El Molino Viejo
Encyclopedia
El Molino Viejo, also known as The Old Mill, is a former grist mill in the San Rafael Hills
of present day San Marino, California
, USA
, and was built in 1816 by Father José Maria de Zalvidea
from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
(San Gabriel Mission). It is the oldest commercial building in Southern California
, and was one of the first ten sites in Los Angeles County
to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, receiving the recognition in 1971. The old mill has also been designated as a California Historical Landmark
.
, then in charge of the mission. It was built by Tongvan Mission Indian
laborers "under the watchful eye" of Father Zalvidea.
The mill was built like a fortress. Its lower walls are nearly five feet thick at the base, and are made of brick and volcanic tuff. Some have written that the thick fortress-like walls were intended to allow the padres to barricade themselves in the event of "a disturbance among their somewhat uncertain converts
." The upper walls are made of sun-dried adobe
slabs, and the building's surface is covered with a lime mortar
made from burnt sea shells. The pine and sycamore beams are tied with leather thongs, and the structure is also supported by large buttress
es which can still be seen on building's exterior corners.
Water was brought to the mill in an open ditch (zanja) from Los Robles and Kewen Canyons, and stored in a large cistern
. For the mill itself, Father Zalvidea designed an unusual horizontal, direct impulse water wheel. There were three vaulted water chambers on the ground floor and a single horizontal water wheel. The water wheel
was attached to a vertical shaft that went up to the second level (the current entrance room) where the grinding stones were located. One of the grinding stones was attached to the shaft, and rotated along with the water wheel. A second stone was placed above the rotating stone, with corn and grain between the stones. It is suspected that the force of the water from the cistern was not sufficient to start the wheel turning with the required force, and that a leather thong was wrapped around the shaft and pulled by Indians to start the wheel. The upper-most room, used now as an art gallery, was used for storage of the final product. After the water flowed out of the mill, it was channeled into a lake down hill from the mill. The lake has since dried up and is now the site of San Marino's Lacy Park
.
It was the first water-powered grist mill in Southern California, and some have called it the first grist mill in California. While some have called Father Zalvidea's horizontal design a "mechanical marvel, evolved and constructed by a mastermind," others considered the design flawed as it splashed moisture up the shaft, leaving the flour damp. The mill was operational for only seven years, during which time it provided food for the missionaries and Indian neophytes, there were 1,644 Tongva-Gabrieleños in 1816 (Population of Native California
) in the mission community. In 1823, a New England
-style mill with a vertical waterwheel was built adjacent to the mission. The new mill resulted in a superior product, and the old mill ceased operation.
– last Mexican governor of Alta California
– sold 16000 acres (64.7 km²), including the mill, to Julian Worman
and Hugo Reid
(co-grantee of the adjacent Rancho Huerta de Cuati
). However, after the Mexican Cession
of California to the U.S. in 1848, John C. Fremont
refused to accept the validity of the transaction. With title to the land in a state of uncertainty, James S. Waite (publisher of The Star newspaper) established squatter's rights over 160 acre (0.6474976 km²), including the Old Mill.
. Hollenbeck sold the property to Edward Mayberry in 1881, who used the structure as housing for his ranch superintendent.
In 1898, Los Angeles Times reporter Topsy Tinkle wrote a lengthy article following a visit to El Molino Viejo. At that time, the mill was being used to store wine, causing the smell of wine to permeate the building, and as a sleeping place for hired men. Tinkle described the condition of the mill as follows:
. Ruppel turned the mill into a home with modern amenities, but he made no structural change to the original walls. Ruppel also preserved and restored the old features, and where new materials were needed, he sought to maintain the old Mission-style appearance. The Brehms never moved into the Old Mill, instead renting it to a series of tenants, including the Doerr, McDuffy and Washburn families. From 1954-1963, the mill was leased to the Connell family who were its last occupants.
and later by the Old Mill Foundation. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A model showing how the mill operated is located on the ground floor of the museum. While nothing remains of the waterwheel, two of the millstones (pictured above) are displayed in the garden area. The millstones were found more than a century after the mill closed on the grounds of the Huntington Library by General George S. Patton
, who grew up in the area and recalled seeing them used as blocks for mounting horses. There is also a 16th-century volcanic rock fountain in the patio to the east of the mill. The fountain was acquired in Mexico by Mrs. Brehm's daughter, Mrs. Albert Doerr.
