PELANCONI HOUSE

The Pelanconi Warehouse was built in 1910 by Lorenzo Pelanconi and his mother, Isabel Tononi for the storage of their wine.  Behind it, opening on Olvera Street is a small two-story square building known as the Pelanconi House.  It was built by an Italian vintner, Giuseppi Covaccichi between 1855-57 and is the oldest house made of fired brick still standing in Los Angeles.   Covaccichi and his partner, Giuseppi Gazzo also owned a winery that lay diagonally across Olvera Street.

Between 1858 and 1871 the Pelanconi House changed hands four times. Antonio Pelanconi, who came from the Lombardo region of Italy, purchased the house and winery in 1871.  In 1866 he married Isabel Ramirez, daughter of Juan Ramirez who owned much of what is now Olvera Street.  In 1877 Antonio turned over the winery operation to his partner, Giacomo Tononi, and died two years later.  His widow married Tononi in 1881.
Senora Consuelo Castillo de Bonzo took over the Pelanconi House for her restaurant, La Golondrina Casa in 1930.  She removed the rear wall of both the warehouse and the Pelanconi House in order to make one large room for the restaurant.  It is the oldest restaurant on Olvera Street.

Pelanconi House 1930s, El Pueblo photo archives, 121-PL-0031	Interior of La Golondrina Cafe filled with people, 1944; El Pueblo photo archives, 121-PL-0020	La Golondrina" 1971, El Pueblo photo archives, 121-PL-0012