adobe

#277: Workman Adobe (City of Industry)

#277: Workman Adobe (City of Industry)

February 21, 2026
Pioneers & Settlers
The Workman Adobe was built in the early 1840s for William Workman and his family, some of the earliest non-Hispanics to immigrate to Southern California under Mexican rule. This family made huge contributions to LA’s development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And as their fortunes waxed and waned over the decades, the adobe changed dramatically too. Its history is a reflection of both the people who lived there, and the broader story of Los Angeles.
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#268: Palomares Adobe (Pomona)

#268: Palomares Adobe (Pomona)

October 8, 2025
Pioneers & Settlers
The Palomares Adobe was home to the first non-indigenous family to settle in the Pomona Valley. In the 1850s the Adobe was the seat of a successful cattle-ranching business run by Don Ygnacio Palomares. It served as a general store, a place of rest for weary travelers, and an occasional Roman Catholic chapel. Today you can visit the fully-restored Adobe for a window into the long-gone rancho era.
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#223: Rancho Los Alamitos (Long Beach)

#223: Rancho Los Alamitos (Long Beach)

August 6, 2024
Native Americans
Rancho Los Alamitos compresses 150+ years of Los Angeles history into a single site. It went from Tongva village and sacred site, to Spanish land grant, to Yankee cattle and sheep ranch, to the center of a massive agricultural operation, and now a beautifully-preserved educational site, open to the public for free.
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#221: Michael White Adobe (San Marino)

#221: Michael White Adobe (San Marino)

July 11, 2024
Pioneers & Settlers
Constructed ~1845, the Michael White Adobe is one of just 39 historic adobes left in LA County, and the second oldest building in San Marino. Its first owner was a sailor, shipbuilder and rancher who unwittingly took part in some of the most significant events in 19th century Los Angeles history.
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#3: Catalina Verdugo Adobe (Glendale)

#3: Catalina Verdugo Adobe (Glendale)

October 10, 2021
Pioneers & Settlers
In which I visit the Catalina Verdugo Adobe, said to be the oldest extant house in Glendale. Situated on land that was once part of a massive Spanish rancho, this adobe was the site of an important 1847 parley that helped end the Mexican-American War in 1847.
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