The Los Rios Historic District – San Juan Capistrano, California
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 this area includes 31 historic structures on both sides of the street in San Juan Capistrano. This 40 acre area includes homes, “cottage” businesses, a park and museums, and is one of the oldest neighborhoods in all of California!
There are many architectural styles in the District spanning two centuries of creativity. There are three homes remaining that are adobe of the original 40 built in 1794 by Acjachemen Indian neophytes (newly converted). Nearly 1,000 neophytes lived and worked around Mission San Juan Capistrano at the time. The most common structures on the street are board and batten homes built between 1887 and 1910. It is this collection of single-wall-construction homes that qualified it for the National Register. Although there have been some new homes built since 1920 they must comply with the stringent guidelines to assure they are compatible in size and design to the existing homes.
The District also includes the Santa Fe Railroad Depot which has served as a vital element of the community since it was constructed in 1894.
Most of the homes in this area are privately owned so tours are not available but you can see them from the street so a walking tour is encouraged.
While you are in the area you may want to take your children to the Zoomars Petting Zoo where children can ride the ponies and feed and pet rabbits, goats and other animals. The ZoomarsPetting Zoo & BirdPark is home to hundreds of friendly animals. There are goats, emus, llamas, donkeys, alpacas, sheep, geese, ducks, guinea pigs and of course the bunny patch.
The San Juan Capistrano Jail Cell was built in 1896 to hold miscreants before they were transferred to the County jail. It was the scene of several jailbreaks and one hanging.
The oldest home continuously occupied by one family in the State of California is the Rios Adobe which was built in 1794.
The O’Neill Museum was formerly the Garcia/Pryor residence located at 31831 Los Rios Street. Built between 1870 and 1880 it was one of the first frame houses in the area. The house was donated to the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society in 1976. The original construction of the house was a four room structure with no bath or kitchen (most cooking was done outside at the time). About 1895 a bath was created in the back bedroom, closets were made from space in the front bedroom and other alterations were made. In the 20’s the kitchen was added although it still didn’t have a stove.
The house (museum) is constructed on a platform formed by stud walls around the perimeter. Lines of posts on the interior supported beams which supported the floor joists above. The porch was probably built at the time of the original building. One inch boards formed the original flooring. The exterior walls were of 1 x 12 redwood boards and the interior partitions were also about the same size. All the doors and windows of the house were boxed due to the thinness of the walls and projected some distance into the interior of the house. The inside wall finish was wallpaper over muslin applied directly to the rough boards. This is not unusual for houses of this period.
The District has shopping and restaurants for you to enjoy while you are strolling the area on Los Rios Street. Come and get a taste of the historic significance of the area.
Location: Los Rios & Verdugo Sts., San Juan Capistrano, California92675
Phone: 949-493-4700
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