Quietly nestled behind iron gates on Cuesta’s campus lies the Hollister Adobe. Named after its third owner, the well-known California family, the adobe housed several families for over 100 years. In 1940, the military tried tearing it down, destroying only the outer frame, and exposing the well-preserved original adobe home inside.
Cuesta College History Professor Emeritus and Hollister Adobe expert, Dennis Judd, explains why:
“One of the reasons the adobe survived is because it had been encapsulated with all that wooden structure around it. It was in excellent shape.”
Damaged by the 2003 San Simeon earthquake, Cuesta has been repairing it on a limited budget ever since, maintaining it as a local historical point of interest.
“The deepest historical root on that piece of property is that building, the Hollsiter Adobe. There’s nothing older that has survived this long.”
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