Monterey Adobes
Here you will find an extensive listing of the adobes which were built by the earliest residents of Monterey. Originally made of mud, clay, and seashells, these structures served as private homes, theaters, bars, whaling stations, hotels, and custom houses as early as the mid-1800's. There are 22 adobes total (some of which are listed below), and some are open to the public year-round, while some can only be seen during community events (some can also be seen by contacting the California State Parks.
Alvarado Adobe
This adobe was built in the 1830s by Don Juan Bautista Alvarado, the first Monterey-born Governor of California. A direct descendent of Captain Cortez, he was the son of Don Jose Francisco Alvarado and Josefa Vallejo. His home is one of the oldest structures in Monterey. Originally a three-room structure with a tule-reed roof, the adobe illustrates several characteristics of design customary of the period. Dwellings faced the east so the occupants could take full advantage of
the morning sun at the front of the house. Each room opened directly to the outdoors, either onto gardens or a porch. Walls were 24 inches thick, of adobe bricks laid up with adobe-mud mortar and supported on a heavy chalk-rock foundation.
Manuel Dutra purchased the adobe in 1842. It remained in the Dutra family until they sold it in 1946. Casa Alvarado is now a unit of Monterey State Historic Park and is in use as a private residence.
Alvarado Adobe
510 Dutra Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
the morning sun at the front of the house. Each room opened directly to the outdoors, either onto gardens or a porch. Walls were 24 inches thick, of adobe bricks laid up with adobe-mud mortar and supported on a heavy chalk-rock foundation.
Manuel Dutra purchased the adobe in 1842. It remained in the Dutra family until they sold it in 1946. Casa Alvarado is now a unit of Monterey State Historic Park and is in use as a private residence.
Alvarado Adobe
510 Dutra Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
JOS. Bosten Store
This two-story adobe with a chalk-rock foundation was built by Thomas O. Larkin in the 1840s. It was sold to Jose Abrego, who leased it to Joseph Boston & Company in the 1850s for a general merchandise store. One of Boston's partners was the deputy tax collector, and the store served as a depository for county taxes. The partners owned the first iron safe in Monterey, which has now been returned to its original location. It came to be known as Casa del Oro (The House of Gold) due to reports that miners stored their gold there. Abrego later sold the building to David Jacks; it became a storehouse and a private home. It was given to the State of California by the Jacks sisters. Today, the Boston Store is again a shop, operated by the non-profit Historic Garden League, selling antiques, ribbons, linens, crockery, preserves, soaps, potpourri, tea and herbs, all representative of items in use in early California. A lovely herb garden flanks the property.
JOS. Bosten Store
210 Olivier Street at Scott Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-3364
JOS. Bosten Store
210 Olivier Street at Scott Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-3364
California's First Theatre
Jack Swan, an English sailor of Scottish ancestry who settled in Monterey in 1843, built this unique structure in 1845 using lumber salvaged from a shipwreck. It served as his home and a tavern; he added on an adobe lodging house in 1846. In 1847, when Colonel Stevenson's 1st New York Volunteers disbanded in Monterey, the former Army officers convinced Swan to build on a small stage. With benches, whale-oil lamps, candles for footlights, and curtains made of red and blue blankets, they were in business, producing melodramas from 1850 onwards: tickets sold for $5 each and first night receipts
totaled $500. In later years, the First Theatre was used as a lodging house for whaling men, but it fell into disrepair after Swan's death in 1896. The California Historic Landmarks League bought it in 1906 and donated to the State of California.
California's First Theatre
Pacific and Scott Streets
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
totaled $500. In later years, the First Theatre was used as a lodging house for whaling men, but it fell into disrepair after Swan's death in 1896. The California Historic Landmarks League bought it in 1906 and donated to the State of California.
California's First Theatre
Pacific and Scott Streets
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Casa Amesti
Jose Amesti, a Spanish Basque, came to Monterey at the age of 30; in 1822, he married Prudenciana Vallejo, daughter of Don Jose Vallejo. In 1833, Amesti received the grant for a town lot, and began building a single story adobe home in the traditional style. As his wealth increased, he added on to the original adobe; construction continued into the 1850s. In 1918, the crumbling Casa Amesti was purchased by Frances Elkins for $5000. An interior designer, Elkins called upon her brother, architect David Adler, to help her restore the building, adding bathrooms, central heating, a pair of solaria, and a lovely garden with a greenhouse (the last added as late as 1951). The guest bedroom Elkins decorated for her brother, off the second-story living room, was particularly comfortable and cozy. Upon her death in 1953, the property was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and it is now leased for private use.
