SAN JUAN Explore 3 Eagan House


The Irish-born Judge Richard Egan, a landowner, farmer, telegrapher, nota- ry, surveyor and Justice of the Peace, built Eagan House, or Harmony Hall, in 1883. The Victorian/Greek Revival building, constructed of terra cotta brick, was home to the Judge’s balls, picnics, dinners and parties. A fire in 1897 destroyed much of Egan’s historical collection, but the house and its original mahogany floors still stand today.


Capistrano Depot


DISCOVER DOWNTOWN


Mission Basilica


4 Los Rios Historic District California’s oldest continually


inhabited neighborhood provides a glimpse at San Juan’s commu- nity roots. Housing businesses and organizations like Hidden House Coffee, ZOOMARS Petting Zoo and the O’Neill Museum, Los Rios Street is also home to residents—some with family ancestries predating The Mis- sion. Los Rios is lined with 31 historic structures and is on the National Register of Historic Places.


San Juan Capistrano’s architectural portfolio spans some 240 years—from the centuries-old, Spanish-style Mission San Juan Capistrano to library designer Michael Graves’ postmodern interpretation of the genre, San Juan’s downtown reflects the city’s vibrant past, historic significance and cultural diversity.


NUMBERS CORRESPOND WITH MAP


1 Blas Aguilar Adobe Historic photos, books and Acjachemen artifacts are on display at this


National Register of Historic Places-listed museum that was built in 1794 to house Spanish soldiers and Native Americans working at The Mission. Don Blas Aguilar—the last alcalde, or local mayor, under Mexican rule—pur- chased the adobe in 1845. One of the adobe’s two wings stands today, the north—known as Casa Esperanza, or “House of Hope.”


2 Capistrano Depot San Juan is rich with train lore. It dates back to 1887 when a track connect-


ing Los Angeles and San Diego was laid. Filled with a colorful past, the old Santa Fe Railroad Depot has seen it all—from Modesta Avila defying Califor- nia’s most powerful corporation in 1889 by stringing her laundry across the railroad tracks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt passing through town on his way to Camp Pendleton in September 1942.


5 Mission Basilica Modeled after The Mission’s Great


Stone Church, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1812, Mission Basilica was completed in 1986. Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Mission Church a basilica in 2000— an honor bestowed upon churches with special religious, historical and cultural significances. Mission Ba- silica is designated a National Shrine and is a sanctioned recommended place of pilgrimage.


6 Montañez Adobe Polonia Gutierrez, one of four mid-


wives in San Juan, is the Montañez Adobe’s first recorded deed holder. Born in 1829, Polonia lived in the adobe for most of her married life. Shortly after marrying a man named Montañez, Polonia was widowed. She remarried two times. Legend has it, Polonia, who taught religious educa-


9 Yorba Adobes The structure of El Adobe de Capist-


rano was originally two adobes—the northern end home to Miguel Yorba, the southern to a justice court and jail. The buildings, built in the early-to- mid 1800s, were joined in 1910 for a residence and store. Clarence Brown bought the adobes in 1946, turning them into El Adobe de Capistrano. The eatery opened with a wedding recep- tion in July 1948 and was a favorite of President Richard Nixon’s when he lived in the Western White House.


Read about the Jewel of California Missions, Mission San Juan


Capistrano on page 18. VISITSJC.COM SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS DIRECTORY & VISITOR GUIDE 17


tion at The Mission, and a group of children brought rain to San Juan through prayer on the beach during the drought of 1890.


7 O’Neill Museum Originally located across the railroad


tracks behind El Adobe de Capist- rano, the Garcia/Pryor residence was moved to Los Rios Street. The home was built around 1870 by saloon owner Jose Garcia, who was mur- dered in 1896. Albert Pryor purchased the home in 1905 where he and his family lived until 1955. The home was donated to the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society in 1976. It serves as the society’s headquarters and local history museum.


8 San Juan Capistrano Library The late architect Michael Graves


designed San Juan’s library as he did nearly 350 other buildings, by making superior design accessible to the public. Graves’ interpretation of San Juan’s traditional Spanish archi- tecture was chosen over 140 other designs. This “temple of learning” opened in 1983. On Graves’ last visit to San Juan, to celebrate the library’s 30th anniversary in 2013, he called the library one of his favorite designs.


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