The José Serrano Adobe is a historic 1863

adobe Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...

house in Lake Forest, Orange County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The property is one of four historic buildings in the Heritage Hill Historic Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1976.

History

The adobe was built by José Serrano in 1863, on the Rancho Canada de los Alisos granted by Governor Juan B. Alvarado in 1842 and Governor

Pio Pico Pio or PIO may refer to: Places * Pio Lake, Italy * Pio Island, Solomon Islands * Pio Point, Bird Island, south Atlantic Ocean People * Pio (given name) * Pio (surname) * Pio (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer * Pio (footballer, ...

in 1846. It is the second of five adobe structures built by the Serranos on the rancho. Serrano and his family lived in the adobe raising longhorn cattle until a series of droughts, beginning in 1863 and continuing intermittently through 1883, forced the family to divide the ranch and mortgage several sections. Dwight Whiting, who played a major role in the development of El Toro (Lake Forest), purchased the Serrano Adobe and a significant area of the rancho in 1884. His son,

George Whiting George Elbridge Whiting (September 14, 1840 – October 14, 1923) was an American composer of European classical music, classical music. Early life and career George Whiting was born in Holliston, Massachusetts on September 14, 1840. He founded ...

, made extensive additions to the dwelling in 1932, adding a dining room, bedroom, and kitchen. Shortly after George Whiting's restoration effort, the Serrano Adobe was nominated and accepted as California State Landmark #199. The extensive gardens include two pepper trees, both over a hundred years old. The last private owner, V.P. Baker, used the home from 1958 to 1969, restoring and refurnishing the house as a vacation home and a meeting place for the Aliso Water Company. The Bakers sold the Baker Ranch to

Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...

in 1969 for $11 million with the requirement that the new owners donate the Serrano Adobe to a public agency for preservation. In 1974, Deane Brothers, a development subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, proceeded to donate round the Serrano Adobe and Serrano Creek to the

County of Orange The Principality of Orange (French language, French: Principauté d'Orange) was, from 1163 to 1713, a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France, on the east bank of the river Rhone, north of the city of Avignon, and surrounded ...

Heritage Hill Historical Park

Orange County set aside surrounding the Serrano Adobe for the development of a historical park, now dedicated to interpreting the early history of the

Saddleback Valley Saddleback Valley refers to the flat and foothill areas west-southwest of the Saddleback double peak of the Santa Ana Mountains and east-northeast of the hilly Crystal Cove State Park in southern Orange County, California. The region primarily ...

and El Toro area. The Saddleback Area Historical Society formed in 1973 and supported the preservation of El Toro's first church, St. George's Episcopal Mission, and the first schoolhouse, the El Toro Grammar School, by moving these buildings to the Serrano Adobe site in 1976. The Harvey Bennett Ranch House, built in 1908, was moved to the site in 1978 with the cooperation of the developers of the Bennett Ranch subdivision, the William Lyon Company. The José Serrano Adobe site opened as Orange County's first historical park under the name Heritage Hill Historical Park in May 1981. After the completion of the Bennett House restoration, the County rededicated the park in September 1985.

Marker

*''State of California Historic Landmark No. 199, La Casa de Adobe de Jose Serrano, Home of Jose Serrano, original grantee of Rancho Canada de los Alisos'' Restored A.D. 1932 (Marker Number 199.)Marker Database Marker Number 199
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References

External links

Orange County Parks: Heritage Hill Historical Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serrano, Jose, Adobe Adobe buildings and structures in California Houses in Orange County, California Museums in Orange County, California California Historical Landmarks Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, California Houses completed in 1863 Historic house museums in California Open-air museums in California Parks in Orange County, California

History

Heritage Hill Historical Park

Marker

See also

References

External links