The Rancho San Andrés

Rancho San Andrés

Rancho San Andrés was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Joaquín Castro. The grant on Monterey Bay extended from La Selva Beach on the north to Watsonville Slough on the south...

 Castro Adobe was the governing seat of the Castro family. It also served as a fiesta house.

History

The house was built in 1848–1849 by Juan José Castro. His father Jose Joaquin Castro (1768–1838), came to California as a 6 year old with his family from Sinaloa Mexico on the 1775–1776 Anza Expedition. Jose Joaquín Castro received this Mexican land grant Rancho San Andrés

Rancho San Andrés

Rancho San Andrés was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Joaquín Castro. The grant on Monterey Bay extended from La Selva Beach on the north to Watsonville Slough on the south...

 in the area of present-day Watsonville, California

Watsonville, California

Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...

.
It had the first dance floor in Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County, California

Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...

 and one of the first indoor kitchens. It is the only two story hacienda ever built in Santa Cruz County.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Cruz County, California on December 12, 1976.
It is California state landmark number 998.
The adobe was severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

Loma Prieta earthquake

The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...

. One wall had completely collapsed, and the house needed seimic retrofitting before being safe for the public. Owner Edna Kimbro sold it to the state of 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...

 in 2002. Starting in August 2007, Friends of California State Parks volunteers and the California Conservation Corps

California Conservation Corps

The California Conservation Corps, or the CCC, is a department of the government of California, falling under the state cabinet-level California Resources Agency...

 began restoration by making 2500 adobe

Adobe

Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...

 bricks.
Almost 100 members of the Castro family held a reunion at the site in 2008.

it was not yet opened to the public as a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

.

External links

• Office of Historic Preservation — entry #998
• Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks — website on the Castro Adobe
• Chronicling the Castro Adobe — a restoration blog