The Old Mill is Southern California’s oldest surviving commercial building. Its millstones once ground grain for the San Gabriel mission, and were later rediscovered by a famous WWII hero.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1971

Tucked away on a leafy San Marino street, four minutes away from Huntington Gardens and just south of the extravagant mansions of Oak Knoll, is the Old Mill: the oldest surviving commercial building in Southern California, and one of the most peaceful sites I’ve encountered on my historic LA journeys. 

The two-story grist mill was built in 1816 by Tongva/Kizh Mission Indians, under the direction of José María de Zalvidea of the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel (see post #43). It provided food and resources for the Mission for about seven years, until a more efficient mill was built not far away. The original structure went unused for the next 30 years, at which point it was bought and expanded by the well-to-do Kewen family, who installed the patio and windows that you can still see today. In 1903, the land was bought by the Huntingtons, and later used as the clubhouse for a golf course attached with the Huntington Hotel, now known as the Langham.

Leslie Huntington Brehm (widow of Henry Huntington’s son) eventually restored and rented it out from the ‘20s through the early ‘60s, and when she died in 1962, she willed it to the city of San Marino; it’s now operated by the non-profit Old Mill Foundation.

An interesting historical wrinkle: for decades after the Old Mill’s closure, nobody knew where the original millstones had gone…until they were “rediscovered” by none other than General George S. Patton, who found them on the Huntington Library grounds during his childhood. The millstones are now enjoying their retirement on the patio of the Old Mill, surrounded by lush, tasteful landscaping tended by the Diggers Garden Club of Pasadena.

The Old Mill is also a terrific example of how a historic place can adapt for modern visitors while preserving what makes it special. There was a scout troop at the Mill when we visited, learning what it had to tell us about LA history. The converted granary room hosts an ongoing exhibit by the California Art Club; this time it was a series of impressionist coastal California scenes.

Recommended Reading

+Old Mill @ NRHP website

+Old Mill history with vintage photos (Old Mill Foundation website)

+Lost L.A.: A view of U.S. history in 1887 El Molino Viejo photo (LA Times, 2010)

+Introduction to the Old Mill’s landscaping (Pacific Horticulture)