Centinela Adobe
Encyclopedia
The Centinela Adobe, also known as La Casa de la Centinela, is an Spanish Colonial style adobe
house built in 1834. It is operated as a house museum by the Historical Society of Centinela Valley, and is one of the 43 surviving adobes within Los Angeles County, California
. The Adobe was the seat of the 25000 acres (101.2 km²) Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
, a Mexican Alta California
era land grant partitioned from the Spanish Las Californias
era Rancho Sausal Redondo
.
The Centinela Adobe, which is the Centinela Valley's oldest residence, was built by Ygnacio Machado in 1834. Since then, farmers, ranchers, a Scotsman, and Inglewood's founding father, Daniel Freeman, have lived in the structure. It is the oldest building in the area and has been called the "Birthplace of Inglewood", although it now lies within the boundaries of the Westchester
district of Los Angeles
.
brought freedom for Mexico
from Spain
, Antonio Ygnacio Avila received a Mexican land grant
for Rancho Sausal Redondo in Alta California
, where he grazed cattle. The rancho's lands encompass the present day cities of Redondo Beach
, Inglewood
, Hawthorne
, El Segundo
, Lawndale
, Manhattan Beach
, and Hermosa Beach
.
In the early 1830s, Ygnacio Machado, one of the "leather jacket soldiers" who escorted the original settlers of Los Angeles, began cultivating a portion of the rancho. Ygnacio Machado's brother Augustin Machado owned the nearby 14000 acres (56.7 km²) Rancho La Ballona
, as well as the Rancho La Laguna
and Rancho Santa Rosa
. Ygnacio Machado became the grantee of a portion of Rancho Sausal Redondo, the 2220 acres (9 km²) Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
and built the 'Centinela Adobe' in 1834. Ygnacio Machado owned Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela only briefly, trading it in 1844 for a keg of whiskey and a small home in the Pueblo de Los Angeles
.
commenced in 1860, Brent returned to his home in the Southern states, where he served in the Confederate Army. Scotsman Robert Burnett
purchased the rancho from Brent for $3,000 in 1860. Burnett added to the ranch, acquiring old Rancho Sausal Redondo
for $29,500. By 1872, Burnett had a 25000 acres (101.2 km²) ranch that encompassed all of the land from what is now known as Playa del Rey to Lawndale
and Redondo Beach
.
In 1873, Burnett returned to Scotland, leasing the ranch to Daniel Freeman, a recent arrival from Simcoe, Ontario
, Canada
. Writer Charles Nordoff stayed at the ranch in 1874 and wrote an article about Southern California
ranch life for Harper's The New Monthly Magazine
saying: "I looked around with some curiosity for this was the first time I had had an opportunity to see how the old Californians of wealth live." Nordoff found the adobe style of living "poor and simple" with a mix of "squalor and splendor."
Freeman paid $7,500 per year in rent, and also had an option to purchase the ranch for $150,000. Freeman raised sheep and planted more than 10,000 trees, including 7,000 orange and 2,000 almond trees on the ranch. When a drought led to the death of 22,000 head of his sheep, Freeman turned to growing barley, and he eventually was producing a million barrels a year. In 1885, Freeman exercised the option to buy the ranch for $140,000 in gold. Freeman amassed a fortune farming barley, olives, lemons, limes and almonds on the ranch, and named his expansive land holding Inglewood, after his birthplace in Ontario. In 1887, the California Central Railway laid tracks to Redondo Beach, and Freeman sold off 11000 acres (44.5 km²) in small parcels as a settlement that became the city of Inglewood. In 1888, Freeman built a large mansion in Inglewod, and in 1889 he built the land office that now sits on the grounds of the Centinela Adobe. Eventually, all 25000 acres (101.2 km²) of the ranch were subdivided, and the only remaining portion of the ranch that remains is the 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) site on which the Centinela Adobe is situated.
The Centinela Adobe Complex has been described as the historical centerpiece of the area known as Centinela Valley, the lands extending from the Baldwin Hills to Palos Verdes, which comprised the Centinela Ranch. Yet, in the late 1940s, the adobe was threatened with demolition when the remaining land was subdivided to make room for new homes. Preservation-minded citizens raised money to purchase the property in 1950 and deeded it to City of Inglewood, which still maintains the adobe through the Parks and Recreation Department. Even though the 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) site is located in the Westchester
district of Los Angeles
, Centinela Adobe played a central role in the history of Inglewood.
