Ávila Adobe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ávila Adobe |
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Avila Adobe, Olvera Street.
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| Built | 1818 |
| Architectural style(s) | Adobe |
| Designated | 1972 |
| Reference no. | 145 |
| Part of | Los Angeles Plaza Historic District |
| Part of | Los Angeles Plaza Historic District |
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The Ávila Adobe is the oldest house still standing in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1818 by Francisco Ávila. You can find it on historic Olvera Street, which is part of the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District. This whole area is a California State Historic Park.
The Ávila Adobe itself is a special place, listed as California Historical Landmark #145. The entire historic district is also recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. The area where the adobe stands was the third spot for the original Spanish settlement. This settlement was called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles. The first two locations were flooded by the Los Angeles River. The Ávila Adobe was one of the first homes built right on a street in this early Spanish town, known as Alta California.
The walls of the Ávila Adobe are very thick, about 2.5 to 3 feet (0.76 to 0.91 meters). They are made from sun-baked adobe bricks. The original ceilings were high, about 15 feet (4.6 meters). They were held up by beams made from cottonwood trees, which grew along the Los Angeles River. Even though the roof looks slanted now, it was originally flat. Tar, called brea in Spanish, was brought from the La Brea Tar Pits. This tar was mixed with rocks and horsehair to seal the roof and protect it from bad weather.
The first floor of the Ávila Adobe was made of hard, packed earth, like concrete. It was swept many times a day to keep it smooth. Dirt floors were common in most early adobe homes. Later, shiny wooden planks were used for the floors.
The original house was much bigger than it looks today. It was shaped like an "L," with one part extending almost to the middle of Olvera Street. At the back of the house, there was a long porch facing a courtyard. Francisco Ávila grew a garden and a vineyard in this courtyard. The Zanja Madre, which means "Mother Ditch," was a main water channel. It brought water from the Los Angeles River to the town, and it was close enough for Francisco Ávila to use. Later, Ávila added a wooden porch and steps to the front of the house.
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Building the Adobe
The Ávila Adobe was first built in 1818 in a place called Alta California. Over the years, even after wars and repairs, the Ávila home has kept its original style. The town where the house was built was known as El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Today, we call it the city of Los Angeles. Before the Ávila home was built, Spanish people from Sinaloa, Mexico, settled this land. In the early 1800s, wealthy rancher families lived in the town. Francisco Ávila was one of these rich cattle ranchers, and he was from Sinaloa. He raised cattle, which helped him become very wealthy.
Over time, the Ávila home was rented out to different people. In the next century, it was used in many ways. It served as a hotel, housing, and even a temporary home for U.S. troops. There was a period when the Ávila Adobe was empty and not cared for. In the late 1920s, the house was neglected. The city even thought about tearing it down because it seemed to have no use.
However, the home was saved by Christine Sterling. She saw the house as an important historical site. Sterling did not want this original Los Angeles home to be destroyed. She managed to stop the city from demolishing it. She then turned it into a museum so people could learn about its history. Sterling also helped create the Mexican marketplace called "Placita Olvera". Today, many tourists and locals visit the home. Olvera Street still offers a Mexican cultural experience, influenced by the history of the Ávila Adobe.
Francisco Ávila's Life
Francisco Ávila was a Californio, which means he was a person of Spanish descent born in California. He was a rich cattle rancher who owned Rancho Las Cienegas. This ranch was west of the town, in what is now the mid-Wilshire area. Ávila spent his weekdays at the rancho. On weekends, special holidays, or feast days, he would come to the Pueblo. Here, he could do business, entertain friends and family, or attend services at the Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia (church) across the plaza.
The Ávila Adobe was considered a very nice home for its time. It had several large rooms with many windows. The Ávila family hosted many social gatherings in their big sala, or parlor.
Francisco Ávila traded animal hides and tallow. Tallow is a type of fat used to make candles and soap. He used these goods to buy fancy furniture and items imported from Mexico and other countries. For example, French doors and window frames were ordered from Boston. These items traveled thousands of miles by ship around the southern tip of South America, called Cape Horn. Ávila's wealth allowed him to buy beautiful things from Mexico, New England, Asia, and Europe. He also traded for household goods with merchant ships. These ships would anchor in San Pedro Bay or Mission Bay near San Diego. The goods were then brought inland by an ox-drawn carreta, which was a wooden bullock cart.
The adobe was always ready to welcome friends, family, and travelers. One famous visitor was Jedediah Smith, a trailblazer. Smith led a group of fur trappers across the Mojave Desert to southern California. He stayed at the adobe for a few days in January 1827. These were the first U.S. citizens to reach Alta California by land from the east. Smith later wrote that Francisco Ávila and his brother were among the richest families in cattle, horses, and mules.
Francisco Ávila passed away on April 5, 1832. His wife, Encarnacion Ávila, stayed at the adobe until her death in 1855. She did remarry sometime after Francisco's death.
