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 sobre el Río Porciúncula. The first two locations were washed away by floods from the Los Angeles River. The Ávila Adobe was one of the first homes built with a street view in this early Spanish town, known as Alta California.
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Building the Adobe
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 special bricks called adobe, which are dried in the sun. The first ceilings were 15 feet (4.6 meters) high. They were held up by strong beams made from cottonwood trees. These trees grew along the banks of the Los Angeles River.
Even though the roof looks slanted now, it was originally flat. To make it waterproof, people used tar, called brea in Spanish. This tar came from the La Brea Tar Pits. They mixed the tar with rocks and horsehair. This mixture helped seal the roof beams from bad weather.
The first floor of the Ávila Adobe was packed earth. It was as hard as concrete. People swept it many times a day to keep it smooth. Dirt floors were common in most early adobe homes. Later, shiny wooden floors were added.
The original house was much bigger than it looks today. It was shaped like an "L," with one part reaching almost to the middle of Olvera Street. At the back of the house was a long porch facing a courtyard. Francisco Ávila grew a garden and a vineyard in this courtyard. A main water channel, called the Zanja Madre (meaning "Mother Ditch"), brought water from the Los Angeles River. It was close enough for Francisco Avila to use for his garden. Later, Francisco Avila added a wooden porch and steps to the front of the house.
A Home Through Time
The Ávila Adobe was built in 1818 in Alta California. Over the years, the house has kept its original style. It has survived wars and many repairs. The town where it was built was called El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Today, we know it as the city of Los Angeles. Before the Ávila home was built, Spanish people from Sinaloa, Mexico settled this land. In the early 1800s, wealthy ranching families lived in the town. Francisco Avila was one of these rich cattle ranchers. He was from Sinaloa. His cattle business helped him become very wealthy.
Over time, the Ávila home was rented to different people. In the next century, it was used in many ways. It became a hotel, a place for housing, and even a temporary home for U.S. troops. For a while, in the late 1920s, the Ávila Adobe was empty and uncared for. The city even wanted to tear it down because it seemed useless.
But the house was saved by Christine Sterling. She saw the house as a very important historical site. Sterling did not want this old house, one of the first in Los Angeles, to be destroyed. She managed to stop the city from tearing it down. She then turned it into a museum. People could visit and learn about its history. Sterling named the street where the Ávila home stands Olvera Street. She named it after Agustin Olvera. She 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, inspired by the history of the Ávila Adobe.
Francisco Avila, the Owner
Francisco Avila was a Californio, a person of Spanish descent born in California. He was a rich cattle rancher. He owned a large ranch called Rancho Las Cienegas west of the town. This area is now the mid-Wilshire district. Francisco spent his weekdays at his ranch. On weekends, special holidays, or feast days, he would come to the Pueblo. Here, he could trade goods, entertain friends and family, or go to church. The church, Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia, was right across the plaza.
The Ávila Adobe was considered a beautiful home in its time. It had many large rooms with plenty of windows. The Avilas hosted many social events in their big sala, or parlor.
Francisco Avila traded things like animal hides and tallow. Tallow is a fat used to make candles and soap. He traded these to get fancy furniture and goods. These items were brought from Mexico and other faraway places. Even French doors and window frames were ordered from Boston. These goods traveled thousands of miles by ship around the southern tip of South America. Avila's wealth allowed him to buy fine items from Mexico, New England, Asia, and Europe. He also traded for household goods with merchant ships. These ships anchored in San Pedro Bay or Mission Bay near San Diego. The goods were then brought inland by ox-drawn carts.
The adobe was always ready for friends, family, and travelers. Even the famous explorer, Jedediah Smith, stayed there. 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: "A few families are rich in cattle and horses and mules and among these Señor [Francisco Avila] and his brother [Ygnacio Avila] are perhaps the richest."
Francisco Avila passed away on April 5, 1832. His wife, Encarnacion Avila, stayed at the adobe until she died 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 start of the Mexican–American War. The U.S. wanted to take control of Alta California. U.S. Navy Commodore Robert F. Stockton arrived in Monterey on July 14. He announced that California was won. He then marched toward Los Angeles and took it without a fight.
However, the people of Los Angeles did not give up easily. They fought against the U.S. soldiers left to control the town. They won the Siege of Los Angeles. Stockton had to return in October through San Diego. After a battle near San Diego in December, the Americans marched toward Los Angeles. They fought the Battle of Rio San Gabriel on January 8, 1847. This battle, lasting two days, ended the Mexican resistance there. The Battle of La Mesa followed.
When news of the American troops reached the Pueblo, most people fled. Maria Encarnacion Avila also left. Her husband was not there to protect her. She went to a relative's home. She left a young boy in charge of her house. 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 saw the large house with its nice furniture. They decided to use it as their temporary headquarters. When the fighting ended on January 13, the troops left the adobe. This was after the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed.
