Rebuilding Valley Adobes

Long after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, local adobes are finally beginning to rebound. Constructed of sun-dried bricks made of dirt, water, sand and straw, the historic buildings were no match for the violent shaking.

A celebration is planned this afternoon to mark the reopening of the Andres Pico Adobe in Mission Hills and it is hoped that by the end of the year, the Lopez Adobe in San Fernando will again be open to the public.

Ironically, the Pico Adobe was closed in December 1992 so the city of Los Angeles could begin an earthquake stabilization project. The San Fernando Valley Historical Society, which manages the adobe, recently moved back in after operating out of a cramped trailer for more than four years.

During today’s festivities, planned from 1 to 5 p.m., Msgr. Francis J. Weber from the San Fernando Mission will bless the 163-year-old adobe.

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Andres Pico Adobe

10940 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays

Information: (818) 365-7810

Admission: free

History: The adobe where Andres Pico’s son and daughter-in-law once lived has been through many transformations. Believed to have been built in 1834, the adobe was remodeled in 1874 for newlyweds Romulo and Catarina Pico. At this time, a second story and a wing at each end was added in addition to wooden floors, sash windows, a shingle roof and porch. The couple lived at the adobe until the late 1890s, but by 1927 the building had deteriorated. It was restored and remodeled in the 1930s by Mark R. Harrington, then-curator of the Southwest Museum, and was a private residence until 1957, when it became the North Valley YMCA headquarters. The adobe is now home to the San Fernando Valley Historical Society.

Main attractions: a musical instrument from the 1860s called a melodeon, a turn-of-the-century organ and a trunk containing belongings of outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez.

Trivia: Although it bears his name, Andres Pico never actually lived at the adobe. For more than 20 years beginning in 1845, he ran cattle in the San Fernando Valley while living at the nearby San Fernando Mission.

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Lopez Adobe

1100 Pico St., San Fernando

Hours: currently closed for earthquake repairs; reopening targeted for late this year

Information: (818) 361-5050

Admission: free

History: Using 24-by-6-inch sun-baked blocks, Valentin Lopez built this two-story adobe in 1882-83 for his sister Catalina and her husband, Geronimo. It started out as a three-bedroom home and was remodeled in the 1930s to provide five bedrooms. A daughter, Kate Lopez Millen, lived at the adobe until ger death in 1961. The home was later sold to the city of San Fernando and opened to the public in 1975.

Main attractions: A baby’s christening gown made in 1880, various quilts from the 1800s, a 1900 wood-burning stove, a lantern dated 1904 and hundreds of books chronicling California history.

Trivia: The first local newspaper, the San Fernando Times, was printed at the adobe in April 1889.

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De la Ossa Adobe

16756 Moorpark St., Encino

Hours: currently closed for earthquake repairs; adjacent Los Encinos State Historic Park is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday

Information: (818) 784-4849

Admission: free

History: In 1849, Don Vincent de la Ossa purchased Rancho Los Encinos and built a nine-room adobe that served as a roadhouse for travelers along El Camino Real. At various times, the 4,460-acre ranch was used to raise longhorn cattle and sheep, and later was a wheat and barley farm. The land was subdivided in 1915 and in the late-1940s the state purchased 5 acres containing the adobe and other structures. The adobe sustained $347,000 damage in the Northridge earthquake, with repairs scheduled to begin later this year.

Main attractions: Heirlooms from previous owners, blacksmith shop and farm equipment, natural reservoir built in 1870s, which is home to 100 mallard ducks.

Trivia: Adobe is in its original configuration. Unlike most other adobes, it’s never had an addition.

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Casa Adobe de San Rafael

1330 Dorothy St., Glendale

Hours: open 1 to 3 p.m. first Sunday of the month, September through June, and every Sunday in July and August; tours can be arranged on off-days

Information: (818) 548-2147

Admission: free

History: After serving as Los Angeles County sheriff from 1859 to 1867, Tomas A. Sanchez built the Sanchez Adobe, now called Casa Adobe de San Rafael. Around the turn of the century, the family of Dr. Charles Bogue lived there. In 1930, citizens lobbied City Hall when the adobe was threatened with demolition. The Glendale City Council financed restoration and the building was opened to the public in 1934. The adobe was closed for two years after it sustained $300,000 damage in the Northridge earthquake.

Main attractions: 160-year-old piano with four legs, metal trunk that belonged to Maria Verdugo and a mirror from the Pio Pico Adobe in Whittier.

Trivia: The builders of the adobe, Tomas A. Sanchez and his child bride, Maria Verdugo, had 21 children, 19 of them boys.

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Leonis Adobe

23537 Calabasas Road, Calabasas

Hours: 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; tours can be arranged on off-days

Information: (818) 222-6511

Admission: $2 donation for adults and 50 cents for children

History: Built around 1844, the adobe was home to a Basque immigrant named Miguel Leonis, known as the “King of Calabasas,” and his Indian wife, Espiritu. Bright colors that now highlight the Monterey-style house were found under many layers of paint and are thought to be those originally used by Leonis. Adobe bricks are sealed within the walls that are now covered, interior and exterior, by wood. Miguel Leonis lived at the adobe until his death in 1889 and Espiritu was there until she died in 1906. Opened to the public in 1964, the adobe was closed about a year following the Northridge earthquake.

Main attractions: reproduction of a large Mexican beehive oven, 1898 butter churn and livestock including Texas longhorn cattle, goats and sheep.

Trivia: The Martin Agoure family added indoor plumbing to the adobe in 1924 when they were living there.

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Reyes Adobe

31400 Rainbow Crest Drive, Agoura Hills

Hours: closed to the public

Information: (818) 597-7300

History: The adobe’s main room is thought to have been built as early as 1797. In 1820 Don Jacinto Reyes reportedly accepted it as a wedding gift from his father. A haven for Spaniards traveling the coast, it was also a working cattle ranch. According to the city of Agoura Hills, which now owns the adobe, it was used as a private residence until 1975. Major restoration was completed in 1988, but due to a lack of funding, it has never been opened to the public. Repairs of the Northridge earthquake damage--costing $75,000--are soon to be completed.

Main attractions: The adobe has six rooms and a loft, with wooden floors throughout. It lacks indoor plumbing and heating.

Trivia: Several artifacts have been recovered from the site including U.S. coins from the 19th century, a branding iron with the letter “R” and metal dinner plates.

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Using steel rods and apoxy, the second-story floor and the roof were anchored to the interior and exterior walls. Roof anchors are hidden in the attic. Floor anchors are hidden between the layers of the second-story wooden floor.

Fireplaces, located at the south end of building and in the center of the west wall, were repaired.

Portions of the north and south second floor walls were rebuilt, using adobe bricks.

Fireplace, located at the south end of building and in the center of the west wall, wererepaired.

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Sources: Harold Rockwell of the San Fernando Valley Historical Society; Carolyn Riggs of the San Fernando Historical Site and Preservation Commission; Russ Kimura of Los Encinos State Historic Park; Helen Gregory of Glendale Beautiful; Ray Phillips of the Leonis Adobe Assn.; Sy Rimer of the Las Virgenes Historical Society; Audrey Brown of the city of Agoura Hills, and “The San Fernando Valley Past and Present,” by Lawrence C. Jorgensen. Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL/Los Angeles Times