Avila Adobe
Encyclopedia
The Avila Adobe, was built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, and has the distinction of being the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles
, California
. It is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street
and is now a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, a Los Angeles State Historic Park. The Plaza known today as Olvera Street is the third location of the original Spanish settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles sobre el Rio Porciuncula, the first two having been washed out by flooding from the swollen Porciuncula (Los Angeles) River. The Avila Adobe is one of the first town houses to share street frontage in the new Pueblo de Los Angeles.
.
Though the roof appears slanted today, the original roof was flat. Tar (brea in Spanish) was brought up from the pits located near the north boundary line of his ranch. The tar was mixed with rocks and horsehair, a common binder in exterior building material, and applied beams of the roof as a sealant from inclement weather.
The original floor of the Avila adobe was hard-as-concrete compacted earth. which was swept several times a day to keep the surface smooth and free from loose soil. (Dirt floors were common among most early adobes.) In later years, varnished wood planks were used as flooring.
The original structure was nearly twice as long as it now appears and was L-shaped with a wing that extended nearly to the center of Olvera Street
. The rear of the house had a long (porch) facing the patio. Francisco tended a garden and a vineyard in the rear courtyard. The nearby Zanja Madre
, literally Mother Ditch, was a main irrigation ditch which brought water down to the Pueblo from the Porciuncula (Los Angeles) River and was close enough to the Adobe for Francisco to avail himself. Avila eventually added a wooden veranda and steps to the front of the adobe.
near the site of the present-day La Brea Tar Pits
. Avila spent his working time at the rancho where he resided during the week, but on weekends, special feast days or holidays, he came to the Pueblo where he could conduct trade business, entertain friends, families or patrons, or prepare for services at the church across the street. The Avila Adobe was considered a mansion in its day. It had a number of spacious rooms with an ample number of windows. It served many a social gathering with Francisco hosting these events in his large sala (living room).
Francisco Avila would trade hides and tallow (a main ingredient in candle and soap) to own or order some of the finer things from around the world to adorn his house. French doors and window frames were ordered from Boston. These imports (the United States was a foreign country) were brought to California by ship over thousands of miles around the southern tip of South America. His buying and trading power allowed him to order the finest furnishings and tapestries from New England and Europe. Avila would trade his cowhides and tallow for household goods stored on merchant ships anchored in San Pedro or San Diego which he then carted by an ox-drawn carreta, the typical wooden cart of the era.
The adobe was always ready to receive friends, family and travelers, including the famous trailblazer, Jedediah Smith. Smith had led a group of trappers across the Mojave Desert from to Southern California and was able to stay at the adobe for a few days during January 1827. These were the first U.S. citizens to reach California from the east via an overland route. Smith later recorded: "A few families are rich in cattle and horses and mules and among these Señor [Francisco Avila] and his brother [Ygnacio Avila] are perhaps the richest."
Francisco Avila died on April 5, 1832. His widow, Encarnacion Avila, remained at the adobe until her death in 1855, though sometime after Francisco’s death she did remarry.
When news of the advancing American troops reached the Pueblo, most the inhabitants fled, including Maria Encarnacion, whose husband was not around to protect her. She went to the home of a nearby relative and left the house in charge of a young boy who had orders to leave the doors and shutters closed. On January 10, Stockton arrived with a marching band fanfare that lured the young boy outside leaving the door open. The troops passing noticed the great size of the house with its lavish furnishings and decided to take it as temporary headquarters. When hostilities ended on January 13 with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga
, the troops vacated the adobe.
Avila's youngest daughter, Francisca married Theodore Rimpau, a German native in 1850. After Encarnacion Avila died in 1855, the couple lived in the adobe until 1868. By now the structure had aged appreciably, and the Rimpaus left. Various family member rented the house over the next few years after which it became a boarding house. An 1870 earthquake damaged the structure even more, causing it to fall into ruin, and in 1928 the City of Los Angeles condemned it.
It was a Mrs. Christine Sterling, an English woman from San Francisco who had moved to Los Angeles and had immediately taken an interest in its cultural history. In 1926 she began work on the project of transforming the old plaza area from a skid row ruin into a Latin-American cultural center. She enlisted the aid of Harry Chandler, the Los Angeles Times publisher, who printed several articles that would generate public interest in the project and raise funds for the restoration. However, after two years the funding was failing miserably. Even though she faced a seemingly lost cause, when she learned of the 1928 condemnation of the adobe, she acted quickly to get a stay on the wrecking ball
. She tracked down the owner of the building who happened to be Miss Sophia Rimpau, a member of the original family. She agreed to rent the adobe to Mrs. Sterling for a nominal amount. Sterling then went to the papers and called in reporters to cover a story on the restoration of Olvera Street and the Avila Adobe. The campaign sparked the support she needed and soon she had enough funds to buy the house.