Casa Amesti
516 Polk Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Privately owned
Open: not generally open to the public except for special events
Casa Amesti
516 Polk Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Privately owned
Open: not generally open to the public except for special events
Casa Gutierrez
One of the few remaining adobes built in the simpler Mexican style that once lined Monterey's streets, Casa Gutierrez was constructed by Joaquin Gutierrez. Gutierrez came to Monterey from Chile in the 1830s as a young cavalry soldier; he married a daughter of the respected Escobar family, and they had a family of 15 children. In 1841 he bought a plot of land from the town authorities, and began building the house we see today about five years later. The current building occupied the southern portion of the plot; an additional wing has since been torn down. Upon his death in 1872, the property was divided among heirs. The Gutierrez Adobe was preserved from demolition when the Monterey Foundation purchased it for back-taxes in 1954. The State of California acquired it, and it became part of Monterey State Historic Park. Over the years it has housed a Mexican restaurant and an art gallery, and is occupied now by another private tenant.
Casa Gutierrez
580 & 590 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Open: Building leased privately for commercial uses, generally not open to the public.
Casa Gutierrez
580 & 590 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Open: Building leased privately for commercial uses, generally not open to the public.
Casa Serrano
Construction of this graceful adobe was begun in 1845 by Thomas O. Larkin. It was sold unfinished to Florencio Serrano, who completed the house following his marriage to the daughter of Don Joaquin de la Torre. They raised a family of six there, and Serrano became an important member of the community, succeeding Walter Colton as the second alcalde (mayor) of Monterey. Casa Serrano has a special significance in California's early history because it served simultaneously as one of the first schools after the U.S. flag was flown over the Custom House in 1846. Even after losing his eyesight, Serrano continued teaching, aided by his daughter and his own phenomenal memory. Eventually, the Serrano descendants leased the property to assorted tenants, including several restaurants. Among the best known was Cadamatorie's, where the Monterey History and Art Association was first proposed over the dinner table. In 1959, MHAA purchased Casa Serrano, completely restored it and filled it with antiques and Monterey-related artwork, including a piano that came to Monterey by sea "around the Horn" and paintings by Armin Hansen.
Casa Serrano
412 Pacific Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-2608
Ownership: Monterey History and Art Association
Casa Serrano
412 Pacific Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-2608
Ownership: Monterey History and Art Association
Casa Soberanes
During the 1840s, Rafael Estrada constructed this adobe brick home on a hillside overlooking the bay. His family lived there until it was sold to the Soberanes family in 1860, who lived there until 1922. The Serranos later purchased and restored the house in the 1920s and 1930s.The house contains beautiful furnishings that are a blend of early New England and China trade pieces mixed in with modern Mexican folk art. Casa Soberanes received its nickname - The House of the Blue Gate from the blue gate at its garden entrance on Pacific Street. Wine bottles, whale bones, and abalone shells border paths meandering through the sheltered garden.
Casa Soberanes
Pacific Street at Del Monte Avenue
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Casa Soberanes
Pacific Street at Del Monte Avenue
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Casa De La Torre
This attractive adobe was probably built around 1852 by the original holder of the land grant, Francisco Pinto, on land that was assessed at $7.50 in 1850. After passing through several owners, in 1862 it became the home of Jose de la Torre, youngest son of a Spanish-born soldier, Jose Joaquin de la Torre. Several generations of the family dwelt here over a span of more than a half century. Originally the adobe consisted of three rooms and an entrance hall. Several wooden lean-tos, which were added through the years, remain intact today. In the 20th century, a large window was cut in the north wall by an artist-owner for added light. Today, the little adobe and its sheltered garden are privately owned and not open to the public, but they contribute a charm to Pierce Street that can be enjoyed by all.
Casa de la Torre
502 Pierce Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Privately owned.
Open: Generally not open to the public.
Casa de la Torre
502 Pierce Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Privately owned.
Open: Generally not open to the public.
