El Molino Viejo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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El Molino Viejo
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El Molino Viejo, July 2008
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1120 Old Mill Rd., San Marino, California, United States |
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| Built | 1816 |
| Architect | José Maria de Zalvidea |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000154 |
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1971 |
El Molino Viejo, also known as The Old Mill, is a historic building in San Marino, California. It was built in 1816 by Father José María de Zalvidea from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. This mill is the oldest commercial building in Southern California.
It was one of the first ten places in Los Angeles County to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The Old Mill is also a California Historical Landmark, meaning it's a very important historical site in California.
Contents
Building the Old Mill: A Look Inside
Records show the Old Mill was built in 1816. It stood on land owned by the San Gabriel Mission. Father José Maria de Zalvidea, who was in charge of the mission, designed the mill.
Native American workers from the Tongva tribe, known as Mission Indians, built it. They worked under Father Zalvidea's guidance.
Strong Walls and Clever Design
The mill was built to be very strong, almost like a fortress. Its lower walls are nearly five feet thick at the bottom. They are made of brick and strong volcanic rock. Some people believe these thick walls were meant to protect the priests if there were problems with the new converts.
The upper walls are made of sun-dried adobe bricks. The outside of the building is covered with a special plaster. This plaster was made from burnt seashells and lime. Large support structures, called buttresses, can still be seen on the outside corners.
The wooden beams inside are made of pine and sycamore trees. They are held together with leather thongs.
How the Mill Ground Grain
Water for the mill came from nearby canyons through an open ditch called a zanja. This water was stored in a large tank called a cistern. Father Zalvidea designed a special water wheel for the mill. It was a horizontal wheel, which was unusual for the time.
The mill had three arched water rooms on the ground floor. A single horizontal water wheel was in one of these rooms. This wheel was connected to a tall pole that went up to the second floor. This is where the grinding stones were.
One grinding stone was attached to the pole and spun with the water wheel. Another stone was placed above it. Corn and grain were poured between these two stones to be ground into flour. It's thought that the water alone wasn't strong enough to start the wheel. So, Native American workers might have pulled a leather strap around the pole to get it moving.
The top room, now an art gallery, was used to store the finished flour. After the water left the mill, it flowed into a lake called Wilson Lake. This lake was drained in the 1920s and is now Lacy Park in San Marino.
A Short-Lived Success
The Old Mill was the first water-powered mill in Southern California. Some even say it was the first in all of California. Father Zalvidea's design was seen as very clever by some. However, others thought it had a flaw. Water splashed up the pole, making the flour damp.
The mill only worked for about seven years. During this time, it made food for the missionaries and the Native American people living at the mission. In 1816, there were 1,644 Tongva-Gabrieleños in the mission community.
In 1823, a new mill was built next to the mission. This new mill had a different design with a vertical waterwheel. It made better flour. Because of this, the Old Mill stopped working.
The Mill's Many Lives
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After 1823, the Old Mill was empty for about 30 years. During this time, it was damaged by people and the weather.
Changes in Ownership
In 1846, Pío Pico, the last Mexican governor of California, sold a large area of land, including the mill. This sale happened before California became part of the U.S.
After California joined the U.S. in 1848, the sale was questioned. Because of this, the land's ownership was unclear. A newspaper publisher named James S. Waite claimed rights to 160 acres, including the Old Mill.
The property was later sold to Dr. Thomas White for $500. In 1858, Dr. White gave the "Old Mill Site" to his daughter, Fannie Kewen. She and her husband, Col. E. J. C. Kewen, lived there for 20 years.
The Kewen Family's Home
The Kewens added to the building, putting in new windows and a front porch. Col. Kewen was known as a kind and polite Southern gentleman. Many stories tell of the parties the Kewens hosted at the Old Mill. People would gather from miles around to enjoy music and dancing.
In 1879, the Kewens lost the property because they couldn't pay their mortgage. John Edward Hollenbeck bought it. He then sold it to Edward Mayberry in 1881. Mayberry used the mill as housing for his ranch manager.