One of Sterling's benefactors was Florence Dodson de Shoneman, a descendant of the Sepulvedas
, who provided furnishings for an entire room in the adobe. The adobe underwent the necessary renovations to keep it from being demolished and Sterling pleaded with city council to rescind the condemnation order. Not only did council fulfill the request, but the chief of police provided assistance from prison inmates to help clean up the plaza area. Eventually the Avila Adobe was completely restored to its former glory. By March 1930, the Olvera Street Plaza was transformed from a skid row to a Mexican-style marketplace.
Christine Sterling maintained her residence at the adobe, but held it open for group and student tours. In 1953 the State of California acquired the Avila Adobe as part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. Mrs. Sterling remained in the house until her death in 1963.
In 1971 the Sylmar Earthquake caused major damage to the adobe, and the house was closed to tours until a $120,000 and five-year restoration could be completed. A new structure added to the rear of the building was set up as a memorial to Christine Sterling. The Adobe has now been opened to tours since 1976.
The adobe consists of a generous courtyard with covered porches for each of the garaging areas, stables, workshops, etc. A more recent archaeological find has revealed a portion of the Zanja Madre
(Mother Ditch) which transported water into the pueblo via a brick-laid pipeline from the River.
The Avila Adobe is opened for public touring and is located at East 10 Olvera Street within El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. The Park office is located at 845 N. Alameda Street and the Visitors Information Center is at 128 Paseo de la Plaza. The adobe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is California State Landmark No. 145.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street
Olvera Street
Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....
and is now a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, a Los Angeles State Historic Park. The Plaza known today as Olvera Street is the third location of the original Spanish settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles sobre el Rio Porciuncula, the first two having been washed out by flooding from the swollen Porciuncula (Los Angeles) River. The Avila Adobe is one of the first town houses to share street frontage in the new Pueblo de Los Angeles.
History
The walls of the Avila adobe are 2½ to 3 feet thick and are built from sun baked adobe bricks. The original ceilings were fifteen feet high and supported by beams of cottonwood which was available along the banks of the Los Angeles RiverLos Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
.
Though the roof appears slanted today, the original roof was flat. Tar (brea in Spanish) was brought up from the pits located near the north boundary line of his ranch. The tar was mixed with rocks and horsehair, a common binder in exterior building material, and applied beams of the roof as a sealant from inclement weather.
The original floor of the Avila adobe was hard-as-concrete compacted earth. which was swept several times a day to keep the surface smooth and free from loose soil. (Dirt floors were common among most early adobes.) In later years, varnished wood planks were used as flooring.
The original structure was nearly twice as long as it now appears and was L-shaped with a wing that extended nearly to the center of Olvera Street
Olvera Street
Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....
. The rear of the house had a long (porch) facing the patio. Francisco tended a garden and a vineyard in the rear courtyard. The nearby Zanja Madre
Zanja Madre
The Zanja Madre is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Porciuncula River. It is referred to as an open, earthen ditch which was completed by community laborers within a month of founding the pueblo...
, literally Mother Ditch, was a main irrigation ditch which brought water down to the Pueblo from the Porciuncula (Los Angeles) River and was close enough to the Adobe for Francisco to avail himself. Avila eventually added a wooden veranda and steps to the front of the adobe.
A Wealthy Rancher
Francisco Avila, a rich cattle rancher, was the owner of Rancho Las CienegasRancho Las Cienegas
Rancho Las Cienegas was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1823 to Francisco Avila. "La Cienega" is derived from the Spanish word cienaga, which means swamp or marshland and refers to the natural springs and wetlands in the area between the Baldwin Hills...
near the site of the present-day La Brea Tar Pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
. Avila spent his working time at the rancho where he resided during the week, but on weekends, special feast days or holidays, he came to the Pueblo where he could conduct trade business, entertain friends, families or patrons, or prepare for services at the church across the street. The Avila Adobe was considered a mansion in its day. It had a number of spacious rooms with an ample number of windows. It served many a social gathering with Francisco hosting these events in his large sala (living room).
Francisco Avila would trade hides and tallow (a main ingredient in candle and soap) to own or order some of the finer things from around the world to adorn his house. French doors and window frames were ordered from Boston. These imports (the United States was a foreign country) were brought to California by ship over thousands of miles around the southern tip of South America. His buying and trading power allowed him to order the finest furnishings and tapestries from New England and Europe. Avila would trade his cowhides and tallow for household goods stored on merchant ships anchored in San Pedro or San Diego which he then carted by an ox-drawn carreta, the typical wooden cart of the era.
The adobe was always ready to receive friends, family and travelers, including the famous trailblazer, Jedediah Smith. Smith had led a group of trappers across the Mojave Desert from to Southern California and was able to stay at the adobe for a few days during January 1827. These were the first U.S. citizens to reach California from the east via an overland route. Smith later recorded: "A few families are rich in cattle and horses and mules and among these Señor [Francisco Avila] and his brother [Ygnacio Avila] are perhaps the richest."
Francisco Avila died on April 5, 1832. His widow, Encarnacion Avila, remained at the adobe until her death in 1855, though sometime after Francisco’s death she did remarry.
