The estate was owned by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a Californio military leader and landowner.

The two-story, wood-frame house was prefabricated, designed and built on the east coast of United States.

[5] The furnishings were eclectic, representing Vallejo's Spanish and Mexican heritage, the China trade, and styles popular with Americans.

Crystal chandeliers, lace curtains, and many other furnishings including the handsome, rosewood, concert-grand piano, were imported from Europe.

El Delirio is a small wooden structure in the garden next to the main house It served as a retreat for the Vallejo family and guests.

A vine-covered arbor shaded a wide pathway around the pool into which the spring flowed, and a number of decorative fountains and delightful little outbuildings also graced the grounds.

He eventually lost nearly all of his vast land holdings and was even forced to sell the vineyard and other "nonessential" acreage at the estate.