Galindo House And Gardens

From beginning to end, the staff that help and manage the venue went above and beyond to make sure we were fully taken care of to use the facility for our wedding. My husband and I picked this venue to have our ceremony and reception. We rented the garden, the fireplace room, and the reception hall for the day. Sarah Jackson worked with us in the very beginning. Sarah was very responsive and communicative with us. For arranged times for reviewing the venue, set up and rehearsal, I and my party were late. The team with the venue was very flexible and very patient with us. We also had an unfortunate untimely passing of a party member before the wedding. Sarah and her team were very willing to be flexible with us and allow us time to reschedule if needed. My husband and I decided to move forward with the event at our scheduled time.We also received assistance on the day of the event, Liz DeLaCampa, who was very helpful and was lovely to work with. She was very communicative and very willing to be helpful.A disclaimer for catering and food: The kitchen does not have a place to cook. However, this venue is ideal for working with a food truck vendor that has their own kitchen for cooking and preparing food (which is what we did for catering). The kitchen does have a lot of storage space as needed for dishes, cups storing desserts and floral as needed. What we really liked about this venue is a lot of the basic things needed for an event are available such as indoor and outdoor chairs as well as tables. The team here is wonderful and this venue is highly recommended for an event with a small to medium size party. Highly recommended and they have packages that are available (and very reasonable) for parts of the venue (garden area, fireplace room, reception hall or all of the above). Thank you to the team again who were so helpful, so kind and very thoughtful. We will keep you in mind for future events!

I wanted to give my High5 for this place, because if you are hoping to reserve a date for your big moment, I think you find this location an excellent choice. Come one, come all, because there is room enough.

I've not actually been here because it always seems to be closed, but I took this photo from the parking garage across the street and thought it looked cool.

This home was built in 1856 and remained in the same family until 1999 when the last direct descendant of Don Francisco Galindo and his wife, Maria Dolores Manuela Pacheco passed away. It was deeded to the city of Concord and transferred to the Concord Historical Society. The society has done a wonderful job of restoring the home. I took a Christmas tour and enjoyed the home and the information the docents provided. Everything in the house, other than the Christmas decorations, belonged to the Galindo family. It is interesting to see how the home changed over the years. If I had to choose a favorite room, it would be the dining room with the beautiful china, sliver, and crystal.When I look at Concord and the surrounding cities it's hard to picture how it might have looked during the days of Spanish land grants, and large ranches, yet when I looked in the rooms and heard the stories I could really get a feel for that time in California history. I can't give away all the history of these people and the land, for that you should go on one of the tours. The admission is only $3.00. I did learn why there were no closets in homes in the 19th century; they were taxed as rooms no matter what size they were.I think this is an excellent house museum. It not as well known as some other house museums in the area, but it should be, it's an amazing glimpse of history. http://concordhistorical.org/visit-us/galindo/

I didn't have the chance to go inside the house, but I was able to explore the grounds and the exterior of the Galindo House itself. Looks like tours of the house are only given on Sundays from 1-4 PM, though interior photography is not allowed, from what I've been told by the folks who run this historical society. Gardens were pretty nice and good for a short stroll.

Commonly toured homes of historical significance in (northern) CA include the John Muir House (Martinez) and the Winchester Mystery House (San Jose). Hopefully the Galindo House and Gardens in Concord will soon be just as well known and visited. Until recent years, the Galindo House was owned by the City of Concord and unable to be viewed publicly. Ruth Galindo left the home to the City to be opened as a museum, following her death in 1999. All of the items in the home were left to the Concord Historical Society and placed into storage. Ruth Galindo was the fourth generation of her family to live in the home once given to her great-grandfather for fighting in the Spanish War. (Cutlery at the dining table was engraved with the letter "F", for fourth.) She left behind no heirs, nor did her two siblings, Harold and Leonora, who also lived in the home. The City of Concord was unable to afford necessary restorations to the home and it sadly sat until 2010 when the City finally agreed to give the home to the Concord Historical Society, who began working toward making the home into a museum, as intended. The original belongings were mostly returned to the home, except several paintings which were stolen when the storage facility where they were kept was robbed. Most of the items in the home are the original items belonging to the Galindo family. Books, furniture, clothing, dishes, etc. - all original and wonderfully preserved.How excited I was to drive by the Galindo House yesterday with my husband and realize they were open for tours! We parked in the private lot behind the home and walked to the front door of the 9-room house. As we opened it, a woman stood in the doorway and instructed us to close the door and ring the original bell, which was a button in the center of the door. The bell chimed and she opened it again, then pointed out the elaborately designed door hinges. From small details like the hinges to more obvious ones like the fine wood on the first level flooring, the importance of status during that period was emphasized throughout the house.A tour led by three different ladies took us through the home and went into great detail of the family members and the home's history. A little local history was taught as well. The town of Todos Santos was founded by Salvio Pacheco. Merchants were paid $1 to begin commerce around the main Plaza. Todos Santos Plaza kept it's name, but the town was renamed to Concord months after it was developed (1869). The women showed us maps of land parcels and told us about their owners. They then detailed every corner of the home's interior. It was extremely interesting and informative. The Galindo House was built in 1956 by Francisco Galindo. Unlike modern homes, there is only one closet. Clothing was placed in drawers or hung in armoires. The home was heated by coal fireplaces and had plumbing even in the upstairs bedrooms. The family was very religious and crucifixes are in every room. Pictures of beloved animals, well-dressed dolls, and seasonally designed medallions above the light fixtures, all paint a more intimate picture of the lives of the Galindo family. Even a 1933 Cal Berkeley yearbook rests in one of the bedrooms. (The year my grandmother was born!)The Concord Historical Society hosts an annual tea party at the House, as well as other socials from time to time. Information about their events can be found on their webpage. The members decorate the home during the Christmas holiday and invite you to visit again at that time. Thanks to their hard work, the home is now open for tours year-round, but only on Sundays from 1-4. Please go visit this piece of our local history! It's a wonderful story of many very significant families, and the women telling it are delightfully engaging. It's free to visit but donations are gratefully accepted. Post cards and candy are also available for sale. Don't forget to sign the guestbook before you leave!!

Went on a tour today of the galindo house with a couple family members. Its a small little historic house with a lot of history. Its nice to get some info of the city you actually live in! The volunteers who ran the visit were very nice and informational! The house is well kept and has lots of cool photos and old fixtures to look at. Generally a fun place and only $3 entrance fee! Definitely a good place to visit!!

Raggedy, far from historic, and could not make past the next rainy season. Concord, Please make better use of this gigantic landescape, and realize the difference between is shabby old house and a historic monument

Great spot to learn some local history!