Los Olivos, CA is a beautifully accessible town with a variety of shady trees and gardens, in addition to historic architectural gems. In 1861, the Overland Coast Line Stage Station was established in Ballard, just south of Los Olivos. The stage coach route ran from San Francisco to Los Olivos, then to Los Angeles and San Diego.
Following the first whistle of the much anticipated Pacific Coast Railway, land auctions were held in 1887, creating the quaint village of Los Olivos. The town was first named after a nearby ranch made up of 5,000 olive trees. Presently Victorian architecture can be found sprinkled throughout this little western village. Many of the downtown buildings and residences date back over one-hundred years.
Download printable Walking Tour Map (the printed version is not up-to-date): https://losolivosca.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/LOWalkingTour_web.pdf
- Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn & Spa – 2860 Grand Ave. The location of the Lige Campbell Livery Stable (c1910). Lige used a mud wagon stage to carry mail and passengers until 1914.
- Whitcher/Sahm home and dairy site (1890) – PRIVATE RESIDENCE. Built by Frank Whitcher, the dairy was in continuous use until 1964. An artesian well was located on the creek and furnished water for the dairy and Chinese laundry. The “Main House” at Midland School is the original red farmhouse built for Sahm Dairy, where Paul and Louise Squibb (founders of Midland School) lived in an upstairs bedroom.
- Santa Ynez Valley Grange #644 – 2374 Alamo Pintado Ave. Originally chartered in c.1930 and built in 1947 on land donated by the Vernor Family, who lived next door. It is a hub of the community.
- Previously Zinke Wine Company – 2366 Alamo Pintado Ave. Schneider residence, built in 1908. Will Schneider was a baggage mail clerk and stood 7′ tall.
- Bar Le Côte – 2375 Alamo Pintado Ave. Milburn Sides tore down the original building on the site and rebuilt this two-story in 1914. The upper floor was used for social gatherings, and the ground floor was used primarily as a hardware store (and shoe store) until 1976.
- Wilgress/Timmer Residence (c1900) – PRIVATE RESIDENCE.
- J. Woeste in Los Olivos – 2356 Alamo Pintado Ave. Formerly the DeVaul home (c1900).
- Professional Offices – Rancho de Los Olivos – 2900 Nojoqui Ave. Originally the Boyd House (c1885) it was built on land (which became Los Olivos Ranch) on Alamo Pintado near Ballard. Aden Boyd planted approx. 5,000 olive trees. The name of Los Olivos was chosen because of this olive ranch. The house was cut in two and moved to its present location on Nov. 18, 1991. Balloon-walled construction.
- Berean Baptist Church – 2293 Alamo Pintado Ave. The Christian Church was built in 1894, and was the first Protestant church in the valley. Originally men and women entered through separate doors – and sat accordingly. In 1961, the front porch was enclosed and cement steps were added. In 1957, the Christian Church became the Berean Baptist Church. (SB CO Landmark #26)
- Mattei’s Tavern Historic Cabins – 2329 Jonata Ave. The Keenan/Hartley House (c1882) was moved in 1997 from Gaviota Street, where it was originally built on homesteading land, to its present location and is the first home built in Los Olivos. The exterior walls are constructed from redwood, the roof is tin, and the porch is original, as are the interior floors. The walls are balloon-walled. (SB CO Landmark #30)
- Mattei’s Tavern – 2350 Railway Ave. Established (1886) by Felix Mattei and his wife Lucy, Mattei’s was originally called the Central Hotel. The RR terminal was directly across, so passengers only had to walk a short distance to find food and shelter while waiting for the morning stagecoach ride to Santa Barbara. After the Los Olivos Hotel burned down, Mattei changed his hotel name to Hotel Los Olivos, but it soon settled to Mattei’s Tavern. (Stagecoach Marker #53)
- Hwy 154 – Grand Ave & 154. Site of Pacific Coast southern terminus: warehouse, depot, 2-stall engine house, turn-table, and water tanks (1887-1934). Hwy 154 follows the railroad bed. November 16, 1887, the first train bunting draped engine arrived in Los Olivos. Passengers boarded the Coast Line Stage here or rode the train to San Luis Obispo. The right-of-way is still visible to the west.
