A Former Schoolhouse Transformed Into a Home By Judy Salamacha
“The bones and lot were exactly what we wanted to do with a home.”
H
eartland values have always been taught at the Historic Los Berros School House. Nestled within the canyons of Arroyo Grande, the land was originally settled by founding-family, Captain William and Josefa Dana, who established the first school for their children. Today, Mike and Diane Puhek’s children recall coming-of-age memories growing up in the schoolhouse they fondly call home. In 1878 Captain Dana divided his 37,888-acre Mexican land grant among his twelve living children. The Los Berros section was deeded to William Charles Dana, then a San Luis Obispo County clerk and treasurer. A small community blossomed into a flourishing agricultural marketplace with the expansion of the Pacific Coast Railroad. By 1894 Los Berros had a schoolhouse that also held Sunday services, a post office and small railroad station. A blacksmith shop and general store were added in the early 1900s to serve chicken ranchers, who purchased their land for $20 per acre.
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LIVING Lavishly