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Building History

This building was the home of Miguel Leonis (1824-1889), a Basque immigrant and prominent pioneer to the San Fernando Valley. He obtained the adobe in the 1850s or 1860s; its previous function before Leonis is not known for certain, but some contend that it served as a stagecoach stop on El Camino Real. The property was contested after Leonis's death by his companion of 30 years, Espiritu Chujilla; the Leonis will stipulated that Chujilla receive only $1,000 from an estate worth approximately $1,000,000. She won the right to own the house and half of Leonis's huge fortune in 1891. She lived in the house until her death in 1906, at which time, Juan Menendez, Chujilla's son by an earlier relationship, moved into the dwelling. The wealthy Agoure Family bought the house from Menendez in 1922, and continued to occupy it until 1931. Thereafter, the house served as a restaurant and as a retirement residence. In 1962, it had been occupied by actor, John Carradine.

Between 1961-1965, historic preservationists waged a battle with the property owner, Milton Katz, who wanted to demolish the house in order to erect a supermarket. Preservationists lobbied the new City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board which declared it the first Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1962. Despite vandalism that the owner allowed to happen, the City of Los Angeles never gave Katz a demolition permit, forcing him to sell the adobe and its surrounding buildings to an ally of preservation, Mrs. Walter Beachy, in 03/1963. She, in turn, sold the property to the public Leonis Adobe Association in 1965. Many of the facts are taken from a very good, well-documented Wikipedia entry for the Leonis Adobe. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonis_Adobe accessed 04/23/2009.)

Building Notes

The Miguel Leonis Adobe has the distinction of having been named the first Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1962.

Alteration

The building was greatly altered by Miguel Leonis in the 1870s, adding rooms and a two-floor front porch. In the 1920s, the new owners of the house, the Agoures, increased the size of the living room and added bathrooms. After a significant battle to preserve the house between 1961-1965, it was restored in 1966 and used thereafter as a local history museum.