Colton Hall
Colton Hall was built in the 1840s by, and named for, the Reverend Walter Colton who came to Monterey as a chaplain on Commodore Stockton's vessel and remained to become Monterey's first alcalde (mayor) in the American Period. Scroll down to read Colton's own description of the building. The most important public office building in Monterey County to be in
continuous use, Colton Hall has over the years housed Monterey's City Hall, a public school, the county court house, the sheriff's office, and Monterey's city police HQ. Shortly after its construction, Colton Hall had its greatest moment of glory when the 48 delegates to California's Constitutional Convention met in the second floor assembly hall in 1849. The City of Monterey expertly restored the building 100 years later; the meeting room is preserved as it looked during those six weeks in September and October, 1849. Thanks to their deliberations, California entered the Union as the 31st state in 1850.
"It is built of a white stone, quarried from a neighboring hill, and which easily takes the shape you desire. The lower apartments are for schools; the hall over them — seventy feet by thirty — is for public assemblies. The front is ornamented with a portico, which you enter from the hall. It is not an edifice that would attract any attention among public buildings in the United States; but in California it is without a rival." — Walter Colton
Colton Hall
Pacific Street
(between Jefferson and Madison streets)
Monterey, CA 93940
831-646-5640
Ownership: City of Monterey
continuous use, Colton Hall has over the years housed Monterey's City Hall, a public school, the county court house, the sheriff's office, and Monterey's city police HQ. Shortly after its construction, Colton Hall had its greatest moment of glory when the 48 delegates to California's Constitutional Convention met in the second floor assembly hall in 1849. The City of Monterey expertly restored the building 100 years later; the meeting room is preserved as it looked during those six weeks in September and October, 1849. Thanks to their deliberations, California entered the Union as the 31st state in 1850.
"It is built of a white stone, quarried from a neighboring hill, and which easily takes the shape you desire. The lower apartments are for schools; the hall over them — seventy feet by thirty — is for public assemblies. The front is ornamented with a portico, which you enter from the hall. It is not an edifice that would attract any attention among public buildings in the United States; but in California it is without a rival." — Walter Colton
Colton Hall
Pacific Street
(between Jefferson and Madison streets)
Monterey, CA 93940
831-646-5640
Ownership: City of Monterey
Cooper-Molera Adobe
The Cooper-Molera Adobe tells the story of the Cooper family, who built it over three generations. It was begun by John Rogers Cooper, a New Englander who immigrated to California and married into a prominent Mexican family, the Moleras. Cooper, a ship's captain, traveled extensively, trading in hides, tallow, general merchandise and sea otter pelts. His descendants continued to build on the three-acre site until 1900, and the house (fully restored in the 1980s) contains many fine furnishings assembled by the families. The grounds of Cooper-Molera Adobe are unique in that almost two acres are available for exploration. Behind adobe walls one can find barns, vegetable and fruit gardens, farm animals, and a visitor center. The property is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Cooper Museum Store (run by the Old Monterey Preservation Society) sells reproductions of typical goods from toys to bygone household items, as well as books that celebrate Monterey and California's past as well as discuss the future of their cultural and natural resources
Cooper-Molera Adobe
525 Polk Street at Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA
93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: National Trust for Preservation, managed by California State Parks
Cooper-Molera Adobe
525 Polk Street at Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA
93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: National Trust for Preservation, managed by California State Parks
Custom House
Located between Fisherman's Wharf and Custom House Plaza, Monterey's Custom House is traditionally styled Mexican adobe structure. It was used by the Mexican government (1821-1846) for the collection of taxes imposed on foreign merchants. The current building dates from an extensive renovation of an earlier building erected in perhaps the early 1820s- done by Thomas Larkin in 1841, but it is likely that some even earlier buildings must have stood in the area, so close to Monterey's prime landing beach. Drawings made during the 1792 Vancouver expedition show a building in this area, and archaeological investigations in 1991 revealed foundations from an earlier structure immediately the south of the existing building. Larkin also improved the rough wharf in 1846; later landfill over the decades has pushed the shoreline back from Custom House, which once stood virtually over the water. In 1889, the railroad was extended from Monterey to Pacific Grove, and the tracks were laid between the building and the water. The building was again restored, in the early 1900s, by the Native Sons of the Golden West. Today it is acknowledged as the oldest government building in California, and bears the title of "State Historic Monument No. 1." Exhibits recall the goods brought into Mexican-era California by trading sea captains and the commerce known as the "hide and tallow" trade.
