The Grand-Reopening of the property occurred on March 22, 2015, and is now open for public tours once every 4th Sunday of every month from 12-4 P.M. Gerónimo López, born in the pueblo de Los Ángeles in 1828, had served as an army messenger in 1847 for Andrés Pico during the Mexican–American War, delivering the Articles of Capitulation to General John C. Fremont, that ended the war in southern Alta California.

[3][7] The couple also operated the San Fernando Valley's first general store, its first English language school, and the first post office (in 1869) at the site.

[3][7][8][9] One account of the early days of the San Fernando Valley noted the significance of the López family: In the late 1860s and early 1870s a traveler riding through the high wild mustard fields of the San Fernando Valley would find little evidence of people except for the mission, a few other adobes, cattle grazing in the fields and a stage house built by Gerónimo López and his wife, Catalina.

The López family played an important role in the valley's development and were responsible for establishing the first post office and the first English-speaking school.

Senator Charles Maclay and his partners George K. and Benjamin F. Porter bought the remaining northern half of the Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando from Eulogio de Celis in 1874.

Plans to obtain a HUD grant fell through, and in early 1971, the owners imposed a deadline on the purchase, and indicated the building would be razed and the land cleared.

Funding difficulties hampered the city's plans to fully renovate the property and to operate it as a full-time museum and tourist attraction.

In 1983, the adobe's volunteer curator, Carolyn Riggs, noted: "Unfortunately, the city is so small that it can barely support its school, fire and police systems.

The authors of An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles observed: "The one remaining shred of the Victorian period is the Gerónimo López Adobe (1878) at the northwest corner of Pico Street and Maclay Avenue.

"[16] In the book, Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County, the author also makes note of the woodwork along the balconies: "One of the striking features of the house is that the upper and lower stories have verandas with hand cut wooden railings and a jigsaw pattern balustrade, which is painted in a turquoise blue.

[3] The adobe reopened in December 1997 with a ceremony that included seasonal songs, Mexican dances, and the lighting of the town Christmas tree.

Berman said at the time: "I pursued this funding, because the López Adobe is a national treasure and deserves federal money to help with its preservation.

Despite years of fund-raising efforts, the city and preservation groups had managed at that time to collect only half of the $750,000 needed to restore the López Adobe.