Photo: Wikimedia Commons — see author and license on the file page.

John Rains House

Historic building
In Rancho Cucamonga, California
0.3 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The John Rains House, also called Casa de Rancho Cucamonga, is a brick home from the early 1860s in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. It is now a house museum run by the San Bernardino County Museum as one of its branches. Its story mixes ranch-era wealth, heavy debt and a murder. With the Tapia Adobe site and the Cucamonga Service Station close by, it anchors a small cluster of history stops near Route 66.

What is John Rains House?

The house is a brick ranch home built for John Rains on land that had been part of the Rancho Cucamonga grant. It had an unusual feature for its time: a cooling system that ran creek water through ducts beneath the house to take the edge off the inland heat.

Today the house is open to visitors, run by the San Bernardino County Museum, and there are restrooms on site.

History of John Rains House

Rains bought the Rancho Cucamonga land from the Tapia estate in 1858, and the house went up in 1860 and 1861. He was a prominent businessman who opened the first commercial winery in California, and his home became the setting for lavish gatherings of the local elite.

His luck soon ran out. Business failures forced him to mortgage the house, and he was murdered in 1862. His wife, Maria Merced Williams, had first received the land as an inheritance from her father, and she tried to win it back after his death. The deeds had been arranged in his name alone, and the rancho was split up piece by piece until she lost all of it in the 1870s. It gained National Register listing in 1973.

Visiting John Rains House: tips

The museum is less than a mile from Route 66 on the map, so it is an easy detour. Allow about an hour for the house and grounds. The Tapia Adobe landmark is only 0.3 miles away and the Cucamonga Service Station is about 1 mile away, so all three fit into one short outing. The Sam and Alfreda Maloof Compound is about 3.5 miles away if there is time for more.

Practical info

Address: 8810 Hemlock St, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
Phone: +1 909-798-8608
Website: museum.sbcounty.gov/maria-merced-williams-john-rains-house
Hours: We have no opening hours for this stop yet — check the official site.
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near John Rains House

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Sycamore Inn
Rancho Cucamonga, CA · 0.9 mi from John Rains House
A steakhouse in a 1920 inn on Foothill Boulevard, on a site that fed travelers long before Route 66 existed.
Diner & restaurant
Magic Lamp Inn
Rancho Cucamonga, CA · 1.0 mi from John Rains House
A 1950s Route 66 steakhouse whose Aladdin's-lamp neon sign burns a real gas flame after dark.

On the map

Full map

John Rains House with the 6 closest stops and places to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.

Tap a dot to see that stop here.

Stops near John Rains House

All of California

Tapia Adobe

Rancho Cucamonga, California · 0.1 mi from Route 66

The landmark home site of Tiburcio Tapia, who held the 1839 Rancho Cucamonga land grant.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit

0.3 mi from John Rains House

Cucamonga Service Station

Rancho Cucamonga, California · on Route 66

The last Route 66 gas station of its design left in California, right on Foothill Boulevard.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

1.0 mi from John Rains House

Madonna of the Trail

Upland, California · on Route 66

A 1929 pioneer-mother statue, westernmost of 12 on the National Old Trails Road, beside the old Route 66.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit

2.4 mi from John Rains House

Sam and Alfreda Maloof Compound

Rancho Cucamonga, California · 3.7 mi from Route 66

The hand-built home and workshop of furniture maker Sam Maloof, now a museum devoted to Arts and Crafts.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

3.5 mi from John Rains House

Inland Empire Museum of Art

Upland, California · 0.3 mi from Route 66

A small nonprofit art museum in Pomona, founded in 2015 and now called the Sasse Museum of Art.

Museum

4.0 mi from John Rains House

Frankish Building

Ontario, California · 3.0 mi from Route 66

A three-story Renaissance Revival block from 1915–16, built by one of Ontario's founding promoters.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

4.1 mi from John Rains House

Questions about John Rains House

Can you go inside the John Rains House?

Yes. It is a house museum, run by the San Bernardino County Museum as one of its branch sites.

How old is the John Rains House?

It was built in 1860 and 1861, a few years after John Rains bought the Rancho Cucamonga land in 1858.

Own or run John Rains House? Send us a photo or a correction.

See it on the map