Campo today. Outside, a display of the latest excavation of the original adobe is on view, one that extends under busy Lankershim Boulevard. All around are the footprints of history. Native Tongva peoples knew this site at the strategic ford of the Los Angeles River. The first Californios walked here. Missionaries, rancheros, gold seekers, pioneers crossed paths here. The Butterfield Stagecoach once stopped at the Campo. A Civil War encampment was erected here. Managed by the Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association under the auspices of the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.

NOVATO: Olompali State Historic Park contains remains of Camilo Ynitia's adobe. James Burdell Mansion incorporated two older buildings (his parents' 1866 clapboard house and the Camilo Ynitia adobe) into a stucco mansion in 1911. The 1969 fire exposed the remains of the original adobe walls, which are now enclosed in wood for protection. Directions: Accessible from Highway 101, exit at Atherton Blvd. and follow posted directional signs to the park. parks.ca.gov

PETALUMA: Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
3325 Adobe Road
Petaluma, CA 94954
parks.ca.gov
The Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark constructed from 1836 to 1846, is the largest domestic adobe building remaining in the United States. As the main residence for one of the most powerful men in the Mexican Province of California Rancho Petaluma (General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo,) the huge adobe building was the center of activity on one of the most prosperous private estates established during the Mexican period. The adobe contains authentic furniture and exhibits depicting early rancho life. TThe park has shaded picnic areas with views of farmland and oak-studded hills. parks.ca.gov

POMONA: Adobe de Palomares in Pomona
491 E. Arrow Highway
Pomona, CA
pomonahistorical.org
As part of Pomona Historical Society's assets of five historic properties in the city dating from 1854 to 1910,  Adobe de Palomares is the oldest. It has been restored with furnishings representing the mid-1800s era in which the adobe was occupied as the second, larger home of the Palomares family.

RANCHO DOMINGUEZ: Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum
18127 S. Alameda St
Rancho Dominguez, CA 
dominguezrancho.com
California Historical Landmark Number 152

RED BLUFF: William B. Ide Adobe State Historic
21659 Adobe Rd.
Red Bluff, CA
parks.ca.gov
Overlooking the Sacramento River, the park features the old adobe home, blacksmith shop and a visitor center. Adobe Day in September features music of the Ide Adobe Players and  hands-on pioneer crafts and period activities at this historic ranch and ferry crossing.

SACRAMENTO: Sutter's Fort State Historic Park parks.ca.gov

SAN DIEGO: Old Town San Diego State Historic Park parks.ca.gov

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA: San Juan Bautista State Historic Park and San Juan Bautista Mission sit along an earthquake faultline. parks.ca.gov

SAN MARINO:  The Old Mill
1120 Old Mill Road
San Marino, CA 91108
old-mill.org
2-story adobe grist mill was the first commercial building in Southern California. 

SAN MIGUEL: Rios-Caledonia Adobe rios-caledoniaadobe.org
Part of the San Luis Obispo County Parks Department, the adobe is located near Mission San Miguel, one of the best preserved missions in the California system.

SANTA BARBARA: El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park parks.ca.gov

SANTA BARBARA: Red Tile Walking Tour Downtown

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY: Rancho Las Cruces, also known as Hollister Adobe. Very poor condition. Hwy 101 & SR1. Under direction of Santa Barbara County. The adobe is located in a rural area overgrown with vegetation and surrounded by large trees, open fields, and several converging creeks. Possibly constructed by Miguel Cordero between 1830 and 1860, it has been owned and/or occupied by various individuals over the years. It has served as a post office, a general store, court, hotel, and possibly even a brothel. parks.ca.gov

SANTA CLARA: Berryessa Adobe
(408) 615-2450
373 Jefferson Street
santaclara.gov
The oldest residential structure in the city, a modest 38 by 18 foot home constructed of adobe bricks, was built some time between 1792 the 1840s possibly by Juan Chrisostomo Galindo - one of the first colonists to come to the Santa Clara Valley with the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition. The building may have been a mission jail for unruly Indian field hands.

SANTA CRUZ: Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
144 School St.
Santa Cruz, CA
parks.ca.gov
The austere single-story adobe, restored to its original appearance, was once housing for the California Indian residents of the Mission. Exhibits inside tell the story of the mission through the lens of the experience of the Ohlone and Yokuts people.