The Centinela Adobe Complex, and Freeman's land office that was moved to the grounds, are available for docent
-led tours
wrote:
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...
house built in 1834. It is operated as a house museum by the Historical Society of Centinela Valley, and is one of the 43 surviving adobes within Los Angeles County, 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...
. The Adobe was the seat of the 25000 acres (101.2 km²) Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Ygnacio Machado. The name means "Sentinel of Waters" in Spanish, and probably refers to Centinela Springs...
, a Mexican Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
era land grant partitioned from the Spanish Las Californias
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
era Rancho Sausal Redondo
Rancho Sausal Redondo
Rancho Sausal Redondo was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Antonio Ygnacio Avila by Juan Alvarado Governor of Alta California. The Spanish words, Rancho Sausal Redondo, mean a large circular ranch of pasture with a grove of willows on it...
.
The Centinela Adobe, which is the Centinela Valley's oldest residence, was built by Ygnacio Machado in 1834. Since then, farmers, ranchers, a Scotsman, and Inglewood's founding father, Daniel Freeman, have lived in the structure. It is the oldest building in the area and has been called the "Birthplace of Inglewood", although it now lies within the boundaries of the Westchester
Westchester, Los Angeles, California
Westchester is a suburban neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport , Loyola Marymount University , and Otis College of Art and Design.-Geography:...
district of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Antonio Ygnacio Avila
In 1822, after the Mexican War of IndependenceMexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
brought freedom for Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Antonio Ygnacio Avila received a Mexican land grant
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
for Rancho Sausal Redondo in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, where he grazed cattle. The rancho's lands encompass the present day cities of Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
, Inglewood
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
, Hawthorne
Hawthorne, California
Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. The city at the 2010 census had a population of 84,293, up from 84,112 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, El Segundo
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
, Lawndale
Lawndale, California
Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 32,769 at the 2010 census, up from 31,711 according to the 2000 census...
, Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
, and Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....
.
Ygnacio Machado - Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
Rancho la Ballona
Rancho La Ballona was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California confirmed by governor Juan Alvarado in 1839 to Ygnacio and Augustin Machado and Felipe and Tomas Talamantes...
, as well as the Rancho La Laguna
Rancho La Laguna (Manriquez)
Rancho La Laguna was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Julian Manriquez. The rancho lands include the present day city of Lake Elsinore. At the time of the US Patent, Rancho Laguna was a part of San Diego County...
and Rancho Santa Rosa
Rancho Santa Rosa (Moreno)
Rancho Santa Rosa was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Juan Moreno. At the time of the US patent, Rancho Santa Rosa was a part of San Diego County...
. Ygnacio Machado became the grantee of a portion of Rancho Sausal Redondo, the 2220 acres (9 km²) Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela
Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Ygnacio Machado. The name means "Sentinel of Waters" in Spanish, and probably refers to Centinela Springs...
and built the 'Centinela Adobe' in 1834. Ygnacio Machado owned Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela only briefly, trading it in 1844 for a keg of whiskey and a small home in the Pueblo de Los Angeles
Pueblo de Los Angeles
El 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....
.
Robert Burnett
The rancho changed hands several times in the 1850s, including a sale in 1859 for $930. Joseph Lancaster Brent bought the rancho the same year for $3,000, but when the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
commenced in 1860, Brent returned to his home in the Southern states, where he served in the Confederate Army. Scotsman Robert Burnett
Burnetts of Leys
Clan Burnett is a Lowland Scottish clan from Deeside, near Banchory in Northeast Scotland. From the early 14th century to the mid 16th century the family occupied a lake dwelling on the Loch of Leys, and resided here or on land near the lake for over 200 years...
purchased the rancho from Brent for $3,000 in 1860. Burnett added to the ranch, acquiring old Rancho Sausal Redondo
Rancho Sausal Redondo
Rancho Sausal Redondo was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1837 to Antonio Ygnacio Avila by Juan Alvarado Governor of Alta California. The Spanish words, Rancho Sausal Redondo, mean a large circular ranch of pasture with a grove of willows on it...
for $29,500. By 1872, Burnett had a 25000 acres (101.2 km²) ranch that encompassed all of the land from what is now known as Playa del Rey to Lawndale
Lawndale, California
Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 32,769 at the 2010 census, up from 31,711 according to the 2000 census...
and Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
.
