El Alamo Pintado Adobe
El Alamo Pintado Adobe near Solvang has been embedded in the history of the Santa Ynez Valley since it was built in 1884. A pair of English remittance men, Daniel B. W. Alexander and Fred Grundy, built the adobe, adding such Victorian touches as a second story, rare for adobes in the area, as a guest ranch for stagecoach travellers taking the Overland/Coast Line Stage from Los Angeles to San Francisco. It was sold to a French countess in 1890 who turned it into a center for intellectual and social gatherings. March Boyd, ower of Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, bought the property in 1899 for overflow accomodations. Between 1937 and 1996, the property was used as a ranch. in 1996, Iris Rideau of New Orleans bought the property, becoming the first African American woman to own a winery in the United States. The adobe is a County of Santa Barbara Historical Landmark.
Solvang, Santa Barbara County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt