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Board authorizes land purchase to preserve Trujillo Adobe, now on National Register
Summary
Riverside County supervisors authorized staff to proceed with acquiring additional land and protections for the Trujillo Adobe, a historic site now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and directed staff to file a CEQA notice of exemption; the board approved the measure 4-0.
Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday authorized county staff to proceed with acquisition and long-term preservation measures for the Trujillo Adobe, a 19th-century adobe listed this year on the National Register of Historic Places.
The action, approved 4-0, directs the Regional Park and Open Space District to complete a purchase and sale agreement for additional land around the adobe, accept a deed restriction and file a notice of exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act’s common-sense exemption. "Before the board today is the next critical step, the authorize authorization to proceed with the acquisition of additional land to support the expansion of the Adobe and long term preservation," said Gabby Adame Algarim, bureau chief of planning and development for the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District.
The board’s vote follows a multi-year preservation effort: the county secured state funding in 2022 to stabilize the site, the county finalized a preservation plan in 2023, and the Trujillo Adobe was added earlier this year to the National Register of Historic Places. Nancy Melendez, who identified herself as a sixth‑generation descendant of the Trujillo family, told supervisors the adobe dates to the 1840s and represents a shared Native American and Hispanic history in the valley. "The Trujillo Adobe represents a community that was here, a community that consisted of Native Americans and Spanish colonials, who found a way to live together in harmony," Melendez said.
County staff told the board they are negotiating a consultant contract for a master plan that will guide future uses of the site, including integration with nearby development in Riverside’s Northside neighborhood. The preservation plan envisions stabilization work, interpretive exhibits and school programming to connect local students to regional history.
Board members praised the work and noted the site’s educational value. The item before the board combined several steps: a CEQA finding, authorization to purchase additional land, approval of a purchase-and-sale agreement and adoption of a deed restriction. The motion carried as recommended, 4-0.
County staff said they will return with updates as acquisition and master-planning work progresses.
