Historic Trujillo Adobe Gets Preservation Grant

California Grants $10.4 Million to RivCoParks for Preservation of Riverside’s Historic Trujillo Adobe

JURUPA VALLEY — More than $10 million has been earmarked in the state’s newest budget, approved last week, to the Riverside County Regional Park & Open-Space District (RivCoParks) for the preservation and enhancement of the Trujillo Adobe Historic Site in Riverside.

The money was secured through the offices of Sen. Richard D. Roth, D-Riverside, and Assemblymember Jose Medina (AD61) by the grassroots advocacy efforts of the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Adobe.

“It has been an honor to work with Nancy Melendez, Darlene Trujillo and the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation to procure state funding for the preservation and renovation of the Trujillo Adobe,” Roth said. “Riverside’s oldest historic landmark tells our Inland Empire story, a diverse story of indigenous peoples, Mexican and European settlers. That history will now be preserved for our community to learn from and enjoy for generations to come.”

Registered by the State of California as a point of historical interest in 1968 and Riverside County and City of Riverside landmarks in later years, the original Trujillo Adobe was rebuilt in 1862 after the great flood that destroyed much of the area.

“[The] Trujillo Adobe … is a critical reminder of our heritage. I am proud that we secured over $10 million in the state budget to help restore and maintain this historic site” said Assemblymember Jose Medina.

This earmark is the culmination of a decade’s worth of work to shed light on this important landmark. In 2017, the Hispanic Access Foundation named the Trujillo Adobe one of the Top 10 Hispanic historic sites to be preserved in the nation. It was also named as a site of high potential along the Old Spanish National Historic Trail by the National Park Service. Most recently in 2021, the Adobe was identified by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the 11 most endangered historic places in America.

“The awarding of $10.4 million to the Trujillo Adobe will preserve our local Indigenous and Latinx history,” says Supervisor Karen Spiegel, second district supervisor. “It will honor the generations of hard-working families in La Placita (now Northside neighborhood) and its founder Lorenzo Trujillo.”

“RivCoParks is thrilled to be able to work with Spanish Town Heritage Foundation to utilize these state funds to preserve the adobe and expand access to the site,” said Antone Pierucci, chief of planning and development at RivCoParks. Funds will go towards the preservation of the adobe itself, which sits within a protected structure safe from driving rain. Remaining funds will go towards acquisition of additional land to enable public access and the construction of an interpretive center. “This is the largest direct earmark our agency has ever received for a park and we’re looking forward to the work ahead.”

Additional Reference:  June 9, 2021 – POC history quietly wins a spotlight on National Trust’s 2021 endangered places list – Los Angeles Times

Photo caption above: The Trujillo Adobe was built in 1862 and is one of the oldest known buildings in Riverside. (Photo courtesy of the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation.)