Jose Castro House, Adobe residence in San Juan Bautista, United States.

The José Castro House is a two-story adobe home completed in the Monterey Colonial style, with stucco-clad walls and full-length covered porches on both long sides of the second floor. Its timber frame resembles New England building methods, and pane glass windows beside the front door show Greek Revival influence. The property includes a half-acre orchard and garden.

The house was built in 1841 for Jose Antonio Castro, who later served as Governor of California. It later became home to Patrick Breen, a survivor of the Donner Party tragedy who arrived with his family.

The house is named for General José Antonio Castro, who had it built as an administrative base for his military operations, with soldiers' barracks next door; his secretary lived in it. Since 1933 it has served as a furnished house museum within San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, showing domestic life in mid-19th-century California.

The house museum is part of San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, and its half-acre orchard and garden are open to the public along with the furnished interior. The building faces the Plaza de San Juan, so it can be reached on foot from the plaza; entry is through the state park.

Four glass panes flanking the front door represent an unusual feature for the time period. This detail stands out among other adobe homes that were built in the region during the 1840s.