Plummer house  1

The Plummer House

Until it was moved to the Leonis Adobe grounds in 1983, the Plummer House was known as the “oldest house in Hollywood.” The house was originally located in what is known today as Plummer Park and was designated California Historic Landmark 160 in 1935.

In 1874, the John Cornelius Plummer family homesteaded a 160-acre parcel in what today is West Hollywood. John Cornelius’s sons, John Jr. and Eugene, built a Victorian style family bungalow—today’s Plummer House—and took on the persona of Spanish dons, becoming Juan and Eugenio. Despite purported Spanish roots, John Jr. and Eugene Plummer were born to Anglo parents. Their English father, John Cornelius Plummer, was a sea captain born in Canada; and 1860 United States Federal Census Records lists France as the birthplace of their mother, Maria Cecelia Plummer. After the deaths of Captain Plummer and his wife, Maria, Eugene became the sole occupant of the home and gradually sold off land until only three acres remained, which were eventually purchased by the County of Los Angeles. 

After the death of Eugene Plummer in 1943, the County allowed the Audubon Society to utilize the Plummer House as their headquarters until 1980. Despite being a California Historic Landmark, the house was nearly ruined by continual vandalism, including two fires that destroyed a large part of the Audubon Society’s archive. The Plummer House became an abandoned eyesore for the City of West Hollywood and they slated the home for demolition.

Under the leadership of Ray Phillips, the Leonis Adobe Association worked tirelessly with the Los Angeles Conservancy and won the right to restore and move the Plummer House onto the Leonis Adobe property, preserving the documented friendship between the Leonis and Plummer families. Today, the Plummer House serves as the Leonis Adobe Museum visitor center and gift shop.

Leonis Adobe Museum Historic Home and Ranch
  1. The Leonis Adobe House
  2. Miguel Leonis, The Big Basque
  3. Espiritu Chijulla Leonis
  4. Marcelina Leonis
  5. Juan Menendez
  6. Living Room
  7. Corner Cabinets
  8. Piano
  9. Dining Room
  10. Kitchen
  11. Cellar and Pantry
  12. Upper Rear Hallway
  13. Menendez Room
  14. Espiritu's Bedroom
  15. Sewing Room
  16. Front Upstairs Veranda
  17. Outdoor Oven or Horno
  18. Oak Tree
  19. Poultry and Doves
  20. Guinea Hens
  21. Turkeys
  22. Barn and Blacksmith Shop
  23. Carriages and Buggies
  24. Miguel's Land and Property Map
  25. Bath House
  26. Laundry Area
  27. Well and Windmill
  28. Tank House and Water Tank
  29. Orsua Room
  30. Vineyard
  31. Fruit Trees
  32. Vegetable Garden
  33. Longhorn Cattle
  34. Merino Sheep
  35. Nubian and Angora Goats
  36. Percheron Draft Horses
  37. Farm Implements
  38. Wagons
  39. Outhouses
  40. The Plummer House