A little new for the old

Monday at the Costa Mesa Historical Society, Mary Ellen Goddard eagerly laid out hair combs, fans and a musty old box, items usually displayed at the adobe, or Diego Sepulveda Adobe, at Estancia Park. Meanwhile, her husband, Art Goddard, showed a visitor archival photographs of the adobe, and revealed a few details about the pair’s soon-to-be-released Costa Mesa history book, probably the first one in the past 30 years.

It’s exciting times for the historical society as the planned re-roofing, which has been in the works for the past three years, has just gotten started. It means the adobe, a popular destination for third- and fourth-graders who study it as part of a class curriculum on missions, will have to shut down for about a month or so.

But the temporary closing also gives historical society volunteers like Mary Ellen time to focus on the adobe’s exhibits.

“We get a chance to dust off our artifacts,” Art Goddard said.

The adobe needs more than a new roof, but “right now we’re in triage mode doing the most important things first,” Art Goddard said.

An adobe’s brick is made from mud and straw mostly, and it’s not baked in a kiln, which would make it more durable, so rain is its worst enemy, Art Goddard said.

“So that’s why the roof is so important,” he added.

City officials are working hard to get grants to help pay for more restorative necessities like better lighting for the adobe’s exhibits and other maintenance, but so far they’ve come up empty.

The new roof will be paid for with money from impact fees from the Segerstrom family, the Goddards said.

It’s fortunate this adobe has survived so long. It was saved from the elements by someone prescient enough to cover it in wood. In the mid-’60s it was largely restored from the remaining adobe brick as the wood sheltered it from the rain. But it hasn’t been spruced up since, and its electrical wiring also needs an upgrade.

For instance, it has two-prong outlets instead of three-prong outlets, so it needs to be up to today’s code, Art Goddard said.

When it was constructed in about 1823 it was a way-station for travelers going from the San Juan Capistrano mission to the San Gabriel mission.

It took about a day to get from San Juan Capistrano to Costa Mesa and then another day to San Gabriel, Art Goddard said.

It was also a bunkhouse for cowboys in the area.

“We’re glad it’s moving forward,” he said. “We’re lucky it survived so long. We want it to survive another 200 years.”

PAUL ANDERSON is the Daily Pilot’s city editor. He may be reached at [email protected] or at (714) 966-4633.