Avila's youngest daughter, Francisca, married Theodore Rimpau in 1850. He was from Germany. After Encarnacion Avila died in 1855, the couple lived in the adobe until 1868. By then, the house had become quite old. The Rimpaus moved out. Various family members rented the house for a few years. After that, it became a boarding house. An earthquake in 1870 damaged the house even more. It fell into disrepair. In 1928, the City of Los Angeles said it was too unsafe.
Saving the Adobe
Christine Sterling was a woman from San Francisco. She had moved to Los Angeles. She was very interested in the city's history. In 1926, she started a project. She wanted to change the old plaza area from a run-down place into a Latin-American cultural center. She got help from Harry Chandler, who owned the Los Angeles Times newspaper. He printed articles to get people interested and raise money.
However, after two years, the money was not coming in. Even though it seemed like a lost cause, Sterling did not give up. When she heard the city planned to tear down the adobe in 1928, she acted fast. She stopped the demolition. She found the owner of the building, Miss Sophia Rimpau. She 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 called reporters to cover a story. It was about saving Olvera Street and the Ávila Adobe. This campaign got the support she needed. Soon, she had enough money to buy the house. One person who helped Sterling was Florence Dodson de Shoneman. She was from the Sepulveda family, another old California family. She gave furniture for a whole room in the adobe.
The adobe was repaired so it would not be torn down. Sterling asked the city council to cancel the demolition order. The council agreed. The chief of police even sent prison inmates to help clean up the plaza area. Eventually, the Ávila Adobe was fully restored to its original beauty. By Easter Sunday 1930, Olvera Street Plaza had changed. It went from a run-down area to a lively Mexican-style marketplace.
Christine Sterling lived in the adobe. But she also kept it open for groups and student tours. In 1953, the State of California bought the Ávila Adobe. It became part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. Mrs. Sterling lived in the house until she died in 1963.
The 1971 Sylmar earthquake caused a lot of damage to the adobe. The house was closed for tours. It took $120,000 and five years to repair it. A new building was added to the back of the house. It was a memorial to Christine Sterling. The Adobe has been open for tours again since 1976.
Visiting the Historic House Museum
Today, the adobe is a historic house museum. It has seven rooms left from what was once a much larger building. The restoration work tried to show what the original home was like. The biggest room, the family room, was used for dining, fun, and social gatherings. The office room was where Francisco Avila did his business. The sala, or living room, was for special events. These included weddings, baptisms, or entertaining important guests. There were bedrooms for the parents and for the children. The kitchen was for cooking and also used for bathing. Cooking was done outside in the courtyard. Other bathroom needs were also handled outside the house. Most of the original furniture came from other countries. These were countries Avila traded with.
The adobe has a large courtyard. It has covered porches for each area of the house. There were also stables and a workshop. Recently, during digging, a part of the Zanja Madre was found. This "Mother Ditch" brought water into the town through a brick pipeline from the river. In the courtyard, two grape plants are growing.
The adobe is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It is also a California Historical Landmark (No. 145). And it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
How to Visit
The Ávila Adobe is open for public tours. It is located at East 10 Olvera Street. This is inside the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park. The park office is at 845 N. Alameda Street. The Visitors Information Center is at 128 Paseo de la Plaza.
Why the Adobe is Important to Los Angeles History
The Ávila Adobe home helps us understand the history of Los Angeles. It shows how the city first began. The city was first called El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Later, it was renamed Los Angeles. Before the Ávila home was built, the city was a small town. It had only a few homes and families, mostly cattle ranchers.
The home is key to understanding Los Angeles's cultural history. Today, the city has people from many different cultures. But it once had mostly Hispanic people. Spanish settlers founded the city in 1781. It was a small group of people.
There are many historical sites in the Los Angeles area. But the spot where the Ávila home stands is the oldest part of Los Angeles. You can learn a lot about history by visiting the home. With Olvera Street named after Agustin Olvera and the Mexican market created, the home helps keep this historical landmark alive. Even after a war and an earthquake, the home was restored to its original 19th-century style. Thanks to Christine Sterling's hard work, the Ávila home was saved. It now represents an important landmark in the city's history. What's interesting is not just how the Ávila Adobe came to be, but that it still exists today.
Gallery
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Kitchen
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Living room
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Bedroom
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark Marker NO. 145 at the site reads:
- NO. 145 AVILA ADOBE - This adobe house was built ca. 1818 by Don Francisco Avila, alcalde (mayor) of Los Angeles in 1810. Used as Commodore Robert Stockton's headquarters in 1847, it was repaired by private subscription in 1929-30 when Olvera Street was opened as a Mexican marketplace. It is the oldest existing house in Los Angeles.
See also
