National Register of Historic Places

Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe

Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California
Listed
December 12, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000531

About this property

The Rancho San Andrés 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 and 1849. 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 Rancho San Andrés in the area of present-day Watsonville, California. It had the first dance floor (fandango room) in Santa Cruz County, California, 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 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 in 2002. Starting in August 2007, Friends of California State Parks volunteers and the California Conservation Corps began restoration by making 2,500 adobe bricks. Almost 100 members of the Castro family held a reunion at the site in 2008. The Rancho San Andrés Castro Adobe Park Property is currently (2024) open to the public only by appointment, special event, or free scheduled open house tour. Tour registration is via the website. Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks — website on the Castro Adobe

Location

Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, California
36.94614, -121.81220

Categories

AGRICULTUREEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe listed on the National Register?

Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe?

Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe?

The period of significance for Castro, Jose Joaquin, Adobe is recorded as the industrial era.

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