- Refugio Ranch Vineyards – 2990 Grand Ave. Formerly the warehouse for Pinal-Dome Refining Co. (c1912).
- Saarloos & Sons Wine – 2971 Grand Ave. Home of D. D. Davis (c1905).
- Terre et Sang – 2982 Grand Ave. (c1894) private residence to several families including Mr. Fordyce, a fireman for the Pacific Coast RR. In December, 1925, Charles Waugh installed the curbs in Los Olivos.
- Berean Church Manse – PRIVATE RESIDENCE. Site of Berean Church Manse (c1900). The home contains 10-ft ceilings.
- Carhartt Family Wines – 2939 Grand Ave. Built by Frank Tunnell (c1900).
- Four Brothers and Global Eye Art Collective – 2935 Grand Ave. Formerly D.D. Davis’s Warehouse & Welding Shop (c1910). The front exterior is covered in vintage, pressed-tin.
- Jones Land Use; Gallery Los Olivos; Wildflower Women – 2920 Grand Ave. Site of Harvey Stonebarger’s foundry and shop (1906) under the oak tree. Harvey assembled the town’s first water system and in 1918 erected the present flagpole.
- Taste of Sta. Rita Hills – 2923 Grand Ave. Site of residence (1888), became D.D. Davis General Store (1890). The Valley’s first theater, “The Liberty” opened there (c1916), with seating for 100. The first movie shown was “Lilac Time.” The General Store was torn down and material used to construct the present building (c1940) and became the Bucket o’ Blood Saloon (1944).
- Los Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop – 2905 Grand Ave. Formerly Uncle Tom’s (c1894) Constructed by Frank Tunnell, “Uncle Tom” Davis ran a small grocery and men’s furnishing store here until 1935. It was used as a post office with combination lock boxes outside.
- Los Olivos General Store – 2900 Grand Ave. Formerly Rice Brothers Los Olivos Garage (c1903). Constructed by Claude and Frank Rice, it was the first Ford Agency in the Valley, and pumped Cart-Red gas out of barrels into 5-gal cans. It was used as Goober’s garage during the filming of Return to Mayberry in Los Olivos.
- Los Olivos Flag Pole – Intersection of Grand Ave. and Alamo Pintado Ave. Original flag pole (1888) stood east of the present location. The Present pole was erected in 1918 as tribute to WWI Veterans. The original base was a thirty-gallon “Schilling’s Best” coffee can. Lights were installed in 1926. The flag is lowered to half mast on the death of a Los Olivos resident. Photo Left: “Schilling’s Best” flagpole anchor. Photo courtesy Rita Lunde Media.
- Corner House Coffee & Water Tower – 2902 San Marcos Ave. One of the first residences in Los Olivos (c1880), the building was converted to CHC in 2005. The water tower was brought to the site and rebuilt in 2007 using the original exterior wood siding and water tank. The tank is marked “Pacific Coast Coal Co. Los Olivos, CA.”
- Samsara Wine Co./Margerum/The Other Room – 2446 Alamo Pintado Ave. Original home built approximately 1910 and converted to its current use in 2014. Community Craft is in a new addition. The Water Tower is possibly turn of the century and was relocated from the rear yard to its current location and rebuilt using mostly original exterior wood siding.
- Kaena Wine Company and Solminer Wine – 2890 Grand Ave. Site of building owned by Lew Hartman (1889), Will and Etelka “Telk” (Davis) Downs ran a general store and barber shop from 1909-1970. The post office and library were also here for some time. The original 2-story building burned down in 1938 and was rebuilt.
- Coquelicot Estate Wines – 2884 Grand Ave. Built by John J. “Jake” McGuire (c1920) for storage and horse shoeing. John lived in a small detached home in the rear, where he died in 1923 a day after dynamite exploded under his bed. Although he implicated some residents before he passed, no one was ever convicted.
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