The rich and lively history of Rancho Cucamonga stretches back further than most communities within the region, and part of that narrative still stands in the form of historic properties throughout the city.

As Mayuko Nakajima, Rancho Cucamonga assistant planner, puts it, “a harvest of history is found in Rancho Cucamonga.”

The following is a small sampling of some of the noteworthy historical sites to see as recommended by Nakajima.

Maloof residence and workshops, 5131 Carnelian St., 909-980-0412

Sam Maloof was an internationally-acclaimed woodworker and furniture designer, and his home was an extension of his creativity and love of the craft.

The structures exhibit a high degree of craftsmanship and design, reflecting the back-to-earth counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Originally built in 1952, the residence was relocated from its original site at 9553 Highland Ave. to its current location due to the I-210 Freeway extension.

Maloof’s work can be seen in a number of American museums, and has been featured in numerous television and film productions as well as popular and scholarly works covering American furniture and crafts. He also designed and carved the famous John F. Kennedy rocking chair that sits in the Smithsonian museum.

The relocated residence has been reopened as a living museum and each room is filled with personal items that give this unique home its own spirit.

Visit www.malooffoundation.org/tours.cfm for more information on tours.

Casa de Rancho Cucamonga (Rains House), 8810 Hemlock St., 909-989-4970

The Casa De Rancho Cucamonga (Rains House) is one of only a few buildings in the city that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places – and with good reason.

The house originally belonged to the 13,000-acre Rancho de Cucamonga. In 1858, John Rains purchased the property and built the house in 1860 for his wife, Dona Merced Williams de Rains.

Rains commissioned Ohio brick masons to construct the house from bricks made by Joseph Mullaly from the red clay on the site, making it the first burned brick house in San Bernardino County and the second oldest burned brick house still in existence in Southern California.

The house is generally open from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and is owned by the San Bernardino County Museum Department.

Joseph Filippi Winery, 12467 Base Line Road, 909-899 5755

At one time, there were 60 or so wineries operating throughout the Cucamonga Valley. Today, however, the Ellena Regina Winery – now the Joseph Filippi Winery – is among one of only five surviving wineries in the region – and you can still enjoy some fine wine there.

It was around 1949 when winery co-founder John B. Ellena focused his efforts on producing wine vinegar almost exclusively, and the Regina Grape Products Co., as it was known in 1959, was the nation’s leading producer of wine vinegar.

Along with nationwide distribution of wine vinegar, the winery itself took on the flavor of a destination theme park with daily self-guided tours, an annual grape festival and resident Lilliputian horses imported from Argentina.

The winery continued to produce wine vinegar under the Regina label and other products until 1992, and a year later the property was purchased by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Rancho Cucamonga.

Now owned by the city, the Filippi family leases the property and it is a working winery, reception center, and gift store where one can enjoy wine tasting.

Visit http://josephfilippiwinery.com for more information.

For more on Rancho Cucamonga’s history

If these historic locations piqued your interest, head over to Rancho Cucamonga’s Portal to the Past website at www.cityofrc. us/about/local_history/ The highly interactive site is a true historical hub for all things Rancho, and there are plenty of archive photos and well documented articles on various facets within the city and on its history.