, El Molino Viejo has been recognized as a historic site at the state and national levels. In 1937, it was listed in the Historic American Building Survey. It was one of the first ten sites in Los Angeles County to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places
, receiving the recognition in 1971. It has also been designated as a California Historical Landmark
(#302).
San Rafael Hills
The San Rafael Hills are a mountain range in Los Angeles County, California. They are one of the lower Transverse Ranges, and are parallel to and below the San Gabriel Mountains to the south, adjacent to the San Gabriel Valley overlooking the Los Angeles Basin.-Geography:The Hills contain all or...
of present day San Marino, California
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was built in 1816 by Father José Maria de Zalvidea
José Maria de Zalvidea
José Maria de Zalvidea was a Spanish Franciscan missionary.He was born at Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain, and became a Franciscan at the convent of San Mames, Cantabria, 13 December 1798...
from the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish...
(San Gabriel Mission). It is the oldest commercial building in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, and was one of the first ten sites in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, receiving the recognition in 1971. The old mill has also been designated as a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
.
Construction and operation as a grist mill
Though there are varying accounts of the exact date, San Gabriel Mission records indicate it was built in 1816. The mill was built on land owned by the San Gabriel Mission, and was designed by Franciscan Father José Maria de ZalvideaJosé Maria de Zalvidea
José Maria de Zalvidea was a Spanish Franciscan missionary.He was born at Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain, and became a Franciscan at the convent of San Mames, Cantabria, 13 December 1798...
, then in charge of the mission. It was built by Tongvan Mission Indian
Mission Indians
Mission Indians is a term for many Native California tribes, primarily living in coastal plains, adjacent inland valleys and mountains, and on the Channel Islands in central and southern California, United States. The tribes had established comparatively peaceful cultures varying from 250 to 8,000...
laborers "under the watchful eye" of Father Zalvidea.
The mill was built like a fortress. Its lower walls are nearly five feet thick at the base, and are made of brick and volcanic tuff. Some have written that the thick fortress-like walls were intended to allow the padres to barricade themselves in the event of "a disturbance among their somewhat uncertain converts
California mission clash of cultures
The California mission clash of cultures occurred at the Spanish Missions in California during the Spanish Las Californias-New Spain and Mexican Alta California eras of control, with lasting consequences after American statehood...
." The upper walls are made of sun-dried adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
slabs, and the building's surface is covered with a lime mortar
Lime mortar
Lime mortar is a type of mortar composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. It is one of the oldest known types of mortar, dating back to the 4th century BC and widely used in Ancient Rome and Greece, when it largely replaced the clay and gypsum mortars common to Ancient...
made from burnt sea shells. The pine and sycamore beams are tied with leather thongs, and the structure is also supported by large buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es which can still be seen on building's exterior corners.
Water was brought to the mill in an open ditch (zanja) from Los Robles and Kewen Canyons, and stored in a large cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
. For the mill itself, Father Zalvidea designed an unusual horizontal, direct impulse water wheel. There were three vaulted water chambers on the ground floor and a single horizontal water wheel. The water wheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
was attached to a vertical shaft that went up to the second level (the current entrance room) where the grinding stones were located. One of the grinding stones was attached to the shaft, and rotated along with the water wheel. A second stone was placed above the rotating stone, with corn and grain between the stones. It is suspected that the force of the water from the cistern was not sufficient to start the wheel turning with the required force, and that a leather thong was wrapped around the shaft and pulled by Indians to start the wheel. The upper-most room, used now as an art gallery, was used for storage of the final product. After the water flowed out of the mill, it was channeled into a lake down hill from the mill. The lake has since dried up and is now the site of San Marino's Lacy Park
Lacy Park
Lacy Park is a public park located in the city of San Marino, California. The park is located at 1485 Virginia Road.Consisting of over thirty acres of space in the center San Marino, Lacy Park was opened in 1925. The park is known for its extensive arboretum of trees, its immaculate rose garden,...
