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The house has many of the features found in a Mexican hacienda of the period: whitewashed adobe walls, a U-shaped plan, a corredor, and an en suite arrangement of rooms.

Built on a grand scale for one of California's wealthiest landowners, the Presidio Comandante, José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega (1779-1858), who lived here from 1828-1858. Frequent alterations were made to accommodate changing needs in the nineteenth century; it has been recognized as a State of CA Landmark, a City of Santa Barbara Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Alterations to the adobe residence occurred after the Fort Tejon Earthquake of 1857. Pablo de la Guerra, Jose's son, updated the residence's style and replaced damaged adobe columns with those of wood. Renovated in 1922-1923 by George Washington Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs as part of the El Paseo shopping complex, designed for Bernhard Hoffmann; beginning in 1990, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation has researched the building history of the Casa, endeavoring to determine its construction chronology; efforts have been made to return it to its appearance and interior decor during Don Jose's habitation between 1828 and 1858.