RIVERSIDE, CA — State funding to the tune of $10.4 million is heading to Riverside County for the preservation and enhancement of the Trujillo Adobe Historic Site in the city of Riverside. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the state's newest budget last week, and in it was the funding for the Riverside treasure.

"Riverside's oldest historic landmark tells our Inland Empire story, a diverse story of indigenous peoples, Mexican and European settlers," said state Senator Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside). "That history will now be preserved for our community to learn from and enjoy for generations to come."

Funds will go toward the preservation of the adobe itself, which sits within a protected structure. Remaining funds will go toward the acquisition of additional land to enable public access and the construction of an interpretive center, according to a county news release.

Roth and state Assembly member, Jose Medina (D-Riverside) secured the funding in tandem with grassroots advocacy efforts of the Spanish Town Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Adobe. The funding will go to the Riverside County Regional Park & Open-Space District (RivCoParks), which oversees the Trujillo Adobe Historic Site.

"This is the largest direct earmark our agency has ever received for a park and we're looking forward to the work ahead," said Antone Pierucci, chief of planning and development at RivCoParks. 

Registered by the state of California as a point of historical interest in 1968 and Riverside County and city of Riverside landmarks in later years, the original Trujillo Adobe was rebuilt in 1862 after the great flood that destroyed much of the area.

The funding is the culmination of a decade's worth of work to shed light on the landmark. In 2017, the Hispanic Access Foundation named the Trujillo Adobe one of the Top 10 Hispanic historic sites to be preserved in the nation. It was also named as a site of high potential along the Old Spanish National Historic Trail by the National Park Service. Most recently, in 2021, the Adobe was identified by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the 11 most endangered historic places in America.

"[The] Trujillo Adobe … is a critical reminder of our heritage. I am proud that we secured over $10 million in the state budget to help restore and maintain this historic site," Medina said.

Second District Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel added, "The awarding of $10.4 million to the Trujillo Adobe will preserve our local Indigenous and Latinx history. It will honor the generations of hard-working families in La Placita (now Northside neighborhood) and its founder Lorenzo Trujillo."

Written by Toni McAllister for Patch.