Lopez Adobe
Encyclopedia
Lopez Adobe, located at 1100 Pico Street in San Fernando, California
, is one of the two oldest private residences in the San Fernando Valley
. Built by early settlers of the San Fernando Valley a short distance from the San Fernando Mission, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971.
's army during the Mexican-American War, delivering the Articles of Capitulation to Gen. John C. Fremont
, ending the war in California. Catalina had grown up at the Mission, where her father once served as major-domo. The original adobe became known as Lopez Station, and the couple operated the San Fernando Valley's first general store, its first English language school, and the first post office (in 1869) at the site.
One account of the early days of the San Fernando Valley noted the significance of the Lopez family:
San Fernando, California
San Fernando is a city located in the San Fernando Valley, in northwestern region of Los Angeles, California, United States. The population was 23,645 at the 2010 census, up from 23,564 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, is one of the two oldest private residences in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. Built by early settlers of the San Fernando Valley a short distance from the San Fernando Mission, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971.
Lopez Station
Geronimo and Catalina Lopez purchased 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land near the San Fernando Mission in 1861 and built an adobe home along a Butterfield stagecoach line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1847, Geronimo had served as a messenger in Andres PicoAndrés Pico
Andrés Pico was a Californio who became a successful rancher, served as a military commander during the Mexican-American War; and was elected to the state assembly and senate after California became a state, when he was also commissioned as a brigadier general in the state militia.-Early...
's army during the Mexican-American War, delivering the Articles of Capitulation to Gen. John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
, ending the war in California. Catalina had grown up at the Mission, where her father once served as major-domo. The original adobe became known as Lopez Station, and the couple operated the San Fernando Valley's first general store, its first English language school, and the first post office (in 1869) at the site.
One account of the early days of the San Fernando Valley noted the significance of the Lopez family:
"In the late 1860s and early 1870s a traveler riding through the high wild mustard fields of the San Fernando Valley would find little evidence of people except for the mission, a few other adobes, cattle grazing in the fields and a stage house built by Geronimo Lopez and his wife, Catalina. ... The Lopez family played an important role in the valley's development and were responsible for establishing the first post office and the first English-speaking school."
The Lopez Station was later destroyed for the construction of the Van Norman Reservoir.
Lopez Adobe
Between 1882 and 1883, the Lopez family built a larger adobe using 24-by-6-inch, sun-baked blocks. The surviving adobe home was built by Valentin Lopez, Geronimo's cousin and brother-in-law. It was the first two-story adobe built as a residence in the San Fernando ValleySan Fernando ValleyThe San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. It is considered the City of San Fernando's oldest standing building, and has been recognized for its mixture of both Mission style and Victorian architectureVictorian architectureThe term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
. Catalina Lopez designed the structure's Victorian look. The first local newspaper, the San Fernando Times, was printed in April 1889 from the Adobe.
The adobe under the Lopez daughters
In 1918, Catalina died, and Geronimo died in 1921 at age 90. In 1928, several modifications were made to the house by one of the Lopez daughters, Louisa Lopez McAlonan. The balconyBalconyBalcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
staircase was changed, and some rooms were divided to form apartments. Modern plumbing and electrical fixtures were also added at the time. The original shake shingle roof has also been replaced by clay-tile roof. Members of the Lopez family continued living in the adobe until 1961, and the property remained in the Lopez family until 1971. The last Lopez to live in the adobe was another daughter, Kate Lopez Millen, who lived in an upper apartment from 1931 until shortly before her death in 1961.
Purchase by the City of San Fernando
The City of San Fernando announced plans to purchase the property from the Lopez family in 1970, but took more than a year to come up with the $70,000 purchase price. Plans to obtain a HUDUnited States Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
grant fell through, and in early 1971, the owners imposed a deadline on the purchase, and indicated the building would be razed and the land cleared. When the adobe was listed on the 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...
in May 1971, HUD finally agreed to provide a $40,000 historical preservation grant, and the purchase was completed in late 1971.
Funding and operation as a museum
The building was restored between 1974 and 1975 and opened as a historical site in 1975. The adobe is operated by the San Fernando Historical Site and Preservation Commission. Funding difficulties hampered the city's plans to fully renovate the property and to operate it as a full-time museum and tourist attraction. The adobe was operated by volunteers, and was initially open only three days a week. That was later reduced to one Sunday per month. In 1983, the adobe's volunteer curator, Carolyn Riggs, noted: "Unfortunately, the city is so small that it can barely support its school, fire and police systems. There's just no money to support it except for what we have scraped together."
