The over 130-year-old Scholle farmhouse in Camarillo was lowered onto its new foundation on Aug. 19 ahead of being rehabilitated and sold as a residence.
The 1,890-square-foot farmhouse, which was designated a historic landmark in 2025, now sits on a 3.5 foot concrete foundation after six metal beams holding it up were removed using a bulldozer.
Work on the house should begin Aug. 24 and wrap-up around Thanksgiving, according to project engineer Logan Dawson.
Dawson, of contractor McAuliffe Construction, explained that before the farmhouse can be sold, the exterior lead paint must be replaced, period-appropriate windows installed and the frame and roof brought up to modern standards, among other things. McAuliffe Construction oversaw the lowering
and has transitioned to rehabilitation of the building.
The project engineer emphasized that the goal of the rehabilitation is to emulate the original look of the farmhouse while using modern construction techniques.
The price of the home has not been set yet, and the new owners will be able to design the interior and surrounding yard before moving in, Dawson said.
Edward Henry Scholle built the farmhouse after purchasing the farmland in 1895, and the house remained in the Scholle family through at least the 1960s. It is one of the last remnants of the old town of Springville, which was located in the area where the Springville exit on Highway 101 is today.
The farmland was developed into the 157-unit Cortona housing community by Lennar Corp. after receiving approval in 2021. Houses went on sale in 2025.
The house was moved from its original location to a plot about 500 feet in a southeast corner of the development in 2023. Other structures from the original farm, such as a barn and shed, were demolished.
Checking off 'little, special boxes'
Danny McAuliffe, president and founder of McAuliffe Construction and a Camarillo native, remembered driving past the farmhouse throughout his childhood and said he feels honored to take on the project.
“When you start to see these new housing tracks popping up, or Amazons or Costcos, part of you, if you've been here for a while, you know you miss kind of the old farmlands that you saw growing up,” he said. “Historic projects, certainly in this area, are special to us, and we love to be a part of them.
"So, this project just checks all these little, special boxes to me,” McAuliffe said.
Previously, his company renovated the Oxnard Buddhist Temple, which included lifting the almost 100-year-old structure off the ground and pouring a new foundation, similar to the work done on the Scholle farmhouse.
He said that working on older buildings like the temple and farmhouse requires bringing in specialists and experts in order to preserve as much of the original structure as possible or replicate parts that must be replaced.
“It's fun because the collaboration is heightened because you're analyzing every little piece of the building,” McAuliffe said.
He said that he chose to go into construction after growing up watching his father run his own construction company, also called McAuliffe Construction. The original company later closed in the lead up to the recession of 2008.
After earning his master’s degree in civil engineering, the younger McAuliffe worked for other firms. His father encouraged him to start his own company but died shortly before its founding in 2023.
“The last three years have been awesome, and it's been such an honor to carry on my dad's logo and his brand and do it in his memory every day,” McAuliffe said.
Levi Kauffman is a summer intern for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at lkauffman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Camarillo's historic Scholle farmhouse lowered onto new foundation