SANTA CRUZ: Wilder Ranch State Park parks.ca.gov
Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz

SANTA FE SPRINGS: Hathaway Ranch and Oil Museum
11901 East Florence Avenue
Santa Fe Springs, CA
hathawayranchmuseum.org
It can be challenging seeing the five acre ranch museum which is only open several weekdays, but Hathaway Ranch & Oil Museum is worth the effort.

VENTURA: Olivas Adobe
4200 Olivas Park Drive
Ventura, California
cityofventura.net/olivasadobe | olivasadobe.org
The Olivas Adobe is Ventura County's only remaining Monterey-style adobe home from the Rancho era. A grand entryway and courtyard with a water fountain lead to an adobe decorated with period-style furnishings. Ghosts of the past may present themselves during a visit.

VENTURA: Ortega Adobe
cityofventura.net
The Ortega Adobe was built in 1857 and is know as the birthplace of Ortega Famous Green Chilies. The landmark adobe typifies modest homes that lined Main Street. Having been a home, it also was used as a boardinghouse, restaurant, police department, Shell Oil Co. office building, and meeting place for the Ventura Boys and Girls Club

WATSONVILLE: Castro Adobe
184 Old Adobe Road
Watsonville, CA
thatsmypark.org
The two-story Castro Adobe is one of the finest examples of a rancho hacienda in the Monterey Bay area. The Monterey-Colonial adobe is an important example of Northern California's Rancho Period.

WESTCHESTER: Centinela Adobe
7643 Midfield Ave
Westchester, CA
histsocentvalley.org | cityofinglewood.org
The 1834 adobe was the first South Bay residence.

WHITTIER: Pio Pico State Historic Park
6003 Pioneer Blvd.
parks.ca.gov
Pio Pico was the governor of California in 1832 and again in 1846 before and during the Mexican-American War. His adobe home at El Ranchito has been completely restored to its original 1880 appearance. We brought home several ticks possibly from the tree, or very dry grounds. Inspect yourself when heading out.

 Monterey Historical Society
mshpa.org
Monterey Christmas at the Adobes

Casa Abrego Adobe and Garden (1830s) -- Built of adobe bricks and wood by Don Jose Abrego, a Mexican merchant who came to Monterey in 1834 on the vessel La Natalie. Casa Abrego adobe was purchased in 1956 by the Monterey Foundation to save it from destruction, then leased to the Casa Abrego Club for Women. In 1959 the Casa Abrego Club bought the adobe from the Foundation. Location: 592 Abrego Street.
Casa Alvarado Adobe and Garden (1830s) -- The adobe was built by Don Juan Bautista Alvarado, first Monterey-born Governor of California. A direct descendent of Captain Cortez, he was the son of Don Jose Francisco Alvarado and Josefa Vallejo.

Casa Amesti Adobe and Garden(1834) -- A stunning achievement in interior decoration, Casa Amesti is one of the best examples of Monterey Colonial architecture.

Casa Del Oro Adobe - The Boston Store (1840s) -- A two-story adobe and chalkrock was built by Thomas O. Larkin for business in the 1840s. It was sold to Jose Abrego, who leased it to Joseph Boston and Company in the 1850s for a general merchandise store.

Casa Gutierrez Adobe (1846) -- One of the few remaining adobes built in the simpler Mexican style which once lined Monterey's streets, Casa Gutierrez now appropriately houses a colorful Mexican restaurant.

Casa Serrano Adobe and Garden (1845) -- Casa Serrano has a special significance in Californiaís early history because it served as one of the first schools after the U.S. Flag was flown over the Custom House in 1846.

Casa Soberanes Adobe (1842) -- With its thick walls, interconnecting rooms, cantilevered balcony and lovely garden, Casa Soberanes tells the story of life in Monterey from its Mexican period beginnings to more recent times. Location: 336 Pacific Street.

Colton Hall (1840s) -- California's first Constitution was hammered out in ardent debate in Colton Hall in 1849. The beautiful second floor assembly hall has been restored to appear as when the 48 delegates of the first Constitution Convention met there.

