Luis Maria Peralta Adobe

180 W St John St, San Jose, CA 95110, United States

The Luis Maria Peralta Adobe is the last remaining link to the Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, one of the oldest settlements in Spanish California and the first municipal government. The first owner of the adobe was Manuel Gonzales. Gonzales and his family, among the first Spanish settlers in California, were part of the Anza Party in 1776. The Pueblo, believed to date from 1790 to 1800, is a rare survivor of a once common domestic type of architecture. The walls of the building are made of adobe blocks two feet thick, the floors are earthen and the walls were originally plastered. After Gonzales died in 1804, Peralta, also a member of the Anza party, bought the property.

The center of Silicon Valley and one of the largest cities in California, San José is also one of the oldest cities in the state, founded in 1777 as the Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. Yet, in the face of the tech boom, many physical reminders of the city’s early history have faded away, with the exception of Luis Maria Peralta Adobe, the oldest standing house in San José.

The Peralta Adobe House was built in 1797 by Jose Manuel González, an Apache settler who accompanied the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition to the area as they explored what would become of California. Gonzalez, who became one of the first mayors of Pubelo he helped to find, built his adobe home near the market square. In 1804, after the death of Gonzalez, Luis Maria Peralta, a wealthy landowner and soldier, bought and lived in the property.

Luis Maria Peralta, one of the corporals of de Anza, held the post of commissioner of San José, the highest military or civilian office in the fledgling city. He held this position until Mexico became independent of Spain in 1822 and lived in San Jose until his death in 1851.

The Luis Maria Peralta Adobe was bought by the town of San José in 1966 and was restored with the addition of the surrounding park. Today, the adobe is the center of San Pedro Square Market, where the surrounding park is used as a sitting area for shops and restaurants in the vicinity.

The Peralta Adobe is a historic house museum, which can be visited by appointment. The building covers an area of 20 feet by 41 feet (6 x 12.4 m) and has two connecting rooms of approximately equal size. The walls are about 2 feet (61 cm) thick and are made of adobe blocks 22 inches by 11 inches by 4 inches (56 x 28 x 10 cm). The adobe is furnished inside, as it was 200 years ago. Outside is an outdoor fireplace oven (horno in Spanish).

The Adobe and the Thomas and Carmel Fallon House are located within the Peralta Adobe & Fallon House Historic Site on San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose, run by local non-profit History San José. The Fallon House is located across the street from the Adobe and was built in Victorian style in 1855.

This amazing historical landmark is just one of the many must-see landmarks you don’t want to miss in San Jose, California:

• Peralta Adobe-Fallon House Historic Site
• César Chávez Family Home 
• History Park
• James Lick Mansion
• Winchester Mystery House
• St. James Park – San Jose History Walk Marker #23
• Southern Pacific Railroad Steam Locomotive #1215 
• Olympic Black Power Statue  

All of these wonderful landmarks are located just a short distance from our location located at 3880 South Bascom Avenue in San Jose, California! Stop by for a visit anytime!