{"nrhp_refnum":"90001484","name":"Casa de Esperanza","other_names":["Blas Aguilar Adobe"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"31806 El Camino Real","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Juan Capistrano","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.50109409400005,"lon":-117.66147095199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-10-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Casa de Esperanza, also called the Blas Aguilar Adobe, is a single-story adobe house at 31806 El Camino Real in San Juan Capistrano, California. The front portion dates to the 1790s (built about 1794-1795), and a rear portion was added in the 1840s.","why_significant":"It is one of the oldest adobes in San Juan Capistrano and the only one left of a row of large adobes that fronted the Mission Plaza. It is also tied to Don Blas Aguilar, who lived there from 1841 until 1885, was the last Alcalde under Mexican rule and the first Justice of the Peace under American rule.","narrative":"Casa de Esperanza, also known as the Blas Aguilar Adobe, is a single-story adobe house on El Camino Real in San Juan Capistrano, facing the old Mission Plaza area. Its thick adobe walls date to the 1790s, when a building boom followed the start of the Mission's stone church, and a rear section was added in the 1840s. It is the last survivor of a row of large adobes that once lined the street. Don Blas Aguilar bought the house in the early 1840s and lived there until his death in 1885. He served as the town's last Alcalde under Mexican rule and its first Justice of the Peace under American rule, so the house reflects the shift between the two governments. Later changes included stucco, a new tile roof, and a garage added around 1940. State staff judged that the building still conveys its early character and its setting in view of the Mission.","period_of_significance":"1790-1885","architect_builder":"Unknown (Don Blas Aguilar listed as significant person, who enlarged the house)","architectural_style":"Other: Early California Adobe","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Listed in the description as vacant; the house is stuccoed with a tile roof and a wooden rear addition converted to a garage. Windows were boarded up in January 1989.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.620298-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/90001484.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001484/2c65726d9f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001484/2c65726d9f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"George Champ","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Casa_de_Esperanza.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">George Champ</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Casa_de_Esperanza.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860179","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133336127"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/casa-de-esperanza-90001484/"}