Custom House Plaza
(pedestrian entrance of Fisherman's Wharf)
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: California State Parks
Custom House Plaza
(pedestrian entrance of Fisherman's Wharf)
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: California State Parks
First French Consulate
In 1843, France established a consulate in Monterey, then the capital of Mexican Alta California, to attend to the needs of French immigrants (mainly merchants, farmers and trappers) in the region. This long, low adobe acquired its moniker because it was the home of J. A. Moerenhaut, who served as French Consul to Mexican California. Today, the building serves as the Monterey Visitors Center, conveniently located beside Lake El Estero and several parks.
First French Consulate (Monterey Visitor Center)
Lake El Estero at Franklin Street & Camino El Estero
Monterey, CA 93940
831-657-6400 (general visitor information number)
Ownership: City of Monterey, and leased to Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau
First French Consulate (Monterey Visitor Center)
Lake El Estero at Franklin Street & Camino El Estero
Monterey, CA 93940
831-657-6400 (general visitor information number)
Ownership: City of Monterey, and leased to Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Fremont Adobe
Actual ownership of the little adobe has been traced through several Monterey families. In 1861, Antonio Maria Vasquez and his wife, Asuncion Boronda Vasquez, sold it for $200. By the late 1800s, it was the family home of Cristosomo Castro, who came to Monterey during the Gold Rush period.
Fremont Adobe
539 Hartnell Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-2608
Ownership: Parker-Lusseau Bakery
Fremont Adobe
539 Hartnell Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-372-2608
Ownership: Parker-Lusseau Bakery
House Of The Four Winds
This charming house, sometimes called in Spanish La Casa de Los Vientos, acquired its name by the mid-1800s, because it was the first house in Monterey with a weathervane on its hipped roof. Built about 1835, the adobe was originally part of the large piece of property on Calle Principal developed by Thomas O. Larkin. First used as a residence by the Mexican Governor Alvarado, William S. Johnson later designated it as the first State of California Hall of Records for the newly formed County of Monterey. One of the first groups to urge the preservation of Monterey's adobes was the Women's Civic Club, founded in 1906. The WCC purchased this adobe in 1914 and transformed it into their club house (believed to be the oldest such club house in the U.S.) with additions to the rear. The original front section and second story have been restored and furnished in the spirit of the 1850s, its facade still serenely facing the street.
House of the Four Winds
540 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Privately owned by the Monterey Civic Club
Open: Generally not open to the public.
House of the Four Winds
540 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Privately owned by the Monterey Civic Club
Open: Generally not open to the public.
Lara-Soto Adobe
The Lara-Soto Adobe's early history bears an atmosphere of mystery. While legal records show that the property was first granted to Dona Feliciana Lara in 1849 (one of the few lots granted directly to a woman), legend says that the huge Monterey cypress in the front yard was planted as a seedling over the grave of a child who died in infancy in a house that stood there in the 1830s. The property disappeared from the tax rolls in the 1860s, but it reappears in the 1890s, occupied by Manuel Soto and his Indian wife, Felicidad. In any case, the adobe was still registered to Dona Lara until 1905 when her estate sold it for back-taxes. Josephine Blanch, an artist, purchased the adobe in 1919, restored it, and lived there until October, 1944, when she sold it to John Steinbeck. Steinbeck, his second wife, Gwyn, and their infant son, Thom, lived there for just one eventful year. In January, 1945, his novel Cannery Row was published; in April, the Steinbecks left for Mexico, where Emilio Fernandez was filming The Pearl, never to return. Still, Steinbeck loved it, calling it "a house I have wanted since I was a little kid." After Steinbeck sold the house, it was used as a doctor's office before being given to the Monterey Institute of International Studies. The building was extensively remodeled by MIIS in 1987, maintaining the original style of the façade.
Lara-Soto Adobe
460 Pierce Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Private ownership
Open: The building serves as the Monterey Institute for International Studies Admissions Office, and is not generally open to the public.
Lara-Soto Adobe
460 Pierce Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: Private ownership
Open: The building serves as the Monterey Institute for International Studies Admissions Office, and is not generally open to the public.
Larkin House
This adobe-brick home was built during Monterey's Mexican Period by Thomas Oliver Larkin, a Yankee merchant who became tremendously influential in early California politics. He was the first and only United States Consul to Alta California under Mexican rule, serving during President Polk's administration. The building, one of the first two-story houses in Monterey, was to serve as both home and store. One of the earliest examples of Monterey colonial architecture, it was started in 1834 shortly after Larkin (a half-brother of John Rogers Cooper, of the Cooper-Molera Adobe) came to California. He adapted East Coast building forms to local materials: adobe and redwood. After becoming Consul in 1844, and for the next five years, his adobe served as governmental headquarters and the center of California's social life. Alice Larkin Toulmin, Larkin's granddaughter, acquired the house in 1922, and filled it with early 19th-century antiques from many parts of the world. In 1957, she presented the house to the State of California as a historic monument.
