The reception, which celebrates the restoration and seismic stabilization of the adobe, is from 11:00 a.m. to noon at 31745 Los Rios Street next to the plaza in Los Rios Park. Experienced docents will be on hand and visitors will experience a traditional Native American blessing of the Adobe, which will then be open for viewing until 2:00 p.m.
The Montañez Adobe is owned by the City of San Juan Capistrano and is the historic gem of the newly completed Los Rios Park that surrounds it. Built in 1794 by Native American neofitos of Mission San Juan Capistrano, the Adobe is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is named after Doña Polonia Montañez, the building’s first recorded deed owner.
The public is invited to celebrate the Adobe, which was restored to replace temporary interior steel columns with more current stabilization methods in the attic space. The building has a refurbished redwood shingle roof, chamfered redwood porch posts, and new hard-packed earthen floors. It reopens as a museum with archaeological exhibits and a room furnished as it would have looked in the late 1800s.
The grand re-opening reception will showcase the Adobe and the unique volunteer opportunities that are available to assist the City in its plan to open the Adobe to the public on a regular basis. The City is seeking volunteers interested in learning more about the building’s history or surrounding native plant gardens and sharing them with others as docents.
Attend the reception for more information about the exciting volunteer opportunities, or contact the City’s Historic Preservation Manager Teri Delcamp at
or 949-443-6330.