Centinela Adobe
Also known as: La Casa del Rancho Aguaje del Centinela
Why it's listed
Centinela Adobe is an early California adobe ranch house sitting on the knoll where it was built in 1834, overlooking the valley that gave it the name Centinela, meaning sentinel. Ignacio Machado built the three-room core with two-foot-thick adobe bricks made on site. In the 1860s Robert Burnett added batten-and-board wings, a shingled roof over the older tar roof, and spiral-patterned brick chimneys. Verandas about ten feet wide run along three sides. The listing rests on the property's role in agriculture. The house served as headquarters of the Centinela Valley from the Mexican rancho period onward, through Burnett's sheep and citrus operations and Daniel Freeman's successful dry farming of grain in 1876, which helped shape farming across Los Angeles County. Freeman later subdivided the land, and housing and industry gradually replaced the fields. The adobe is unusually well preserved and is open to the public.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the adobe was the headquarters and center of growth of the Centinela Valley from the Mexican rancho era to modern housing and industrial subdivisions. Its agricultural history parallels the development of Los Angeles County, including sheep raising, citrus planting and Daniel Freeman's pioneering dry farming of small grains. It is also noted as an unusually well-preserved early adobe.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74000522, listed May 2, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 7634 Midfield Ave., Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | May 2, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000522 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century |
| Architect / builder | Ignacio Machado (built the adobe, 1834); Robert Burnett (added wooden wings in the 1860s) |
| Architectural style | Early California adobe; ranch style |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and altered; open to the public as a museum, owned by the City of Inglewood, and described as continually occupied since 1834 with a partly custodial residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.96747, -118.37208 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74000522.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5060150
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.