During the Annexation and Pacification of California
On May 18, 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico at which time the U.S. took interest in California. U.S. Navy Commodore Robert Stockton arrived in Monterey on July 14 and declared California won over. He then proceeded to march toward Los Angeles which he took without so much as a shot being fired. But the Pueblo de Los Angeles had not capitulated so easily and revolted against the garrison of men left to police the pueblo. Stockton was forced to return in October via San Diego. After a bloody fight just north of San Diego in December, which was a setback for the Americans, they marched toward Los Angeles. They became involved in a minor skirmish near the San Gabriel River on January 8, 1847, which after two days quelled the Mexican resistance.When news of the advancing American troops reached the Pueblo, most the inhabitants fled, including Maria Encarnacion, whose husband was not around to protect her. She went to the home of a nearby relative and left the house in charge of a young boy who had orders to leave the doors and shutters closed. On January 10, Stockton arrived with a marching band fanfare that lured the young boy outside leaving the door open. The troops passing noticed the great size of the house with its lavish furnishings and decided to take it as temporary headquarters. When hostilities ended on January 13 with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga
Treaty of Cahuenga
The Treaty of Cahuenga, also called the "Capitulation of Cahuenga," ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War in Alta California in 1847. It was not a formal treaty between nations but an informal agreement between rival military forces in which the Californios gave up fighting...
, the troops vacated the adobe.
Avila's youngest daughter, Francisca married Theodore Rimpau, a German native in 1850. After Encarnacion Avila died in 1855, the couple lived in the adobe until 1868. By now the structure had aged appreciably, and the Rimpaus left. Various family member rented the house over the next few years after which it became a boarding house. An 1870 earthquake damaged the structure even more, causing it to fall into ruin, and in 1928 the City of Los Angeles condemned it.
Restoration Period
Wrecking ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most common during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball...
. She tracked down the owner of the building who happened to be Miss Sophia Rimpau, a member of the original family. She agreed to rent the adobe to Mrs. Sterling for a nominal amount. Sterling then went to the papers and called in reporters to cover a story on the restoration of Olvera Street and the Avila Adobe. The campaign sparked the support she needed and soon she had enough funds to buy the house.
One of Sterling's benefactors was Florence Dodson de Shoneman, a descendant of the Sepulvedas
Francisco Xavier Sepulveda
Francisco Xavier Sepúlveda was a Mexican colonial soldier and patriarch of the prominent Spanish Mexican Sepúlveda family in the early days of Las Californias and Alta California in present day Southern California, United States...
, who provided furnishings for an entire room in the adobe. The adobe underwent the necessary renovations to keep it from being demolished and Sterling pleaded with city council to rescind the condemnation order. Not only did council fulfill the request, but the chief of police provided assistance from prison inmates to help clean up the plaza area. Eventually the Avila Adobe was completely restored to its former glory. By March 1930, the Olvera Street Plaza was transformed from a skid row to a Mexican-style marketplace.
Christine Sterling maintained her residence at the adobe, but held it open for group and student tours. In 1953 the State of California acquired the Avila Adobe as part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. Mrs. Sterling remained in the house until her death in 1963.
In 1971 the Sylmar Earthquake caused major damage to the adobe, and the house was closed to tours until a $120,000 and five-year restoration could be completed. A new structure added to the rear of the building was set up as a memorial to Christine Sterling. The Adobe has now been opened to tours since 1976.
The Avila Adobe Today
The present Adobe has seven rooms left from what used to be a much larger building. Restoration has worked to create an idea of what the original home was like. The largest room, the family room, was a general area for dining, entertainment and social gatherings. The office room was the main business room for Francisco Avila. The sala, or living room, was reserved for special occasions such as a wedding or baptism, maybe even entertaining special guests. There were sleeping quarters for the parent and another for the children, and a kitchen which was really more a food preparation area and doubled as a bathing room. Cooking was relegated to the out-of-doors and sanitation was done elsewhere outside the house. Most of the original furnishings came from other countries with whom Avila did trade.The adobe consists of a generous courtyard with covered porches for each of the garaging areas, stables, workshops, etc. A more recent archaeological find has revealed a portion of the Zanja Madre
Zanja Madre
The Zanja Madre is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Porciuncula River. It is referred to as an open, earthen ditch which was completed by community laborers within a month of founding the pueblo...
(Mother Ditch) which transported water into the pueblo via a brick-laid pipeline from the River.
The Avila Adobe is opened for public touring and is located at East 10 Olvera Street within El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. The Park office is located at 845 N. Alameda Street and the Visitors Information Center is at 128 Paseo de la Plaza. The adobe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is California State Landmark No. 145.
See also
- History of Los Angeles
- Olvera StreetOlvera StreetOlvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....
- Zanja MadreZanja MadreThe Zanja Madre is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Porciuncula River. It is referred to as an open, earthen ditch which was completed by community laborers within a month of founding the pueblo...
- Pueblo de Los AngelesPueblo de Los AngelesEl Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was the Spanish civilian pueblo founded in 1781, which by the 20th century became the American metropolis of Los Angeles....