Rediscovery in the Late 1800s
In 1898, a reporter named Topsy Tinkle visited El Molino Viejo. At that time, the mill was used to store wine, making the whole building smell of it. It was also a sleeping place for workers.
Tinkle wrote about the mill's condition: "The grinding-stones have gone, and also the machinery... yet, in the material of the building itself, no sign of decay. The large oak beams... as sound as in the day the original trees lifted their leafy tops high in air. The cement... apparently defies time..."
The reporter noted that the old grinding stones were now used as stepping-stones at a nearby ranch.
The Huntingtons and a Golf Course
In 1903, the Huntington Land and Improvement Company bought the mill site. When the Huntington Hotel opened nearby in 1914, the land around the mill became a golf course. El Molino Viejo was used as the golf clubhouse. Later, the land was divided, and the Old Mill became empty again.
Becoming a Home Again
In 1927, Leslie Huntington Brehm, the daughter-in-law of Henry E. Huntington, and her husband took over the property. They wanted to save it. They hired Frederick H. Ruppel, a contractor who had restored other historic buildings.
Ruppel turned the mill into a modern home. He did not change the original walls. He also made sure to keep and restore the old features. When new materials were needed, he chose ones that matched the old Mission-style look. The Brehms never lived in the mill themselves. Instead, they rented it to several families. From 1954 to 1963, the Connell family were the last people to live there.
Today: A Museum and Art Gallery
When Mrs. Brehm passed away in 1962, she left the Old Mill to the City of San Marino. The city has taken care of the building. It is now open to the public as a museum and art gallery. The California Art Club Gallery is located there. The Old Mill Foundation now manages it.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. On the ground floor, you can see a model that shows how the mill used to work. While the waterwheel is gone, two of the original grinding stones are in the garden. These stones were found over 100 years after the mill closed. General George S. Patton, who grew up nearby, found them at the Huntington Library. He remembered seeing them used as blocks to help people get on horses.
There is also a 16th-century volcanic rock fountain in the patio. Mrs. Brehm's daughter, Mrs. Albert Doerr, brought this fountain from Mexico.
Legend of Catalina
In 1898, reporter Topsy Tinkle shared a story that Native Americans told about a natural spring at the Old Mill site. The story is about a 16-year-old Native American girl named Catalina. She had "thick, jet-black hair" and "big, melting black eyes."
Catalina lived during the time of the San Gabriel Mission. She would give roses to the Virgin Mary. She hoped this would help her win the heart of a handsome young man named José. She even wished something bad would happen to another girl José liked.
When José left for two years to work on a ship, Catalina stopped praying to the Virgin Mary. Instead, she began praying to an old "Mexican god," described as a "hideous clay image." Catalina died of sadness when José did not return. Her body was buried where the mill was later built. A natural spring "slowly oozes" from that spot. According to the legend, this oozing water is "only the tears from a loving woman's broken heart."
Historic Designations
El Molino Viejo is the oldest commercial building in Southern California. Because of its importance, it has been recognized as a historic site by both the state and national governments.
In 1937, it was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey. In 1971, it became one of the first ten sites in Los Angeles County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a California Historical Landmark (No. 302). The landmark plaque reads:
- NO. 302 OLD MILL – The Old Mill, El Molino Viejo, was designed by Father José María Zalvidea and built of fired bricks and adobe about 1816 to serve Mission San Gabriel. Another grist mill was built in 1823 near the mission and the old mill was gradually abandoned – it passed from mission control in 1846. The property remained in private hands until 1903, when Henry E. Huntington bought the building and used it for a golf clubhouse. Later owners, Mr. and Mrs. James Brehm, had the mill restored in 1928 by Frederick Rupple.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California
- List of California Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County
- José Maria de Zalvidea
Images for kids
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El Molino Viejo, July 2008
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The original millstones were discovered on the grounds of the Huntington Library by Gen. George S. Patton.
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View of the Old Mill from rear courtyard
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Photograph from the Historic American Buildings Survey
