ADOBE'S GRAND OPENING REYES FAMILY HOME DONE.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer AGOURA HILLS - The historic Reyes Adobe, home to descendants of the 1769 Portola expedition The Portola expedition was led from 1769 to 1770 by Gaspar de Portolà and was the first known attempt by Spain to explore Upper California by land. The purpose of the expedition was to secure territories in Upper California before the Russians. , opens to the public as a museum Saturday after a two-decade, $1.2 million effort to refurbish it. Dating from about 1850 and considered the Agoura area's oldest home, the adobe's first resident was Jose Paulino Reyes, a grandson of Francisco Reyes, who had come to California with the Portola expedition in 1769 and was once mayor of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . ``I see the Reyes Adobe as being a treasure in our back yards, a piece of California history where schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school and others can really get a sense of what it was like to live in California in the 1800s,'' said Agoura Hills Mayor Dan Kuperberg. ``As mayor, I couldn't be prouder. I can't wait to see it in full operation, to see the kids on tour.'' Assemblywoman Fran Pavley Fran Pavley is a Democratic politician and previously served as a California Assemblywoman and as the first mayor of the Southern California community of Agoura Hills. She served as a Mayor and Councilmember for four terms. , D-Woodland Hills, was Agoura Hills' first mayor when the city was incorporated 1982 and she worked for years on behalf of the Reyes Adobe, helping obtain a $400,000 grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1979 and dedicated to the acquisition of land in the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills, north and west of Los Angeles, for preservation as open to complete the project. ``I'm thrilled to see the historic home and grounds restored. As the first mayor of Agoura Hills and a former teacher, I hope that this will become a valuable asset to the community and a wonderful real-life, hands-on learning experience for our children,'' she said. City officials had once hoped to open the adobe to the public in 1988, but their efforts were set back by a number of problems including repeated vandalism, storms, and extensive damage from the Northridge Earthquake The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6. , as well as lack of money. ``We had the restoration almost completed roughly 10 years ago, but the combination of intense winter storms and the Northridge Earthquake undid un·did v. Past tense of undo. undid undo much of the work,'' said Louise Rishoff, another former Agoura Hills mayor who now works for Pavley. ``It's a project people have been working on for the last 20 years, and to be a part of the group to actually see it come to fruition is very exciting. It's an honor,'' Rishoff said. The project is finally complete and the grand opening scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 5464 Reyes Adobe Road, near Rainbow Crest Drive. Opening day includes music, food, children's games and traditional crafts, including brick-making and wood carving. The old house is restored to its 1935 condition, but the furnishings will date back to the mid-1800s and reflect the Spanish rancho period and other periods when people lived in the house. The barn, which is not as historic as the house, will be used as a museum for permanent exhibits about other aspects of California history. ``Its significance on the El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
The view from the home was once open hills in all directions, but modern housing developments have now covered most of the area. Today the old home sits by the green grass and parking area at Reyes Adobe Park, and the grounds of the adobe itself have been landscaped with a stream and flowering plants suggesting the old Southwest. Historians say the original Reyes Adobe was built in about 1850 on the El Rancho de Las Virgenes land grant extending from west of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , up to Lindero Canyon Road along the north side of the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. . Officials said the total budget for the restoration project was approximately $1.2 million, including about $543,000 in state park bond funds from Propositions 12 and 40 and a $400,000 grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The Getty Foundation contributed $75,000 and $200,000 came from the Agoura Hills general fund. Celeste Celeste is a woman's first name. Celeste may also refer to: in Music
It was used as ranch before it was purchased in 1935 for $3,500 by Malcolm McKenzie, an aficionado A Spanish word that means fan, devotee, enthusiast, etc. There are loyal aficionados of every subject in the computer field. of California history who spent years restoring it using 60 tons of handmade adobe brick he hauled in a pickup truck from the Dominguez home that was torn down in Chatsworth. He sold it in 1945 to the family of Jon Dodson Blunt, a tenor for the King's Men vocal group featured on the ``Fibber fib n. An insignificant or childish lie. intr.v. fibbed, fib·bing, fibs To tell a fib. See Synonyms at lie2. McGee and Molly'' radio show. The Dodson family modernized the home before the ranch was sold and developed for housing. The old adobe was acquired by the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department and then by the city of Agoura Hills after the city's incorporation. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO: The grand opening of the Reyes Adobe will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 5464 Reyes Adobe Road, near Rainbow Crest Drive. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- ran in Simi edition only) The Reyes Adobe, built in 1850, has been renovated and will be opened to the public next weekend with many events and tours. (2 -- ran in Simi edition only) A small stream runs past the Reyes Adobe's barn, which has been renovated and will now serve as a museum. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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