Villa
Francesca was the family mansion of the Castro family, the original
landowners of Rancho Pastoria de Los Borregas. By 1911 the Castros
had already sold off much of their land, but still had sizeable
holdings in the area around what is now Rengstorff Park. Members of
the Castro family lived in the villa until the 1950s, when the
homestead and villa were donated to the city.
The
homestead was turned into Rengstorff Park, and the Villa was to be
turned into a historical museum. However a suspicious fire consumed
a wing of the house. Although much of the rest of the house remained
in good condition, the city home was demolished and Mountain View
lost the one architectural tie to its pre-American past.