In 1982, more than 100 descendants of the Lopez family gathered at the adobe to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Geronimo and Catalina Lopez had thirteen children, nine of whom survived to adulthood.
Historic significance and designation as historic site
Though the City of San Fernando is the oldest town in the San Fernando Valley, the Lopez Adobe is all that remains of its early years. The authors of An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles observed: "The one remaining shred of the Victorian period is the Geronimo Lopez Adobe (1878) at the northwest corner of Pico Street and Maclay Avenue. It is two-story Monterey style with some pretty Queen Anne sawed gingerbread across the gallery. Otherwise, all signs of the old town have disappeared, except for the railroad." In the book, Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County, the author also makes note of the woodwork along the balconies: "One of the striking features of the house is that the upper and lower stories have verandas with hand cut wooden railings and a jigsaw pattern balustrade, which is painted in a turquoise blue. This beautiful house is furnished to reflect the period between 1883 to 1910."
The J. Paul Getty TrustJ. Paul Getty TrustThe J. Paul Getty Trust is the world's wealthiest art institution with an estimated endowment in April 2009 of $US 4.2 billion. Based in Los Angeles, California, it operates the J. Paul Getty Museum, which has two locations, the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Pacific...
gave a "Preserve L.A." grant to the adobe in 2002, and described the structure's importance as follows: "Built in 1882 for Mexican army officer Don Geronimo Lopez, the Lopez Adobe is an important example of California architecture during the transitional period following the decline of the missions and the extensive development of the Gold Rush era. Over the years, the Lopez Adobe has become a cultural icon for the city, and is one of the few historic structures to survive the earthquakes of 1971 (Sylmar) and 1994 (Northridge)."
The Lopez Adobe has been recognized as a significant historical site at both the state and national level.
- In 1945, the adobe was dedicated as a State Historic Landmark. At the time, the Los Angeles Times reported: "Its architecture is Spanish California adobe, a two-story structure with overhanging balcony and outside stairway. It is the only remaining building of Old San Fernando."
- In 1968, the building was registered with the State of California Office of Historic Preservation.
- In 1971, the adobe was listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
Closure following Northridge earthquake
The adobe was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and was closed for three years while repairs were made. Repairs were delayed when officials from the Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) disputed the city's $230,000 estimate of repair costs and seismic upgrades. In April 1996, FEMA and city officials finally agreed on quake-repair funding of approximately $100,000, considerably less than the nearly $200,000 eventually spent on the work. City funds covered the rest of the cost.
Recent years
The adobe reopened in December 1997 with a ceremony that included seasonal songs, Mexican dances, and the lighting of the town Christmas tree.
In 2003, Congressman Howard BermanHoward BermanHoward Lawrence Berman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He earlier served in the California State Assembly from 1974 to 1982, and as the U.S...
(D-CA) obtained $150,000 in federal funding for the historic preservation of the Lopez Adobe. Berman said at the time: "I pursued this funding, because the Lopez Adobe is a national treasure and deserves federal money to help with its preservation. This historic building is a source of pride for the City of San Fernando and the entire San Fernando Valley. I am pleased to play a role in helping to save it.”
As of 2004, funding constraints prevented the city from opening the adobe more than one day per month. At that time, the adobe was open on the fourth Sunday of the month from 1 to 4 p.m. Despite years of fund-raising efforts, the city and preservation groups had managed at that time to collect only half of the $750,000 needed to restore the Lopez Adobe.
See also
- History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915
History of the San Fernando Valley to 1915The history of the San Fernando Valley from its exploration by the 1769 Portola expedition to the annexation of much of it by the City of Los Angeles in 1915 is a story of booms and busts, as cattle ranching, sheep ranching, large-scale wheat farming, and fruit orchards flourished and faded...- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California
External links
- 1920s Photograph of Lopez Adobe from USC Digital Archive
- 2000 Photograph from the County of Los Angeles Public Library
- LA Okay.com: Lopez Adobe
- City of San Fernando: Lopez Adobe
- "Lopez Adobe Declared Historical Site", Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1970
- "Historic Lopez Adobe to be City’s Key Tourist Attraction: City of San Fernando plans to boost tourism with the renovation of an historic property", San Fernando Valley Business Journal, April 14, 2008
