The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is pleased to announce the creation of the Dallidet Adobe Endowment Fund to support the Dallidet Adobe and Gardens.
An initial $50,000 pledge, in Memory of Peter R. and Carol F. Andre, has been made by Jim Andre and Paul Kellogg, for which we are most grateful. Peter Andre was instrumental in the preservation of the Dallidet Adobe and thus also the creation of the History Center in 1953.
Paul Dallidet, the youngest son of Pierre Dallidet, by now an old man living by himself in his family home, was spotted shoplifting food from Sauer’s Grocery on Monterey Street. The owner of the store called local attorney Peter Andre to ask advice on handling this delicate situation. Peter assured the shopkeeper that he would cover the cost of any stolen merchandise, and began to investigate the financial situation of the elderly Mr. Dallidet.
Mr. Andre discovered that the Dallidet fortune was entirely gone, and taxes on the 1856 adobe home had not been paid in years. The government was preparing to foreclose. Andre helped organize a group of local citizens to step in and save Paul Dallidet from destitution. Dallidet signed over the deed to his family home and property to the purpose-created 501(c)3 Historical Society of San Luis Obispo County. In exchange, he received a life estate allowing him to stay in his home, and his living and medical expenses were subsidized by the Society. The Historical Society was eventually renamed the History Center of San Luis Obispo County in 2010.
Peter and Carol Andre’s son Jim Andre, and Jim’s partner Paul Kellogg, have pledged to donate $50,000 over 5 years to this endowment to help ensure that the History Center will have the funds to maintain the Dallidet Adobe and Gardens in perpetuity. We are extremely grateful for this act of generosity.
Today, the Dallidet Adobe and Gardens remain in the stewardship of the History Center. The home is maintained as it would have been during the time of the Dallidet family at the turn of the century. In ordinary, non-Covid-19 times, the home is open for public viewing and the History Center hosts events in the gardens. This year, we welcome guests to the Gardens on Sundays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., and virtual tours of the home are conducted via Zoom. The venue is also available for rental for private events.
The History Center of San Luis Obispo County is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving and promoting all of San Luis Obispo County’s history.