Gil, Jose Mario, Adobe
Why it's listed
Built in 1865 by Jose Mario Gil, this adobe ranch house sits near a general store and a country road intersection in the dry, scrub oak landscape of Jolon, in southwest Monterey County. It is a low, rambling, L-shaped building of about 1200 square feet, with three-foot-thick adobe brick walls, a shingle roof, wooden porches on three sides, seven rooms and two fireplaces. A small family cemetery holding Gil, his second wife and many of their children lies beside it. Gil, born in Spain in 1821, came to the Jolon area during the Gold Rush, became a U.S. citizen in 1850 and farmed 260 acres to support a large family. The property later passed to a Dr. Miller, then to William Randolph Hearst, who deeded it to the U.S. Army during the Second World War, when it served as a barracks. The adobe is valued as a rare, unincorporated ranch adobe and a reminder of the cattle ranching era before irrigation farming.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the few adobes in Monterey County not absorbed into a private home, making it an unusually fine example of the ranch adobes of the Salinas Valley. It is described as a physical reminder of the Cattle Ranching Era that preceded irrigation farming, and as a good example of the architecture of that time.
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 74000537, listed June 7, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, Jolon |
|---|---|
| County | Monterey County |
| Listed | June 7, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000537 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Jose Mario Gil (built his adobe ranch house in 1865) |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as deteriorated and unoccupied; the adobe core is described as well preserved and easily restorable, while the grounds are shabby. A later 1979 letter mentions photographs taken before and after stabilization. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 35.96204, -121.18839 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 74000537.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q124673595
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.