Saving places that tell California’s story
Ilse Byrnes sits in front of the restored 1794 Montanez Adobe in San Juan Capistrano, a town she fell in love with more than five decades ago. For the last several decades, the Swiss-born preservationist, 86, has battled to save places that tell the Golden State’s story. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Layers of peeling paint reveal the colorful history of an old door in the Los Rios Historic District of San Juan Capistrano. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Behind a circa-1900 assembly hall that’s being remodeled, a member of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians sifts soil for archaeological artifacts. “If you don’t preserve it, then it’s gone,” Ilse Brynes says. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Linda Thomas, a member of the Los Rios Garden Angels, helps maintain the grounds of the restored 1794 Montanez Adobe. Regarding the preservation district, another group member said: “We live in a museum.” (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)