Rancho Guajome Adobe
Built by Cave Johnson Couts and his wife, Ysidora, between 1852 and 1853.
When Cave Couts Jr., the couple's son, received an inheritance from his aunt in the 1920s, he launched an extensive renovation of the home, including the addition of an outdoor patio with graceful mission-style stucco arches. He also rebuilt the chapel and replaced many of the mission tiles with new ones. The original mission period tiles did not have nail holes; they were secured with a dab of adobe, and held in place because of their tapered shape.
The Rancho is a National Historic Landmark, now restored by the County of San Diego to its original splendor. The restoration included repairs to walls and the roof, seismic retrofitting and a new drainage system. The homestead also was decorated with period furniture. A few original furnishings of the Couts family remain, including a three-tier organ. Since its most recent restoration, new roofing tiles were placed on the structure during the County restoration in 1996-97; the older tiles, having more character, were placed as roll tiles over new pan tiles so that the older tiles are visible from the ground. The garden in the inner courtyard has been restored with native plants.
© 2006 Debra Mitchell, all rights reserved.
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