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Overview

Constructed by the Spanish/Mexican landholder Juan Bandini (1800-1859), this residence grew incrementally and changed purposes a number of times during its long history. It functioned as a San Diego's grandest private home and social center from 1829 until about 1859, when it became converted to other commercial uses. During the late 1860s and 1880s, it functioned as a landmark hotel, the Cosmopolitan, and stage coach stop. Between 1888 and 1928, it housed a rooming house as well as an olive packing plant. Its building technologies were updated gradually for greater comfort and to meet new utilitarian needs. Juan Bandini's grandson, Cave J. Couts, Jr., (1856-1943) purchased the building back in 1928 to restore it in honor of his mother, Ysidora Bandini de Couts (1828-1897). Its restoration also conicided with the California Pacific International Exposition of 1935, where it served as the site of various social functions.

Building History

Originally, the Casa de Bandini consisted of a one-story adobe building, U-shaped, containing 8 rooms. It was dedicated in a lavish ceremony on 12/28/1829, attended by the Governor of Alta California, José María de Echeandía (d. 1871), presidio military officials and a mission priest. Juan Lorenzo Bruno Bandini lived here with his two wives, the first, Marie de los Dolores Estudillo (c. 1808-1833), whom he married on 11/20/1822 and the second, Refugio Argüello (1815-1891), whom he wed in 1835. In total, Bandini and his two wives had 10 children, five boys and five girls, although one of the boys with Dolores--Alejandro Félix Rafael--died at age 14 on 05/10/1839. Three of Bandini's daughters were courted and married by notable Yankee newcomers, including the very wealthy merchant and landowner Abel Stearns (1798-1871), San Diego rancher Cave Johnson Couts, Sr., (1821-1874) and Los Angeles businessman Charles Robinson Johnson (1830–1904). Through these marriages, Bandini created alliances with the up-and-coming Anglo-American business elite. (Stearns married Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker (1825–1912] in 1841. Cave Johnson Couts, Sr., married Ysidora Bandini on 04/05/1851 in San Diego and had 8 children with her; Robinson married Dolores Bandini [c. 1838-1924] also in 1851. The first two daughters were from Juan Bandini's first marriage, while Dolores, Robinson's wife, was from his second.)

Juan Bandini owned extensive ranchos in Southern California, and frequently battled marauders seeking to poach his cattle and steal his possessions on his properties located as far north as Santa Barbara. He sought assistance from Alta California's Mexican governors, but they provided very little military assistance to the San Diego presidio to stop these attacks. Gradually, Bandini saw that the influx of Anglo-American settlers into the region during the 1840s and after statehood would be able to restore order. His strategic marriages to members of the Anglo-American business elite provided him some connections with which to pursue his criminal grievances and protect his properties from squatters.

As noted by historian Victor A. Walsh, an important visitor to the Bandini Residence, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1807-1890), described San Diego's grandest residence in later years: "According to Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s drawing from memory, the Bandini house originally had eight rooms, a zaguán or entranceway, a kitchen attached to the wing on Calhoun Street, two patios in the rear along with a corral, and a shed for rigging and harnessing horses. Water was available from two hand-dug wells: one behind the wing on Calhoun Street and the other at the northeast corner of the corral. The drawing reveals that no exterior doorways opened on to the main streets or plaza probably because the building stood on a level cobblestone foundation above the street grade, making access difficult." (See Victor A. Walsh, "The Casa and The Don: Juan Bandini’s Quest for Homeland in Early San Diego," Journal of San Diego History, vol 57, no. 1-2, Winter/Spring 2011, p. 27.)

Walsh's authoritative article also described the building's interior and adobe construction: "The rooms had thick adobe walls, and deep-set windows with wooden shutters. The ceilings were heavily beamed, despite the scarcity of wood, and covered with large pieces of muslin sewn together to trap insects and dirt. The floors were packed earth, while the roof moderately sloped, and most likely originally covered with thatch and later clay tile. Materials such as clay tiles, wood beames and lintels were probably salvaged from the hilltop presidio, already in a state of deterioration. In 1828, Bandini ordered palos colorados or redwood posts from the American merchant, John Cooper, in Monterey. The posts, which were planed on one side and measured 1/3rd vara (or 11 inches) in diameter and 4.5 to 5 varas (12.5 to 13.9 feet) in length, were probably used for the veranda facing the lower patio." (See Walsh, "The Casa and The Don: Juan Bandini’s Quest for Homeland in Early San Diego," p. 28.) Incrementally, the house became outfitted with mass-produced components as they became available via merchant ships, local factories and, later, via railroad. The house grew to between 12-14 rooms by 1845 or so.

