San Diego Historical Landmarks—#14D: Casa de Pedrorena

Within Old Town San Diego State Historic Park (San Diego Historical Landmark #14) are many historic buildings and rebuilds. We’ll explore nine of them since they also have been designated San Diego Historical Landmarks.

The fourth one, San Diego Historical Landmark #14C, is Casa de Pedrorena.

Casa de Pedrorena was built in 1869 by Miguel de Pedrorena Jr (picture ►), a wealthy stockman. His dad, a native of Madrid, Spain, living in Peru had come to San Diego as a ship’s agent, marrying into the prominent Estudillo family in 1842. Although he claimed the lot adjacent to the Estudillo home in Old Town, the historic Casa de Estudillo, he died in 1850 before he could build a home.

One online source states that the structure was built in 1850 by Miguel Sr. Since he died on March 21, 1850, I’m going to go with it being built in 1869 by Miguel Jr. I just don’t believe an adobe or framed home could be built in San Diego at that time in a mere 2½ months.

A plaque on the grounds (lower right corner of picture above) states that Casa de Pedrorena was the final adobe built in Old Town, and one online source states that its thick adobe and mud-plastered, whitewashed walls were typical of Mexican adobes in the area. However, the shingled roof, as well as the mill-sawn, wood-columned front porch, reflected American building practices.

Other online sources state categorically that Casa de Pedrorena was “one of” the first frame houses in Old Town.” Several sources state that it was “the first frame house” built in Old Town. Here is a picture taken around 1920:

I looked closely at the building exterior but could not determine whether it was a wood-frame building or an adobe. I guess I’ll just leave it at that. As my wise old grandmother said, “It is what it is.”

Miguel Sr. came from one of the best families in Madrid, being educated there and at Oxford University. He served as a captain in the United States Cavalry during the Mexican-American War. He was in the forefront of the attack against Fort Stockton when it was finally captured.

During the early part of the war, he had buried under his house (or the patio behind it, one source says) El Jupiter (picture ►), the old bronze cannon now on display at the Junipero Serra Museum (see my post here) in order to prevent its being used against the Americans.

Miguel Sr. was a member of the California Constitutional Convention which met in Monterey, California, in 1849. He was a member of the group headed by William Heath Davis which attempted to found New Town in 1850, an attempt that failed because of the lack of fresh water.

Miguel Jr. gave Casa de Pedrorena to his sister, Isabel de Altamirano, in January 1871, a gift that joined together two pioneer California families. Isabel and her husband, José Antonio Altamirano, raised their family in the home.

Although some sources call the home “Casa de Pedrorena y Altamirano,” Altamirano also owned the little frame house next door where the San Diego Union newspaper was first published in 1868. The newspaper building is more traditionally connected with Altamirano’s name rather than Casa de Pedrorena.

Casa de Pedrorena remained a family residence until 1907, although one source says “until the 1890s.” It was restored in 1996 by California State Parks and is said to be one of five historic 19th century adobes in Old Town State Historic Park. Currently it is a gem, jewelry, and rock shop, open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There are two old railroad mining cars located on the property:

For the introductory blog post
to San Diego’s historical landmarks,
click on San Diego’s Historical Landmarks.

For previous posts in the
San Diego Historical Landmarks series,
go here.

Need a unique gift?
Anniversary? Birthday? Graduation? Marriage?
Choose Photographic Art by Russel Ray Photos at Fine Art America.

San Diego Historical Landmarks—#9: The Davis-Horton House (part 4)

For previous posts on the Davis-Horton House, see
The Davis-Horton House, part 3
The Davis-Horton House, part 2
The Davis-Horton House.

The Davis-Horton House, built in 1850, is the oldest house in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. It’s also one of the oldest structures in all of San Diego.

Since the lumber resources in San Diego in 1850 were nonexistent, the house was purchased as a “pre-cut” house from a manufacturer in Portland, Maine, and shipped to San Diego around the Cape Horn of Africa. The “salt-box” style of the house was prevalent in New England at the time.

Many sources say that the house was purchased by the City of San Diego in the early 1970s, but for some reason we can’t get an exact year. The brochure from the Gaslamp Museum says that the house was sold in 1981 and donated to the City of San Diego.

The house was originally built at State & Market Streets. In 1873, when Anna Scheper bought the house, she had it moved to 11th & K Streets where it would be used as a hospital, eventually becoming known as the County Hospital. It was moved to its current location at 410 Island Avenue in 1984.

