Avila Adobe

The Avila Adobe is the oldest surviving residence in Los Angeles. It was built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, a wealthy cattle rancher from Sinaloa. The building stands in the historic Olvera Street district, which is part of the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District. The house was originally L-shaped and considerably larger than it is today, with a long porch that extended almost to the middle of the street. The walls are made of sun-dried adobe bricks roughly 2.5 to 3 feet thick. The original floor was packed earth that was swept regularly, while the ceilings were supported by cottonwood beams. The roof was initially flat and sealed with a mixture of tar, stones, and horsehair to make it weatherproof. In the backyard were a garden and a vineyard, which were watered by the nearby Zanja Madre, a historic irrigation ditch.

Francisco Avila used the house as a showpiece residence where he entertained friends and business partners. He traded in hides and tallow to obtain luxurious furnishings from Mexico, Europe, and Asia, which were shipped to California over long sea routes. After his death in 1832, his widow Encarnacion continued to live in the house until 1855. During the Mexican-American War, the adobe briefly served as headquarters for U.S. troops under Commodore Robert F. Stockton in 1847. Over the following decades the building fell increasingly into disrepair, until in 1928 the city declared it unsafe and slated it for demolition.

The house was saved thanks to the initiative of Christine Sterling, who stopped the demolition and had the building restored. With the support of sponsors and the local press, the Avila Adobe was turned into a museum documenting the history of early Los Angeles. Today the house is a historic house museum with seven rooms, including a large family room, an office, and a kitchen. You can tour the faithfully re-created rooms and gain insight into the lifestyle of the early settlers. The building is registered as California Historical Landmark #145 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open to the public and offers a glimpse into the city's cultural and architectural history.