A short article provided courtesy of the City of Fresno, Development Department, Planning Division is here:

Building In Adobe in the San Joaquin Valley, VAF Conference Fresno 2008

Special thanks to Karana Hattersley-Drayton, Executive Editor.

More California Adobe history resources are provided at the bottom of our Adobe Community Resources page.  We have two downloadable Thesis’s, that are perhaps the best resources on this website for a history (and acceptable construction methods) of California Adobe building.  Look for the Cullimore and Calarco Thesis’.

“Caladobe” (AKA: Bitudobe) was fully introduced in California as a waterproof brick, by the American Bitumuls Company, in the 1940’s.  It was being experimented with in the mid 1930’s.   A simple formula for this waterproof brick is shown below.

According to newspaper articles of the time, only two brickyards in California were “certified” to produce Caladobe; The Hans Sumpf yard in the Fresno area, and the L R Green yard in Escondido.  However, other yards and many individuals were making their own emulsilfed asphalt bricks, which may have been just as good.

The introduction of Bitudobe/Caladobe waterproof/water resistant bricks, and FHA required construction codes (assuring the building quality) for Adobe structures lead to a post war “Adobe revival” building period, spanning from the late 1940’s into the 1980’s.  These are the homes we refer to in other sections of this website as Modern California Adobe Homes.