Farmhouse

When Gottfried and Sophie Maulhardt first arrived in the area in 1867, the Christian Borchard family stayed in the Gonzalez Adobe with the Borchards that was located near the Santa Clara River and not too far from the Esplanade and Wagon Wheel area.

By 1869, Gottfried and Caspar Borchard leased 1,200 acres on Rancho Colonia from Juan Camarillo. At this time, there was no lumberyard or wharf to bring in the lumber, so Gottfried used his skill as a brick mason and built the two-story brick residence/winery. By 1870, William Barnard opened a lumberyard in Wynema (Hueneme), and with the arrival of Gottfried’s brother Jacob and family, they built a small, modest, two-story cottage farmhouse. Additional features were added during the nearly 30 years that Gottfried lived at the property, including a wraparound porch and a room addition with a bay window.

Gottfried passed away in December 1898, and his widow Sophie sold the remaining 30 acres to Louis Pfeiler in 1905. Pfeiler gave the ranch to his son, Albert & his wife, Lydia, as a wedding gift. By the 1920s, several more room additions were added & the porch was removed.

The later additions include the upstairs bedroom, a sunroom on the west end that was demolished, and the wood was recycled for the carriage house office and library. There is also another bedroom on the west side and a new kitchen on the north end, which will be demolished and the original kitchen restored.

By 1949, Bob Pfeiler, the son of Albert and Lydia Pfeiler, had built a new residence on the ranch. The farmhouse became a winter home for Bob’s parents, who had bought farmland in Oregon. By the 1960s, the farmhouse was used sparingly as a guesthouse, with Bob’s mother staying in the home for periods of time.

The building became vacant from the 1970s until Bob’s passing in 2002. Shortly after, Jeff Maulhardt approached the Developer who bought the ranch, John Laing Homes, about saving the old structures. Jeff formed the Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation. Laing added a new roof to the three remaining buildings on the ranch, as well as the seven-foot perimeter fence. The house was boarded up until 2007, at which time the Foundation began having fundraisers to develop the property.

The Foundation offered sponsorships for each of the rooms, with the intention of using the money to develop the site for more frequent and profitable events. Taking on sponsorships included the families of Borchard, Donlon, Jimenez, Friedrich, Maulhardt, McGrath, and Naumann.

The Foundation is in the process of applying for grants and raising money for the first phase of the house.

The plans for the farmhouse have been completed and paid for at a cost of $50,000, and the city has approved them. The first phase of construction will cost $200,000. We have pulled the permit and will begin renovations in June 2025. We are planning a Phase 1 Fundraiser in June as well. Until then, you can help us reach our goal.

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