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Ortega Adobe

The Ortega family started their iconic food company in this small, adobe kitchen.

Ventura, California

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Andrew Morgan
The original adobe   amorgan2 / Atlas Obscura User
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Roof tiles and adobe   amorgan2 / Atlas Obscura User
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A small adobe house hides a few blocks from the beach, fairgrounds, and historic main street in the seaside town of Ventura, CA. This seldom-visited museum is the Ortega Adobe, the last surviving adobe home in the city. In addition to remarkable history and construction, this adobe is the birthplace of the iconic Ortega food brand. 

The Ortega family often roasted and canned foods like chile salsa in the adobe, which quickly took off into an internationally recognized business that still specializes in canned chile salsa. The brand even used pictures of the adobe on advertisements.  

Since the Ortega family moved out, the adobe served as a gas station, a VFW hall, a police station, and even a speakeasy. In the 1970s the city purchased the property and began renovating and preserving the adobe. It is now open daily for self-guided viewing. 

 

 

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Open daily 9am-4pm, with parking on site. Rooms are visible through iron bars in the doors and windows. More information about adobe and early life in Ventura is available at the nearby Museum of Ventura County, Albinger Archaeology Museum, and San Buenaventura Mission Museum.

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December 17, 2025

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