Workman Adobe
Also known as: Workman,William(Don Julian)House
Why it's listed
Built about 1842 as a simple adobe with a flat, tar-covered roof, this house in the City of Industry was later enlarged into a U-shaped adobe with 75-foot wings around a patio. Its owner, William Workman, was an English-born rancher and banking pioneer who led a party of settlers from New Mexico to Los Angeles, arriving in November 1841. In 1872 he hired architect E. F. Kysor, who had designed the Temple Block and Pico House in Los Angeles. Kysor demolished the adobe wings and wrapped the original core in brick and plaster to resemble an English country squire's home, with Norman-arched windows, plaster quoins and decorative eave brackets. The two-foot-thick adobe walls, hand-hewn beams and a partly submerged basement with wine cellars survive inside. The house is valued for its link to the La Puente Rancho and early Anglo-American settlement, and for its rare blend of two nineteenth-century building periods. The City of Industry planned restoration and public use.
Significance in brief: The nomination ties the house to William Workman and the first overland wagon train of eastern settlers to reach Southern California in 1841, and to the La Puente Rancho. It also calls the house a unique architectural example that combines an 1842 adobe with an 1872 English country house remodel. It is described as one of the last surviving works of pioneer Los Angeles architect E. F. Kysor.
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 74000519, listed November 20, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 15415 Don Julian Rd., Industry |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | November 20, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000519 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | E. F. Kysor (1872 alteration); William Workman (original builder-owner) |
| Architectural style | Simulated English country house (1872 alteration) enclosing an 1842 California adobe |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in fair condition and altered, on its original site. The City of Industry owns it and has begun plans for restoration as a historical-cultural facility for public use. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 34.02001, -117.96507 (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 74000519.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8035025
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.