The Michael White Adobe

Painting of Michael White Adobe by Pat Connell. Courtesy of the San Marino Historical Society

Painting of Michael White Adobe by Pat Connell. Courtesy of the San Marino Historical Society


The Michael White Adobe, (Casa de Miguel Blanco), is a rare example of a surviving 19th century adobe house. Constructed by at least 1845, it is the second oldest structure in the City of San Marino after the Old Mill (1816). Californians lived in houses like this during the Spanish and Mexican eras. It is one of only 39 remaining pre-20th century adobes in Los Angeles County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1845, California Governor Pio Pico granted Michael White the land on which the Adobe stands. White named the 73‐acre tract Rancho San Ysidro. He owned it until 1878. The San Marino School District acquired the site in 1928. It was home to San Marino's Carver Elementary School from 1947 until 1953 when the campus was redeveloped into San Marino High School. School Board president K.L. Carver led a successful effort to rehabilitate the Adobe along with the now high school construction.


1869 map of Michael White's Rancho San Ysidro. The curved line at left is Rubio Wash, now the western border of the high school campus. The red square shows the location of the still-standing Michael White Adobe. Courtesy of the San Marino Historical Society

1869 map of Michael White's Rancho San Ysidro. The curved line at left is Rubio Wash, now the western border of the high school campus. The red square shows the location of the still-standing Michael White Adobe. Courtesy of the San Marino Historical Society


The Michael White Adobe floor plan, as drawn in 1935 for the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). The shaded area shows the plan of the existing adobe building. The two-story wood-framed addition (lower left) built in 1870 was relocated to San Gabriel around 1947. Library of Congress.

The Michael White Adobe floor plan, as drawn in 1935 for the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). The shaded area shows the plan of the existing adobe building. The two-story wood-framed addition (lower left) built in 1870 was relocated to San Gabriel around 1947. Library of Congress.

Micharl White Adobe Vitural Tour

The Michael White Adobe Virtual Tour