.
It was the first water-powered grist mill in Southern California, and some have called it the first grist mill in California. While some have called Father Zalvidea's horizontal design a "mechanical marvel, evolved and constructed by a mastermind," others considered the design flawed as it splashed moisture up the shaft, leaving the flour damp. The mill was operational for only seven years, during which time it provided food for the missionaries and Indian neophytes, there were 1,644 Tongva-Gabrieleños in 1816 (Population of Native California
Population of Native California
Estimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-contact count and for changes during subsequent periods. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scholars concluding that these estimates are low...
) in the mission community. In 1823, a New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
-style mill with a vertical waterwheel was built adjacent to the mission. The new mill resulted in a superior product, and the old mill ceased operation.
Disputes over title
After the new mill was opened in 1823, the Old Mill reportedly sat idle for 30 years, during which time it was victimized by vandals and the weather. In 1846, Pío PicoPío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
– last Mexican governor of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
– sold 16000 acres (64.7 km²), including the mill, to Julian Worman
Workman-Temple family
The Workman-Temple family relates to the pioneer interconnected Workman and Temple families that were prominent in: the history of colonial Pueblo de Los Angeles and American Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Basin and San Gabriel Valley regions; and Southern California — from 1830 to 1930 in Mexican...
and Hugo Reid
Hugo Reid
Hugo Reid was a resident of Los Angeles, California who wrote a series of newspaper letters that described the culture, language, and modern circumstances of the local Gabrieliño Indians and criticized their treatment under the Franciscan mission system.-Life:Born in 1809 or 1810 in Cardross,...
(co-grantee of the adjacent Rancho Huerta de Cuati
Rancho Huerta de Cuati
Rancho Huerta de Cuati was a Mexican land grant in the San Rafael Hills area of present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1838 by governor Juan Alvarado to Victoria Reid. The name means "Garden of the Cuati" in Spanish...
). However, after the Mexican Cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the U.S. in 1848, John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
refused to accept the validity of the transaction. With title to the land in a state of uncertainty, James S. Waite (publisher of The Star newspaper) established squatter's rights over 160 acre (0.6474976 km²), including the Old Mill.
Occupancy by the Kewens
The property was subsequently sold to Dr. Thomas White for $500. In 1858, Dr. White conveyed the "Old Mill Site" to his daughter Fannie Kewen; she and her husband, Col. E. J. C. Kewen, both lived there for 20 years. The Kewens added on to the building, installing French windows, a front portico, and a small plaza. Col. Kewen has been described as "old-time Southern gentleman" and "one of the most courteous and politely-polished men California has ever seen." There are many accounts of parties hosted by the Kewens at the Old Mill and of their "prodigal hospitality" and "gracious style of living". It was said that "the gallant and gay gathered from miles 'round, listened to the twanging of the guitar and the jolly click of the castenets, and through it all danced gay dances on the floors that once had echoed the quiet footfall of the priest." In 1879, the Kewens defaulted on a mortgage, and the property was foreclosed on by J. Edward HollenbeckJohn Edward Hollenbeck
John Edward Hollenbeck was an American businessman and investor who was involved in the 19th century development of Nicaragua and the city of Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
. Hollenbeck sold the property to Edward Mayberry in 1881, who used the structure as housing for his ranch superintendent.
