| Casa Adobe de San Rafael | |
|---|---|
 Casa Adobe De San Rafael in 1895 | |
| Location | 1330 Dorothy Dr, Glendale, California CA 91202 |
| Coordinates | 34°9′56″N118°15′50″W / 34.16556°N 118.26389°W Coordinates: 34°9′56″N118°15′50″W / 34.16556°N 118.26389°W |
| Area | 1.6 acres |
| Built | 1865 |
| Designated | Oct. 31, 1935 |
| Reference no. | 235 |
| Reference no. | historic landmark #42 |
  Location of Casa Adobe de San Rafael in the Los Angeles metropolitan area | |
Casa Adobe de San Rafael is one of the oldest homes in Glendale, California. The home has been in continuous use since its founding in 1865. It was designated a California Historic Landmark (No. 235) on Oct. 31, 1935.
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its estimated 2014 population was 200,167, making it the fourth-largest city in Los Angeles County and the 23rd-largest city in California. It is located about 8 mi (13 km) north of downtown Los Angeles.
Jose Maria Verdugo petitioned Pedro Fages, Governor of Alta California, for a Spanish land grant in October in 1784. When granted it was the first of the Rancho grants and one of the largest grants. The grant called Rancho San Rafael was a 36,403-acre (147.32 km2) in the San Rafael Hills, bordering the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco in present-day Los Angeles County, southern California. [1]
The Spanish issued Concessions of land to retired soldiers as an inducement for them to remain in the frontier. These Concessions reverted back to the Spanish crown upon the death of the recipient. Later, the Mexican government encouraged settlement of the coastal region of Alta California by issuing much larger land grants to Mexican citizens, both native born and naturalized. The grants were usually two or more square leagues, or 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) in size. Unlike Spanish Concessions, Mexican land grants provided permanent, unencumbered property-ownership rights to the land, with most being called "ranchos." The ranchos granted by Mexico included most of the land along the California coast, around San Francisco Bay, inland along the Sacramento River, and land within the San Joaquin Valley.
Rancho San Rafael was a 36,403-acre (147.32 km2) Spanish land grant in the San Rafael Hills, bordering the Los Angeles River and the Arroyo Seco in present-day Los Angeles County, southern California, given in 1784 to Jose Maria Verdugo.
The San Rafael Hills are a mountain range in Los Angeles County, California. They are one of the lower Transverse Ranges, and are parallel to and below the San Gabriel Mountains, adjacent to the San Gabriel Valley overlooking the Los Angeles Basin.
When parts of Rancho San Rafael were sold, Tomas Avila Sanchez, Sheriff of Los Angeles County, purchased a tract of 100 acres and in 1865 built this artistic adobe home of the hacienda type. In 1867, Sanchez married Maria Sepulveda (daughter of Fernando Sepulveda and Maria Josefa Dominguez). Maria's stepfather gave her 100 acres (40 ha) of land and she and Tomas built Casa Adobe de San Rafael which is situated approximately a half-mile from the original Verdugo Adobe. The site of the original Verdugo Adobe is now the Hoover High School. A line of trees bordered the road that separated the two adobe sites. Tomas lived in Casa Adobe de San Rafael until his death in 1882. Maria and her family lived at the Casa Adobe for a few years after Tomas death. Maria sold the Casa and here land, 100 acres, to Andrew Glassell for $12,000. Maria and her family moved to Los Angeles.
Tomas Avila Sanchez (1826–1882), soldier, sheriff and public official, was on the Los Angeles County, California, Board of Supervisors and was a member of the Los Angeles Common Council, the legislative branch of the city.
Adobe is a building material made from earth and organic materials. Adobe is Spanish for mudbrick, but in some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, the term is used to refer to any kind of earth construction. Most adobe buildings are similar in appearance to cob and rammed earth buildings. Adobe is among the earliest building materials, and is used throughout the world.
The Casa Adobe was sold a number of times. In the 1920 the old home was in poor shape. Glendale community women groups took the case of the historic home to the City of Glendale. City of Glendale purchased the property in early 1930s including its gardens and eucalyptus trees. The City of Glendale trees were grown from seeds. The seeds were a gift of Phineas Banning who had received them from an Australia missionary. The home was restored in 1932. The City of Glendale founded the San Rafael Association to care for Casa Adobe. San Rafael Association decorated the casa to look like a home in the late 19th century. The park grounds cover 1.6 acres. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Phineas Banning was an American businessman, financier and entrepreneur.
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to promote their faith or perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem, meaning "act of sending" or mittere, meaning "to send". The word was used in light of its biblical usage; in the Latin translation of the Bible, Christ uses the word when sending the disciples to preach The gospel in his name. The term is most commonly used for Christian missions, but can be used for any creed or ideology.
A Fiesta de las Luminarias (Festival of Lights) and Christmas Open House is held during the month of December. [7]
