Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum

This museum documents a key piece of the richly intertwined histories of California, Spain, and Mexico.

The land on which the museum stands was originally part of the Rancho San Pedro Land Grant, the first Spanish land grant in California. The grant was originally given to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier who had accompanied both the Portola and the Serra expeditions. The land grant included 75,000 acres which included all of the Los Angeles Harbor. The family refused to sell the land throughout the years, choosing instead to lease the property, and eventually, the land was passed down to Juan Jose Dominguez’s great nephew, Manuel Dominguez. 

The museum is located in a rancho-style house that is surrounded by a topiary and rose garden. Inside the site has a number of pieces of the family’s antique furniture and housewares from the time of the grant. There are also a number of informational plaques to alert visitors to the importance of the site. Thanks to regional museums such as the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, America’s rich history of immigration and multi-cultural evolution lives on.