Pedrorena-Altamirano House

Location: 2616 San Diego Avenue
Old Town State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego, CA (map)
Phone: (619) 220-5422
More info: Website

Spaniard Miguel de Pedrorena came to San Diego as a ship’s agent and married into the Estudillo family in 1842. His son, Miguel Jr., a wealthy stockman, built the family home here in 1869. Its thick adobe, mud-plastered whitewashed walls were typical of Mexican adobes, but the mill-sawn wood-columned front porch and shingled roof reflected the growing influence of American building practices.

Ysabel Pedrorena de Altamirano, Miguel’s sister, took ownership in 1871, and it remained a family residence until the 1890s. In 1996, California State Parks restored the Pedrorena-Altamirano home, one of five historic 19th century adobes in the park. It is now a park concession.