During the Mexican–American War
On May 18, 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico. This was the Mexican–American War. The U.S. was interested in taking over Alta California. U.S. Navy Commodore Robert F. Stockton arrived in Monterey on July 14 and claimed California for the U.S. He then marched to Los Angeles and took it without a fight.
However, the people of Pueblo de Los Angeles did not give up easily. They revolted against the American soldiers left to control the town. They won the Siege of Los Angeles. Stockton had to return in October through San Diego. After the Battle of San Pasqual near San Diego in December, which was a setback for the Americans, they marched toward Los Angeles. They fought in the Battle of Rio San Gabriel near the San Gabriel River on January 8, 1847. After two days, the Mexican resistance there was stopped. The Battle of La Mesa followed.
When news of the American troops coming reached the Pueblo, most people fled. This included Maria Encarnacion Ávila. She went to a relative's home and left the house in the care of a young boy. He was told to keep the doors and shutters closed. On January 10, Stockton arrived with a marching band. This music lured the young boy outside, leaving the door open. The passing troops noticed the large house with its nice furnishings. They decided to use it as their temporary headquarters. When the fighting ended on January 13 with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga, the troops left the adobe.
Ávila's youngest daughter, Francisca, married Theodore Rimpau, a German man, in 1850. After Encarnacion Ávila died in 1855, the couple lived in the adobe until 1868. By then, the house had become quite old, and the Rimpaus moved out. Various family members rented the house for a few years, and then it became a boarding house. An earthquake in 1870 damaged the building even more, causing it to fall apart. In 1928, the City of Los Angeles declared it unsafe.
Saving the Adobe
Christine Sterling, a woman from San Francisco, moved to Los Angeles and became very interested in the city's history. In 1926, she started a project to change the old plaza area. It was a run-down place, and she wanted to turn it into a Latin-American cultural center. She got help from Harry Chandler, who owned the Los Angeles Times newspaper. He printed articles that made people interested in the project and helped raise money for the restoration.
However, after two years, the funding was not going well. Even though it seemed like a lost cause, Christine Sterling acted quickly when she heard the adobe was going to be torn down in 1928. She found the owner of the building, Miss Sophia Rimpau, who was a member of the original family. Miss Rimpau agreed to rent the adobe to Mrs. Sterling for a very small amount of money. Sterling then went to the newspapers and called reporters to cover the story of saving Olvera Street and the Ávila Adobe. This campaign brought the support she needed, and soon she had enough money to buy the house.
One of Sterling's helpers was Florence Dodson de Shoneman. She was a descendant of the Sepulveda family, another Californio family. She provided furniture for an entire room in the adobe. The adobe was repaired to stop it from being torn down. Sterling asked the city council to cancel the order to demolish it. The council not only agreed but also had the chief of police send prison inmates to help clean up the plaza area. Eventually, the Ávila Adobe was fully restored to its former glory. By Easter Sunday in 1930, the Olvera Street Plaza had become a lively Mexican-style marketplace.
Christine Sterling lived in the adobe but kept it open for groups and student tours. In 1953, the State of California bought the Ávila Adobe as part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. Mrs. Sterling continued to live in the house until she passed away in 1963.
The 1971 Sylmar earthquake caused a lot of damage to the adobe. The house was closed for tours until a five-year restoration project, costing $120,000, was finished. A new building was added to the back of the adobe as a memorial to Christine Sterling. The Adobe has been open for tours again since 1976.
A Historic Museum
Today, the Ávila Adobe is a historic house museum. It has seven rooms left from what was once a much larger building. The restoration work has tried to show what the original home was like. The biggest room, the family room, was used for dining, entertainment, and social gatherings. The office room was where Francisco Ávila did his business. The sala, or living room, was saved for special events like weddings or baptisms, or for entertaining important guests. There were separate sleeping areas for the parents and the children. The kitchen was used for cooking and also for bathing. Most cooking was done outside in the courtyard. Toilets were also outside the house. Most of the original furniture came from other countries that Ávila traded with.
The adobe has a large courtyard with covered porches for each part of the house. This includes stables and a workshop. A recent discovery during archaeological digs found a part of the Zanja Madre ("Mother Ditch"). This ditch brought water into the town through a brick pipeline from the river. In the courtyard, two grape plants are growing.
The adobe is recognized as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and a California Historical Landmark (No. 145). It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visiting the Adobe
The Ávila Adobe is open for public tours. It is located at East 10 Olvera Street, inside the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. The park office is at 845 N. Alameda Street, and the Visitors Information Center is at 128 Paseo de la Plaza.
Gallery
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Kitchen
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Living room
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Bedroom
California Historical Landmark Marker
The sign for California Historical Landmark Marker NO. 145 at the site says:
- NO. 145 AVILA ADOBE - This adobe house was built around 1818 by Don Francisco Avila, who was the mayor (alcalde) of Los Angeles in 1810. It was used as Commodore Robert Stockton's headquarters in 1847. The house was repaired by private donations in 1929-30 when Olvera Street was opened as a Mexican marketplace. It is the oldest existing house in Los Angeles.
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