Cooper-Molera Adobe (1829) -- First occupied by the Cooper family in 1827 and owned by descendants until 1968, the Cooper-Molera tells the story of Monterey through the life and times of John Rogers Cooper, a New England sea captain, his half brother Thomas O. Larkin, Cooper's wife, Ecarnacion Vallejo de Cooper and the Cooper family through three generations.

Custom House (1827) -- At one time during California's Mexican era the Monterey Custom House presided over Mexico's only port of entry on the Alta California coast. It was here that Commodore John Drake Sloat raised the American flag in July of 1846, claiming over 600,000 square miles of territory for the United States.

Doud House (1849) -- One of the best examples of a local wooden house of the early American Period. Owned by the Monterey History and Art Association, and used by the Community Foundation for Monterey County as its headquarters. Location: 177 Van Buren Street.

First Brick House (1847) -- Inhabited by its builder, Gallant Dickenson, the First Brick House represents the kiln fired brick construction brought to California by settlers in the early American period. Location: Adjacent to the Old Whaling Station.

First Theatre (1844) -- This old adobe is unique on two counts: its architectural design and its history as a theater setting.

Fremont Adobe -- Althoughthis two-story adobe is generally recognized as the headquarters of John C. Fremont, memoirs confirm that the title is a misnomer. Actual ownership of the little adobe has been traced through several Monterey families.

House of Four Winds Adobe (1835) -- La Casa de Los Cuatro Vientos has been so called since the mid-1800s because it was the first house with a weathervane. It also enjoys the distinction of having been the first Hall of Records for the newly formed County of Monterey.

Jose de la Torre Adobe (1852) -- This attractive adobe was probably built around 1852 by the original grantee, Francisco Pinto. After passing through several owners, in 1862 it became the home of Jose de la Torre, youngest son of the old Spanish-born soldier, Jose Joaquin de la Torre.

La Mirada Adobe -- La Mirada is one of the region's most significant historic structures as well as one of the most beautiful, with its lovely landscaped gardens overlooking Lake El Estero to the north and Lagunita Mirada to the east.

Lara-Soto Adobe (1830s) -- Built in the 1830s, legend has it that the magnificent Monterey cypress in the front yard was planted as a seedling over the grave of the occupants' first child who died in infancy. Records indicate that the property was first granted as a town lot to Dona Feliciana Lara on September 18, 1849. It was one of the few lots granted directly to a woman, and was once owned by John Steinbeck.

Larkin House Adobe and Garden (1834) -- The Larkin House is a reminder of the influence Thomas Oliver Larkin exerted on California's political history and on secular architecture during the first half of the 19th century.

Mayo Hayes O'Donnell Library (1876) -- Originally the St. James Episcopal Church, the first protestant church in Monterey. When threatened by urban renewal, the building was moved from Pacific Street to its present location in 1970. Operated by the Monterey History and Art Association. Location: 155 Van Buren Street.

Merritt House Adobe and Garden (1830s) -- This 1830 two-story adobe has an imposing appearancedue to the balcony across the front with its low railing and the three colonial-type pillars. The outside stairway, permitting access to the second floor, is typical of that early period.

Old Whaling Station Adobe (1840s) -- This adobe was built by David Wright, a Scotsman, as a private residence and modeled on the plan of his ancestral home.Today the Old Whaling Station boasts Monterey's only remammg whalebone sidewalk, a reminder of one of the town's most important industries from 1850-1900.

Pacific House Adobe and Memory Garden (1847) -- David Wright built this long two-story adobe in 1847 for Thomas Larkin. The adobe served in many capacities. By 1850 it had become a hotel for seafaring men, the Pacific House.

Presidio of Monterey (1770) -- The Presidio of Monterey was the primary building complex in Monterey from 1770 through the early 1800s. The only building which still stands is the San Carlos Cathedral (below).

San Carlos Cathedral (Royal Presidio Chapel) (1794). The oldest building on the Monterey Peninsula, and the oldest church in continuous use in California.

Stevenson House Adobe and Garden (1830s) -- This fine old adobe sheltered Robert Louis Stevenson during his visit to Monterey in 1879 to be near his lady love, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, whom he eventually married.