Adobe Repair Work Finally Set to Begin

After months of delays caused by wrangling with federal officials over the cost of earthquake repairs for the historic Lopez Adobe, work is scheduled to begin within the next few months, city officials said.

The 115-year-old adobe, an important California landmark, has been closed to the public since the January 1994 Northridge earthquake, when the building’s chimney and part of the roof collapsed. Several of the building’s thick adobe walls also must be repaired.

In March 1995, the city hired a historic preservation firm to do an inventory of the building’s furnishings, which included Victorian-era antiques donated by philanthropists. The adobe’s contents were packed and placed in storage in anticipation of impending repairs.

But officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency disputed the city’s original $230,000 estimate of repair costs and seismic upgrades, and work was delayed.

But this week, city building inspector James Eldridge said FEMA and city officials agreed on quake repair funding for the adobe of approximately $100,000.

“We’ve been waiting for two years for funds to be released,” Eldridge said. “Finally, we were able to get what we wanted from them. Now, we have to prepare plans and specifications and go out to bid for the work.”

If all goes well, repairs on the adobe could begin in July, he added.

The adobe was built for newlyweds Geronimo and Catalina Lopez, two early settlers of the San Fernando Valley. Catalina’s father once was mayor-domo of the San Fernando Mission, and Geronimo Lopez was a messenger for Gen. Andres Pico of the Mexican Army.

Geronimo Lopez delivered the letter of truce from Pico to U.S. Gen. John C. Fremont in 1847, ending the war between Mexico and the United States.