Quick Take
Thursday marks the 35th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Most remember it for the damage it caused, but it was also the catalyst for the Castro Adobe’s journey to become a state historic park. Community efforts helped repair, restore, furnish and interpret the meaning of the Larkin Valley adobe, and since earlier this year it has been open for the public to enjoy during open house events. Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, shares the story of saving the Castro Adobe here.
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Thursday is the 35th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, a disaster that claimed the lives of six people in Santa Cruz County and caused widespread wreckage that took many years to repair. The story of the earthquake often centers on the terrible wreckage in downtown Santa Cruz. But there’s a part of the earthquake story few know: the near-destruction and subsequent saving of the Castro Adobe.
It’s an inspiring story that has taken just about the entire 35 years since the Loma Prieta earthquake to unfold, giving birth in 2024 to a fully restored and interpreted adobe open to the public – the first state historic park in South County.
Located in Larkin Valley, near Watsonville, the two-story Castro Adobe, originally owned by Juan Jose and Rita Pinto Castro, and built by Indigenous laborers from 1849 to 1850, is one of the finest examples of adobe construction in the Monterey Bay area. Adobe buildings are made from earthen materials and are considered one of the oldest types of buildings in the world. The Castro Adobe is one of just four adobe structures remaining in Santa Cruz County and the only two-story one left in our county.
The Loma Prieta earthquake shook the Castro so violently that sections of the 30-inch-thick exterior walls collapsed, leaving gaping cracks in other parts of the house and letting daylight shine through the walls. The building was red-tagged, deemed uninhabitable.
In 1989, the Castro Adobe was about 140 years old. It was then owned by Edna and Joe Kimbro, who lived there with their children. Edna was living in exactly the kind of building that helped her develop her legendary reputation as one of California’s leading adobe historians. Her understanding of adobe conservation became central to the fate of the building and the community campaign that led to California State Parks’ eventual acquisition of the property in 2002.
Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) was tapped to lead what became a decadeslong community effort to repair and restore the adobe. Friends, California State Parks and the community came together to repair and restore the historic adobe inside and out. Hundreds of people stepped up to sustain the effort over the years, including volunteers, donors, advocates, specialty craftspeople, subject-matter experts, political leaders and others.
Putting a crumbled building back together, ensuring it will survive future earthquakes, and making both the story and the building accessible to all was a colossal effort. Local volunteers provided a workforce, as did members of the California Conservation Corps. Together they crafted 2,500 bricks by hand. Each brick measured 14 inches by 28 inches and weighed approximately 85 pounds.
They also did seismic stabilization, including roof replacement, and inserted a steel rib cage inside the thick adobe walls. And they fortified the second story with a steel beam. Workers also added fire-suppression systems and a new lift (similar to an elevator) for access to the second floor.
The historic cocina (kitchen) and the Potter-Church Garden were fully restored. As the interior restoration of the main part of the adobe progressed, years of interpretive research and planning resulted in interactive, bilingual exhibits and historic furnishings that followed the apt theme, “If these walls could talk.”
Passion for the Castro Adobe has grown stronger over the years, as more people are introduced to its story.
Community love for the Castro has inspired a deep commitment to equity in teaching visitors about life at the Castro – including recruiting young visitors from schools in the Pajaro Valley. This year, 52 classes of students will enjoy field trips to the Castro Adobe, including those in Friends’ Kids2Parks field-trip equity program for schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families.
In addition to touring the Castro, the public can read about it in Suzanne Paizis’ book, “The Castro Adobe in the Twentieth Century from Earthquake to Earthquake” or watch an award-winning short documentary video that focuses on the renovation.
Thirty-five years ago our community suffered a tragedy.
However, that same community came together and saved this important piece of our history for future generations. The Castro Adobe is finally ready to tell its story for all, celebrated through a series of public open-house events throughout 2024 – thanks to more than three decades of community love and investment.
Bonny Hawley serves as executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, a vital partner with California State Parks, working to ensure our local parks and beaches are thriving and available to all. At the time of state parks’ acquisition of the Castro Adobe, Bonny served as chief of staff to then-Assemblymember Fred Keeley, who authored legislation to fund the acquisition.