The years around the Gold Rush proved to be lucrative for Juan Bandini and his family, as many gold miners stopped in San Diego en route to gold fields in Northern CA. In 1850, Bandini opened a general provisions store in part of his house and prospered while the number of miners was high. This dwindled as gold mining operations moved to other regions in the West. During latter 1850s, his fortunes declined forcing him to sell land and possessions to sustain what had been a somewhat lavish way of life. Bandini became disenchanted with American rule, in time, and left for a short time back to Baja Mexico between 1851 and 1854. He came back in the latter year and opened another shop in his residence. By 09/1854, Bandini rented space in his residence to Joseph Reiner who maintained a hardware and dry goods business. Less than two years later, in 05/1856, two new tenants, Jacob Elias and Hyman Mannasse, opened a clothing shop in the house. He even tried to sell many of his properties, including the San Diego house, without success.

Financial problems beset Juan Bandini, and frequent trips to oversee his far-flung properties in Southern CA, Tecate, Baja and Guadalupe, Baja, began to damage his health. He made out a will in to sell the residence 01/12/1859, leaving the property to Abel Stearns who had loaned him over $30,000 over the years.

After Don Juan Bandini passed away on 11/04/1859, the house fell into disrepair. A rainstorm in 10/1858 damaged the house's roof, and an earthquake on 05/27/1862, caused significant cracks to develop in the adobe and plaster walls. In 1869, Albert Seeley, a stage coach owner, purchased the building for use as a stage stop and hotel. He changed its plan to an L-shape and added a wood-frame array of guest rooms on a second story. He operated the hotel, known as the Cosmopolitan Hotel until 1888. The residence then became a rooming house and, subsequent to this, a packing plant for olives.

Alteration

The Casa Bandini/Cosmopolitan Hotel was remodeled many times during its existence, most notably in the mid-1840s, c. 1869, 1930, 1947-1950 and 1978-1980.

Juan Bandini undertook some renovations to the house in the mid-1840s to encourage his daughters, who both lived in Los Angeles, to visit more frequently. According to Walsh, Bandini installed several plate glass windows in 1846, obtained from his trader son-in-law, Stearns. The following year, Bandini also renovated the patio and gardens, and built a separate bathhouse for the use of his daughters. (See Walsh, "The Casa and The Don: Juan Bandini’s Quest for Homeland in Early San Diego," p. 32.)

Around 09/1854, Bandini added a covered porch and a plank floor to improve conditions for this new tenant, Joseph Reiner's general store that lasted for only about a year. (See Walsh, "The Casa and The Don: Juan Bandini’s Quest for Homeland in Early San Diego," p. 43.)

Cave Johnson Couts, Jr., purchased the Casa de Bandini in 07/1928. Couts undertook a remodeling program that altered the building's original appearance, and renamed it the Miramar Hotel. A State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation document of 2008 said of his remodeling efforts: "This included revamping the upstairs rooms and installing a kitchen and dining room down below. Even more significant were the modern conveniences that were installed for the first time, such as, electricity and indoor plumbing, conveniences that are taken for granted today. As a result of the renovation, the Casa de Bandini/Cosmopolitan Hotel took on a look similar to the Steamboat Revival style architecture popular in Louisiana. The entire building was covered with peach color coat of Portland cement stucco over chicken wire and lime plaster. According to the 2004 Historic Structure Report for the Casa de Bandini, the exterior plaster was painted yellow, the window frameswere painted white and green and brown trim was used on the porch. A distinguishing characteristic of this phase was the vertical lath screens that were installed above the porch and balcony. The downstairs porch along the west and south sides were trimmed with a balustered railing of cast stone...." (See "1930s Balustrade Uncovered," Cosmopolitan Chronicle, vol. II, no. 8, 10/31/2008, p. 1.)

Shortly after the death of his father, Cave J. Couts, Sr. Couts, Jr., sold the building to James H. and Nora Cardwell. Their son, Frank, made his own alterations to the hotel in the 1950s. The State of California opened the Old Town Historic Park in 1968, and it was at this time that Cardwells sold the property to the state. The state contracted with a new hotel manager and restaurateur, Joseph Melluso, with the understanding that the building would be remodeled back to its appearance in the 1870s when it operated as the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Melluso operated the business until 08/2011, when he sold his controlling share to Catherine Miller, who ran the hotel/restaurant until 2013. The Old Town Family Hospitality Corporation took over the lease at that time, a firm that also ran two other eateries in the Old Town neighborhood, Barra Barra Saloon and Casa de Reyes.

PCAD id: 20876