Daniel Freeman
Simcoe, Ontario
Simcoe is an unincorporated community and former town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada located near Lake Erie. It is the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Writer Charles Nordoff stayed at the ranch in 1874 and wrote an article about Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
ranch life for Harper's The New Monthly Magazine
The New Monthly Magazine
The New Monthly Magazine was a British monthly magazine published by Henry Colburn between 1814 and 1884.-History:Colburn and Frederic Shoberl established The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register as a "virulently Tory" competitor to Sir Richard Phillips' Monthly Magazine in 1814...
saying: "I looked around with some curiosity for this was the first time I had had an opportunity to see how the old Californians of wealth live." Nordoff found the adobe style of living "poor and simple" with a mix of "squalor and splendor."
Freeman paid $7,500 per year in rent, and also had an option to purchase the ranch for $150,000. Freeman raised sheep and planted more than 10,000 trees, including 7,000 orange and 2,000 almond trees on the ranch. When a drought led to the death of 22,000 head of his sheep, Freeman turned to growing barley, and he eventually was producing a million barrels a year. In 1885, Freeman exercised the option to buy the ranch for $140,000 in gold. Freeman amassed a fortune farming barley, olives, lemons, limes and almonds on the ranch, and named his expansive land holding Inglewood, after his birthplace in Ontario. In 1887, the California Central Railway laid tracks to Redondo Beach, and Freeman sold off 11000 acres (44.5 km²) in small parcels as a settlement that became the city of Inglewood. In 1888, Freeman built a large mansion in Inglewod, and in 1889 he built the land office that now sits on the grounds of the Centinela Adobe. Eventually, all 25000 acres (101.2 km²) of the ranch were subdivided, and the only remaining portion of the ranch that remains is the 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) site on which the Centinela Adobe is situated.
Adobe saved from demolition
Westchester, Los Angeles, California
Westchester is a suburban neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport , Loyola Marymount University , and Otis College of Art and Design.-Geography:...
district of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Centinela Adobe played a central role in the history of Inglewood.
The Centinela Adobe Complex, and Freeman's land office that was moved to the grounds, are available for docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
-led tours
Adobe museum
The adobe has been restored and is operated jointly by the Historical Society of the Centinela Valley and the Inglewood Department of Parks and Recreation. The adobe and museum are located at 7634 Midfield Ave., a residential street abutting the 405 Freeway. It is open on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and docents are available to provide tours. The adobe can be toured for groups or special occasions at other times by calling the Historical Society. The adobe is furnished with period furniture and artifacts from the late 19th century. In a 2001 profile of the museum in 2001, the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote:
"The long, low, white stucco adobe with its porch and shingle roof looks as if it is sitting right in the middle of the 19th Century. But it's not, as the nearby San Diego Freeway visibly demonstrates. It's really a kind of time warp: the telltale sign of a modern metropolis on one side and the oldest home in the Centinela Valley on the other-still serene, still peaceful amid lawns, shrubs and shade trees."
Freeman Land Office
The Freeman Land Office, built in 1887 for the Centinela-Inglewood Land Company and originally located on Florence Avenue east of Eucalyptus Avenue, is also accessible as part of the tours. The building was used to sell plots of land for what became Inglewood. The building has been moved twice, most recently in 1975 to its present site next to the adobe. The land office building is well-preserved and contains many artifacts and photographs.Heritage and research center
The grounds also include a heritage and research center which opened in 1980. The research center houses items from the Daniel Freeman mansion, which was demolished in 1972. Items on display in the research center include Freeman's library, safe, and furniture, as well as articles and photos about the history of Centinela Valley.See also
- History of Inglewood, California
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments on the Westside
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles - National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
- List of Ranchos of California — Ranchos of CaliforniaRanchos of CaliforniaThe Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
External links
- Centinela Adobe - Historical Society of Centinela Valley California - City of Inglewood site
- John R. Kielbasa, Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County: Centinela Adobe
- Rancho Aguaje de la Centinela and the Centinela Adobe: a history
- Westchester Branch Library: vintage Docent Sheet for Centinela Adobe
- National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary: "Early History of the California Coast"
- blogging.la: William Campbell, Civility Rubbottom & The Centinela Adobe
- Dan A. Joseffini, Reference List to Haciendas in Los Angeles
- Map of old Spanish and Mexican ranchos in Los Angeles County