Simi Adobe-Strathearn House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
This house in Simi Valley joins two eras of California history. Its core is an adobe ranch house built before 1800, with walls three feet thick, rubble foundations and mission tile floors. In 1892 Robert P. Strathearn added an eight-room, two-story Victorian wing at the southern end. The site was home to the Pico family under the Rancho Simi grant, later to Jose de la Guerra y Noriega, and in the 1880s to a Basque sheep-raising family. Strathearn raised cattle, brought electrical power to the valley and gave the Southern Pacific Railroad a right-of-way across his land. His sons continued as civic leaders. Archaeological work also suggests the house sits on the Chumash village of Shimiyi. The family lived here until 1969, when the house and surrounding acreage were donated to the Simi Valley Recreation and Park District. It opened as a historical park in 1971.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be significant for blending an 18th-century California adobe with a late 19th-century Victorian addition. It was the home of both Spanish and American pioneers. The site also lies on a Chumash village and was the center of the El Rancho Simi land grant and later the Strathearn cattle ranch.
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 78000825, listed May 19, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 137 Strathearn Pl., Simi |
|---|---|
| County | Ventura County |
| Listed | May 19, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000825 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Adobe with Victorian style addition |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Donated in 1969 to the Simi Valley Recreation and Park District and dedicated as a historical park in 1971; the form lists present use as museum and educational, and condition as good. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 34.27501, -118.80134 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 78000825.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7517734
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.