Picture ca. 1873 at the 11th Street & K Street location

From 1867 to 1873, Alonzo Horton, one of San Diego’s early real estate developers, lived in the house, buying a 50% interest in the house in 1872. The house is the only remaining house where Alonzo Horton is known to have lived.

Sometime in the 1890s, the house was bought by Henry and Lina Lohmann, German immigrants. In 1901, they adopted a 6-year-old boy named George Deyo, and in 1936, they gave the house to George.

George Deyo took in a young boy named Edward Lanuza, as well as the boy’s grandmother. After Edward married, he raised his family in the home, living without electricity in order to preserve the house for history. How awesome. Someone actually thinking about history and how to save something for future generations.

Edward inherited the house when George Deyo died in 1977. After the house was sold 1981, the new owners donated it to the City of San Diego, although some sources say that the City of San Diego bought it.

Each room in the house represents a different time in the house’s history, including as a pre-Civil War military officers’ barracks and a hospital.

Now known as the Gaslamp Museum, it is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and Sunday from noon to 3:30 PM.

I went on a Saturday and took lots of pictures…. but you knew that….

The kitchen exhibits objects covering a wide range of time in the history of the house, including a coal-burning stove and a gas stove, both in use until 1981.

The dining room is set for a family meal ca. 1885 with pressed glass goblets, spooners, and knife rests.

The staircases are original to the house, as is hardwood flooring throughout, best visible in the hallways. Look closely and you can see wooden, square-headed nails in the floor planks.

The parlor represents the period from 1867-1873 when Alonzo Horton lived in the house. Hanging on the wall is the marriage certificate for Alonzo and Lydia. I thought it interesting that the marriage certificate indicates that Alonzo was 77 and Lydia was 47. I thought marriages between people of such a wide age difference was a fairly modern thing, post-World War II. Wonder what the gossip was like….

The first residents of the Davis-Horton House were military officers. Two of the military officers known to have lived there became generals: John Bankhead MacGruder, who fought for the South during the Civil War, and Nathanial Lyon, who fought for the North.

The military room represents a military bedroom from the 1870s. Included in the room is an 1870s military uniform and U.S. Army honorable discharge papers for Private Pfeiffer dated 1866. Unfortunately, no one knows who Private Pfeiffer was or why his discharge papers were stored in the house and found in the possessions of Henry Lohmann and George Deyo.

I found it interesting that the discharge says that Private Pfeiffer actually is “Frederick E. Phifer” from Pennsylvania and was a “Bucher” when he enlisted in the Army. I can’t believe no one has found out more information about him.

The children’s room includes toys from the nineteenth century, including antique marbles and wooden checkers representing toys that children would have played with in those days. Sadly, I didn’t see an iPad, a DVD player, an MP3 player, or an XBox. Poor children from a century ago………..

Alonzo Horton’s Bedroom—Although it is not known which room Horton actually used as his bedroom, he is the only resident of the house who could have afforded the luxurious stone fireplace. The room has several of his belongings, including a beautiful pitcher and basin.

The hospital room represents the period from 1873 to the early 1890s when the house served as the County Hospital. The owner, Anna Scheper, not only lived in the house but cared for up to 19 patients at one time in the house.

The Lohmann-Deyo study represents the period when George Deyo lived in the house. Artifacts in the room, all belonging to the Deyo and Lohmann families, include the desk, a Victrola, and a pharmaceutical scale for weighing gold. When the room was renovated as part of the museum, a cutaway wall was discovered which led to an alcove where a working whiskey still was found, as well as $5,000 in gold.

The Victorian bathroom includes a claw-footed bathtub which is original to the house and in use until 1981. The pull-chain toilet is a replica of the original.

Notice the walls and floors. In the 1860s, hygiene awareness increased due to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, becoming ill and dying of typhus. Bathrooms included glazed tiles on floors and walls, enameled sinks and bathtubs, and exposed pipes for easy cleaning.

In the stairway leading up from the basement to the interior of the house hangs an “ordinary bicycle” from the 1880s.

I think I prefer my unordinary bicycle from the 2010s:

Russel Ray’s bike

For the introductory blog post
to San Diego’s historical landmarks,
click on San Diego’s Historical Landmarks.

For previous posts in the
San Diego Historical Landmarks series,
go here.

Need a unique gift?
Anniversary? Birthday? Graduation? Marriage?
Choose Photographic Art by Russel Ray Photos at Fine Art America.