The

Rancho San Andrés Rancho San Andrés was a Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Cruz County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to José Joaquín Castro. The grant on Monterey Bay extended from La Selva Beach on the north to Watsonville Slo ...

Castro Adobe is a historically and architecturally significant house located in the Pájaro Valley, California. The two-story Rancho San Andrés Castro Adobe is a historic rancho hacienda that was built between 1848-49.

History

The house was built in 1848–1849 by Juan José Castro. His father Jose Joaquin Castro (1768–1838), came to California as a 6-year-old with his family from Sinaloa Mexico on the 1775–1776 Anza Expedition. Jose Joaquín Castro received this Mexican land grant

in the area of present-day

Watsonville, California Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, located in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 according to the 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self ...

. It had the first dance floor (fandango room) in

Santa Cruz County, California Santa Cruz County (), officially the County of Santa Cruz, is a county on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,861. The county seat is Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz County comprises the San ...

and one of the first indoor kitchens (cocina). It is the only two-story hacienda ever built in Santa Cruz County. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Cruz County, California on December 12, 1976. It is

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

number 998. The adobe was severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. One wall had completely collapsed, and the house needed seismic retrofitting before being safe for the public. Owner Edna Kimbro sold it to the state of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 2002. Starting in August 2007, Friends of California State Parks volunteers and the California Conservation Corps began restoration by making 2500 adobe bricks. Almost 100 members of the Castro family held a reunion at the site in 2008. it was not yet opened to the public as a state park, but it is expected to open in 2016 as Rancho San Andres Castro Adobe Historic State Park.

References

External links

Office of Historic Preservation
— entry #998
Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks
— website on the Castro Adobe
Chronicling the Castro Adobe
— a restoration blog History of Santa Cruz County, California Adobe buildings and structures in California Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in California Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Santa Cruz County, California Houses in Santa Cruz County, California Proposed museums in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Santa Cruz County, California {{SantaCruzCountyCA-NRHP-stub