Capistrano Home Like Mission at Old Town

Capistrano Home Like Mission at Old Town. March 28, 1909. , The Forster family moved to San Juan Capistrano in 1844 when English man John Forster bought the San Juan Mission and the surrounding area at auction from Pio Pico, the last of the Mexican Governors of California. Forster, then known as Don Juan Forster who was married to Pico's sister Ysidora, moved his family into the south wing of the Mission when they occupied it for the next twenty years. In 1865 President Lincoln restored the mission to the Roman Catholic Diocese of California at which time Don Juan moved his family to the Rancho Santa Margarita in San Diego County., Upon the death of Don Juan in 1882, his son Don Matos Forster, returned to San Juan along with his sons Marcus, Frank, John, and George, where they engaged in the family business of ranching and farming on Rancho Boca de la Playa., Frank Ambrosio, Forster built the Mansion immediately to the west. He hired the prominent Los Angeles architect firm of Train and Williams who designed the Mansion in the popular Mission Revival style. The significance of the Mansion is noted in a L.A. Times article of March 28, 1909, which states, "Train and Williams have followed designs of the designers of the historic mission at San Juan Capistrano for the new Forster home and as reinforce concrete will be used in the construction, the new structure will be one of the handiest private dwelling in the southern end of the state. The structure will cost about 13,000." The original artist's rendering from the Times, article is reproduces here on this monument., Frank married Ada Haskill in 1894 and raised five children named Alice, Marco (Tom), Ynez, Lucana and Hugo. After compassion and move-in in 1910, the Mansion became the social hub of the Capistrano Valley. Towns people flocked to the gala barbecues and piano recitals hosted by the Forster family. Frank lived in the Mansion until his death in 1939, while his widow remained in the residence until her death in 1930., At one time the Forster family had several mansions in San Juan Capistrano. The others have been demolished leaving Frank A. Mansion as the sole survivor of a bygone era.