Larkin House
464 Calle Principal at Jefferson Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Larkin House
464 Calle Principal at Jefferson Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Merritt House
This impressive, two-story adobe was constructed in 1830. An outside stairway gives access to the second floor; three colonial-style pillars support the balcony that runs across the front elevation, adorned with a low railing. It came into the hands of the Merritt family in 1852, when the then-owner defaulted on a mortgage and Juana Castro Merritt successfully bid on the property. The daughter of Monterey's alcalde (mayor), Simeon Castro, Juana had married Josiah Merritt a few years earlier; he was a native of Orange County, New York, and had practiced law in the East before coming to California in 1849. Together, they raised a family of five in the adobe, while Josiah Merritt became influential in local politics. He served as a judge from 1851-1854 and was active in organizing Monterey County in 1881. In recent years, the Merritt House has been used for various businesses and professional offices. It is now part of The Merritt House Inn hotel complex.
Merritt House
386 Pacific Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-646-9686
Ownership: Private ownership
Open: Now a hotel, Merritt House is open to guests and to the general public during special events.
Merritt House
386 Pacific Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-646-9686
Ownership: Private ownership
Open: Now a hotel, Merritt House is open to guests and to the general public during special events.
Old Whaling Station
The original adobe was built in 1847 by David Wright as a home for his wife and daughter; the design was based on Wright's ancestral home in Ayton, Scotland. In 1855, it was sold to the Old Monterey Whaling Company and turned into their headquarters and an employee residence. Old Monterey Whaling Company ran a 'shore whaling' operation, one of many in Monterey. Whales were killed at sea and towed to shore for processing. The fat or blubber was rendered by heating in large pots to extract natural oil that could be used for machinery and in lamps. Baleen (the large bony filters found in the mouths of filter-feeding whales such as grays and humpbacks) was harvested for corsets and umbrella stays; the bones were ground up for fertilizer or building foundations. Robert Lewis Stevenson, the Scots author, mentioned seeing the bleached bones of whales on the beaches of Monterey. The Old Whaling Station's front walkway is made entirely of whale vertebrae. The bone was cut into diamond patterns, making this sidewalk virtually unique. It cannot be replaced, so please be careful where you walk!
The Old Whaling Station
Heritage Harbor, off Olivier Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
The Old Whaling Station
Heritage Harbor, off Olivier Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Osio Adobe
This charming adobe is one of the few left standing directly on Alvarado Street, and it has gone through many incarnations to reach the 21st century: the Osio-Rodriguez Adobe, the Jacinto Rodriguez Adobe, the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce/Visitors & Convention Bureau...Construction started in 1849 by Jacinto Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a Californio or native Californian, was a delegate to the California Constitutional Convention (held at Colton Hall in 1849). His home is one of the best examples of a two-story adobe with a cantilevered balcony — a rare enough building-type even when it was constructed. He roofed it with wood shingles, and used horizontal board-and-batten siding on the exposed gables, with stucco on the rest of the building. The building underwent many alterations through the next 100 years. When the City of Monterey acquired it in 1976, Francis Palma, Jr., served as the architect for the complete restoration of the building and its transformation into offices.
