HOW DID THIS EARLY ADOBE BUILDING SURVIVE?

​Completed in 1788, El Cuartel is the oldest standing building in Santa Barbara.

 The building’s long life is quite a feat for any adobe structure. If an adobe’s heavy tile roof is not maintained, it can fall in, and the elements can quickly erode the earthen walls. So then, how did El Cuartel survive? The reason it still stands today is because it was continuously occupied by a variety of caretakers who maintained and repaired it for over two centuries. Presidio soldier Jose Jesus Valenzuela and his family lived in El Cuartel for three generations, until 1925. After that, it was occupied by a local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America as well as other community organizations over the decades. The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation purchased the property in 1964 and deeded it to the State of California’s Department of Beaches and Parks in 1966.

SOURCES

​Farris, Glenn. Preliminary Report and Plan for Archaeological and Architectural Investigations at El Cuartel, Presidio of Sant Barbara SHP. Sacramento, CA: CA epartment of Parks and Recreation. 1994.