T H E ST ORY. which was completed in 1910, reflected an Thank you for your interest in Old Town La Casa de idealized upper status Californio home and did San Diego State Historic Park, a part of the In 1823, José María Estudillo would start to not restore the Estudillo home to its original California State Parks system. Inquire at the Estudillo. build a townhome for his family at the bottom form. The entrepreneur andshowman Tommy Robinson-Rose Visitor Information Center of Presidio Hill. La Casa de Estudillo was a Getz welcomed visitors to “Ramona’s Marriage or visit our website to find additional ways The Estudillo social and political center of San Diego during Place” for years, telling highly embroidered to experience California’s history. Feel free to Historic House Museum. California’s Mexican Period (1821-1846) and stories of an idealized and fabricated past. share your State Park adventures with us on our into the early American Period. Besides serving Facebook and Twitter. #inventyouradventure as the town house of the Estudillo family when THE PEOPLE. they were not on one of their four ranches, the 4002 Wallace St. house served as a chapel, school, law office, Who lived in this house? Commander San Diego, CA 92110 store, and even as a place of refuge for women José María Estudillo (from Andalusia, Spain), 619-220-5422 and children during the American invasion of Comandante of El Presidio San Diego, his www.parks.ca.gov/oldtownsandiego 1846. The Estudillo family occupied the house wife Gertrudis Horcasitas (from Tlayacapan, for some sixty years. After the son of José María Moreles, Mexico) and their children. Estudillo, José Antonio, passed away in 1852, One of José María’s children, José Antonio his widow, María Victoria, rented rooms to Estudillo, finalized the construction of this home as his family grew. José Antonio became others outside the family, including District a wealthy rancher and held many public offices Judge Benjamin Hayes and his new bride in San Diego. He and other family members Adelaida Serrano Hayes, David B. Hoffman, acquired extensive land holdings in the county. and Francisco de P. Rodriguez who operated a His wife, María Victoria Domiguez, was noted store in the home. for her many charities. Within the walls of this The Estudillo family lived in the home house, they had twelve children of their own until 1887, when the family moved to Los and adopted several more. Angeles and the house was left in the hands of While mostly hidden, the stories of the a caretaker. During this time, the popularity Kumeyaay people in early San Diego must of Helen Hunt Jackson’s book, Ramona, helped never be disregarded. Kumeyaay likely built this launch historic tourism and a romanticized home by collecting cobblestones from the San perception of California’s history. The house’s Diego River for the foundation of the structure, Stay Connected! reconstruction by Hazel Wood Waterman, making the adobe bricks for the walls, and Date Built: 1823-1827 even possibly carrying pine timbers from the www.facebook.com/oldtownsandiego Interpretive Period: Mexican/American Cuyamaca forest for the roof. The Kumeyaay www.twitter.com/oldtownsandiego Structure rehabilitated in 1910 & 1972. also served as cooks and domestics, doing www.instagram.com/castateparkssd U.S. National Register of Historic Places things like taking care of the family’s children, #inventyouradventure #70000143 in addition to being the vaqueros (cowboys) U.S. National Historic Landmark and sheepherders on whose labor California’s California Historical Landmark 53 economy depended. The Kumeyaay called this San Diego Historic Landmark 14A area home from before the Spaniards came to North America and they still live here today. Illustrations by Megan Curtis. THE BUILDING. La Sala. This grandsala (living room) was a La Tienda (Store). Francisco de P. Rodriguez multi-purpose room. Not only did the family rented one room of the Estudillo house during Upon José María Estudillo’s death in host fiestas and bailes in this room, it was also the 1850s and used it as a store. The objects in DID YOU KNOW? 1830, construction of the Casa de Estudillo was where the community could celebrate important this room are some examples of merchandise continued by his son, José Antonio, and his religious ceremonies such as weddings and that would have been available to purchase • The 42 to 40 inch thick walls are son’s wife. Like many adobe homes, this one memorial services. from the international ships that came to San made of sunbaked adobe bricks built on probably began with two rooms. Wings were large river cobble foundations. Office of Judge