Set in the Tehachapi Mountains, Villa La Paz is a 17,000-square-foot mission-style property surrounded by oak trees and open landscape. The buildings carry the character of early-twentieth-century California architecture — white stucco walls, terracotta roof tiles, decorative tilework, and a central courtyard anchored by a stone fountain. A property with a meaningful place in California history, Villa La Paz today welcomes weddings, conferences, retreats, and gatherings within the National Chavez Center.
Explore Villa La Paz
The Tehachapi Mountains are the ancestral homeland of the Nuwä (Kawaiisu) people, who have lived here for thousands of years. Grinding stones on the property remain as evidence of their long presence.
1913
1918
1920
1967
1971
Late 20th century
Late 2000s–2010
2012
Today
The land was first developed by Kern County as a rock quarry in the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains.
The quarry closed and the site was converted into a tuberculosis sanatorium known as Stony Brook Retreat
Additional structures were added to the property, including the building that would later become Villa La Paz.
The sanatorium closed as tuberculosis treatments advanced and rural facilities were no longer needed.
The property was acquired by the United Farm Workers and renamed La Paz.
The property continued in use as a gathering and retreat space in the Tehachapi Mountains.
The main building was renovated and reopened as the Villa La Paz Conference and Event Center, restored to host meetings, weddings, and community gatherings.
The César E. Chávez National Monument was established on the adjacent grounds.
Villa La Paz serves as a place where people gather — for weddings, conferences, retreats, and community events — within the 187-acre National Chavez Center.
