The Casa de Estudillo was built in 1827 by José María Estudillo and his son José Antonio Estudillo, early settlers of San Diego. It was considered one of the finest houses in Mexican California. It stands in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and is a National and California Historical Landmark.
The Spanish Colonial house is U-shaped, 113 feet across the front and 98 feet along each wing. Its 13 rooms connect only through a covered outdoor walkway, not inside halls. A cupola on top gave a view of the plaza for bullfights and festivals.
José Antonio died in 1852, and the family stayed until 1887. Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona made Californio life famous nationwide, and the house became linked with the story. Old postcards called it Ramona's Marriage Place. A restoration in 1910 removed some walls to enlarge the chapel and schoolroom.