Agoura Hills committee will seek to restore Reyes Adobe

The Agoura Hills City Council will form a six-member citizens’ committee to begin plans for the final renovation of the old Reyes Adobe historical site.

The advisory committee will estimate construction costs and cite possible funding sources.

"First there’s some history for the group to catch up on," said City Councilman Jeff Reinhardt. "The next stage would be looking at future uses and listening to the recommendations ... It could range anywhere from a museum to a learning center to actually having people live there."

The goal is to put the 180-year-old adobe in museum condition and restore the quiet grounds to their original 19th Century condition, but the cost could well exceed $400,000, according to earlier estimates.

Officials also are concerned about annual maintenance once the Adobe and its museum are opened. Tour groups, school groups and others would be visiting the 4.6-acre site at Rainbow Crest Drive on a regular basis.

The Adobe served as a working cattle ranch and a resting place for travelers, padres and even outlaws who roamed the area, but following repairs in 1988 and again in 1997, no additional work has been done to the house and its adjacent barn.

Although the adobe brick barn was built about 100 years after the house, its overall condition is worse. The barn has eight horse stalls and a tack room.

Currently, the city is looking for a contractor to repair the adobe roof using authentic materials from that era.

The city council hopes to receive the Adobe recommendations within six months after the committee is formed.

People interested in working on the committee should call city hall at (818) 597-7300.

—John Loesing