Rediscovery in the late 19th century
"The grinding-stones have gone, and also the machinery that in the romantic time of the old mission padres and their Indian neophytes, was wont to turn their corn into meal, and yet, in the material of the building itself, no sign of decay. The large oak beams, only ten inches apart, as sound as in the day the original trees lifted their leafy tops high in air. The cement of which the structure is made apparently defies time ... There are three wheel-houses, the arches of which have been bricked up, and the old millstones are at San Marino, J. De Barth Shorb's noted ranch near by, where they are used as stepping-stones. ... Padre and Indian have long gone to their rest, and the old mill is absolutely lifeless and deserted save many tiny chameleons that bask and sun themselves in the heated air ..."
Acquisition and use by the Huntingtons
In 1903, the mill side was purchased by the Huntington Land and Improvement Company. When the Huntington Hotel opened in 1914 on the nearby hill, the land around the mill was turned into a golf course, with El Molino Viejo as the clubhouse. The land was later subdivided, leaving the Old Mill vacant.Reconversion to residential use
In 1927, Leslie Huntington Brehm, the widow of Henry Huntington's son, and her husband took over the property, intending to preserve it. They hired Frederick H. Ruppel, a contractor who had restored the Mission San Juan CapistranoMission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was a Spanish mission in Southern California, located in present-day San Juan Capistrano. It was founded on All Saints Day November 1, 1776, by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order...
. Ruppel turned the mill into a home with modern amenities, but he made no structural change to the original walls. Ruppel also preserved and restored the old features, and where new materials were needed, he sought to maintain the old Mission-style appearance. The Brehms never moved into the Old Mill, instead renting it to a series of tenants, including the Doerr, McDuffy and Washburn families. From 1954-1963, the mill was leased to the Connell family who were its last occupants.
Current use as a museum and art gallery
When Mrs. Brehm died in 1962, the Old Mill was willed to the City of San Marino. The city has preserved the building and opened it to the public as a museum and art gallery, operated first by the California Historical SocietyCalifornia Historical Society
The California Historical Society is California's official state historical society and is located in San Francisco, California at 678 Mission Street -History and collections:...
and later by the Old Mill Foundation. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. A model showing how the mill operated is located on the ground floor of the museum. While nothing remains of the waterwheel, two of the millstones (pictured above) are displayed in the garden area. The millstones were found more than a century after the mill closed on the grounds of the Huntington Library by General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
, who grew up in the area and recalled seeing them used as blocks for mounting horses. There is also a 16th-century volcanic rock fountain in the patio to the east of the mill. The fountain was acquired in Mexico by Mrs. Brehm's daughter, Mrs. Albert Doerr.
Legend of Catalina
In his 1898 publication, Topsy Tinkle recounted a story that the Indians told about a natural spring located on the site of the Old Mill. The story told of a 16-year-old Indian named Catalina with "thick, jet-black hair" and "big, melting black eyes." Catalina lived in the time of the San Gabriel Mission and gave roses to the Virgin Mary in hopes that she could win the heart of the handsome Jose, even hoping that "something dreadful" would happen to another girl of whom Jose was fond. When Jose left for two years serving on a ship, Catalina turned her back on the Virgin, and Catalina began praying to the old "Mexican god", described as a "hideous clay image". Catalina died of sorrow when Jose did not return, and her body was buried on the spot where the mill was later built, a spot from which a natural flow of spring water "slowly oozes". According to the legend, oozing spring water is "only the tears from a loving woman's broken heart."Historic designations
As the oldest commercial building in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, El Molino Viejo has been recognized as a historic site at the state and national levels. In 1937, it was listed in the Historic American Building Survey. It was one of the first ten sites in Los Angeles County to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, receiving the recognition in 1971. It has also been designated as a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
(#302).
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California
- List of California Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County
- José Maria de ZalvideaJosé Maria de ZalvideaJosé Maria de Zalvidea was a Spanish Franciscan missionary.He was born at Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain, and became a Franciscan at the convent of San Mames, Cantabria, 13 December 1798...