Benjamin Hayes. Over Diego’s port during this time. added over time to create a U-shaped building. the years, some of the rooms were rented to Children’s Room. Many children grew up • The Estudillo family ranchos On the roof was a turreted balcony, accessed prominent Californians. This room features calling la Casa de Estudillo home. This room produced thousands of hides that were by a stairwell. Seated here, family and friends Judge Benjamin Hayes and has mentions of shows some of the possible furniture and toys exported from San Diego on ships. The watched the bullfights, horse races, andfiestas other renters such as Dr. David B. Hoffman the Estudillo children would have played with. ships transported the hides to Boston, on the plaza. When the family’s descendants and his wife María Dolores Wilder. New York, and England to be made into moved away, they left the house with a Dining Room. Dedicating a room just for leather shoes, belts & hats. The ships caretaker who sold pieces of it to tourists who Evolving Scholarship Room. This room eating was a luxury when the Estudillos lived then brought those goods back to trade thought it was where the heroine of a fictional shows some of the ways that the Estudillo here. This showed how wealthy they were and for more hides. The hides became known book, Ramona, was married. House was used throughout history. From a they even had a shoofly attached to the ceiling as “California Bank Notes.” About eighteen years after the Estudillos tourist attraction as “Ramona’s Marriage Place” to keep bugs off their food while they ate. • The paper used to wrap sugar cones abandoned the house, John D. Spreckels of the to a romanticized Spanish revival museum, the José Antonio’s Office. José Antonio Estudillo like the ones in the Tienda was dyed with San Diego Electric Railway Company bought house has changed with the times. was an important man in San Diego. He held indigo dye. Women used to soak the used and rebuilt it to be a tourist attraction at the end Disaster Room. Many disasters happened official posts including treasurer of municipal paper from the sugar cones to make new of a streetcar line. Most of the reconstruction in Old Town San Diego, including floods, funds, alcalde (mayor), administrator of Mission dye for use with their fabrics. The color we see today was the work of Hazel Waterman. earthquakes, locusts, sickness, and crashing San Luis Rey, and juez de paz (Justice of the this makes is similar to a muddy gray The alterations included indoor fireplaces, economies. Within this room are recordings Peace), as well as owning various ranchos. color. a courtyard garden with a fountain and a and panels that detail some of these trials and Rancho and Religious Storage. When “wishing well” that never existed when the • Originally, chocolate was made into tribulations. the California Missions secularized and Estudillos lived in the house. Thecasa became a drink and wasn’t as sweet as we think Family Bedroom. José Guadalupe Estudillo reorganized, they needed to store their sacred part of the California State Park System in 1968 of it today. It wasn’t until much later that and his wife Adelaide were the third generation items in a secure place. Since the Estudillos were and was restored as a house museum identified chocolate became associated with being a of Estudillos to live in this house. They and well-known, trusted, and devout Catholics, a with the Estudillo family. It has been described solid candy treat. their children might have slept in a bedroom chapel was established in their house until the as the United States’ finest example of a large very similar to the one on display here. Adobe Chapel opened on Conde Street. Mexican adobe townhouse. CAN YOU FIND? With assistance from the National Society of Food Preparation Room. Most cooking during Master Bedroom. María Victoria Dominguez the Colonial Dames of America, the house was the time the Estudillos lived here would have been Cristobal de Estudillo, who would have been the • A water filter made of volcanic rock? furnished in the 1970s with items representative done outside in an horno (beehive-style oven) or one to live in this bedroom, lived in the house • A louse comb? of the 17th to the 20th centuries intended to under a thatch-roof covered area. Cooking also for around 50 years and had many children. reflect a wealthy, upper classCalifornio family. could have taken place on the floor, which you • A spinning top? The choices made were strongly influenced by can see an example of in this room. • A painted leather trunk? a lingering romanticized perception of San Diego’s early history. October 23, 2019.