Osio Adobe
380 Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-648-5360
Ownership: City of Monterey
Osio Adobe
380 Alvarado Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-648-5360
Ownership: City of Monterey
Pacific House
David Wright (Scottish-born architect and builder of the Old Whaling Station) constructed this long two-story adobe for Thomas O. Larkin in 1847, specifying a well enclosed in the building to ensure clean water. By 1850, it had become a hotel for seafaring men, the Pacific House. The newly organized county rented space for a courtroom, a jury room and county
clerk's office. It 1859, it changed hands again, and in 1868 was purchased anonymously by developer David Jacks. Over time, it housed law offices, a newspaper, a ballroom, even a church. The walled yard was the site of Sunday bear- and bull-fights. It remained in the Jacks family until 1954, when David's daughters deeded the entire property to the State California,
transforming the arena into the tranquil Memory Garden, complete with fountain
and pool. Operated by California State Parks, Pacific House contains two museum exhibition areas. The Monterey Museum of the American Indian, located upstairs, presents baskets, pottery and other Native American artifacts; ground-floor exhibits tell the story of Monterey's role as capital of Spanish and Mexican California,
Pacific House
Custom House Plaza (foot of Scott Street)
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Onwership: California State Parks
clerk's office. It 1859, it changed hands again, and in 1868 was purchased anonymously by developer David Jacks. Over time, it housed law offices, a newspaper, a ballroom, even a church. The walled yard was the site of Sunday bear- and bull-fights. It remained in the Jacks family until 1954, when David's daughters deeded the entire property to the State California,
transforming the arena into the tranquil Memory Garden, complete with fountain
and pool. Operated by California State Parks, Pacific House contains two museum exhibition areas. The Monterey Museum of the American Indian, located upstairs, presents baskets, pottery and other Native American artifacts; ground-floor exhibits tell the story of Monterey's role as capital of Spanish and Mexican California,
Pacific House
Custom House Plaza (foot of Scott Street)
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Onwership: California State Parks
Stevenson House
First owned by Don Rafael Gonzalez, and reportedly built in the 1830s, this two-story adobe originally comprised a sala, or reception room, on the ground floor and one large room upstairs. Over the years it housed many businesses, until a Swiss businessman named Girardin purchased it and added on the Houston Street section, and it became known as "The French Hotel." It was here that the Scots novelist Robert Louis Stevenson stayed during his successful courting of Fanny Osbourne. He wrote The Old Pacific Capital about Monterey in 1879, and gathered inspiration for his great story, Treasure Island. In 1937 the historic adobe was purchased by Edith C. van Antwerp and Mrs. C. Tobin Clark to save it from destruction. They in turn presented it to the State of California, and it is now part of Monterey State Historic Park. It forms arepository of Robert Louis Stevenson memorabilia, including furniture, first edition books, manuscripts, keepsakes and personal belongings of 'RLS', given by members of his family.
530 Houston Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
530 Houston Street
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Vasquez Adobe
In the 1830s, Guadalupe Cantua de Vasquez bought the modest single story adobe house from Luis Pacencia. The house would one day become notorious in Old Monterey for its association with her son Tiburcio Vasquez. Tiburcio was well known as a charming and flamboyant bandit that none in Monterey dared cross; he was not captured until 1874, when he was tried and hung in San Jose. Little remains visible of the original building, due to many extensions and renovations, including the addition of the second floor of stucco'd wood by Louis Hill, one of California's railroad tycoons. Today's irregular floor plan takes in verandas on both the first and second floors, a shed-like addition to the ground floor on the eastern elevation, and a hip roof of shingles. Now the property of the City of Monterey, the building houses city offices and is not generally open to the public.
Vasquez Adobe
546 Dutra Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: City of Monterey
Open: In use by City departments, the building is not generally open to the public.
The above information regarding the Monterey Adobes has been provided by Historic Monterey.
Their website can be found at: http://www.historicmonterey.org/
Vasquez Adobe
546 Dutra Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Ownership: City of Monterey
Open: In use by City departments, the building is not generally open to the public.
The above information regarding the Monterey Adobes has been provided by Historic Monterey.
Their website can be found at: http://www.historicmonterey.org/
How to See the Adobes:
The combination of Monterey State Historic Park and the antique adobes restored by the Monterey History and Art Association make Monterey the most historic city in California. 55 historic sites lay along Monterey's two-mile "Path of History," providing residents and visitors with a daily, living tie to
California's heritage. The Path of History is one of the great bargains on the Peninsula. This self-guided tour of Old Monterey-marked by yellow tiles set in the sidewalk-explores adobes, gardens and sites of interest. Maps are available for individuals and groups.
Take yourself on a tour of the Path of History with this informative map and cellphone tour. The map and tour point out important adobes and structures such as Colton Hall, Custom House Plaza, Pacific House and the Golden State Theatre.
Aside from these tours, there are also numerous events during the year which allow the public to view these early Monterey structures. Two of the main events are Art in the Adobes and Christmas in the Adobes.
For more information about Art in the Adobes, please see the following link:
http://artintheadobes.org/
For more information about Christmas in the Adobes, please see the following link:
http://museumofmonterey.org/christmas-in-the-adobes-2/
California's heritage. The Path of History is one of the great bargains on the Peninsula. This self-guided tour of Old Monterey-marked by yellow tiles set in the sidewalk-explores adobes, gardens and sites of interest. Maps are available for individuals and groups.
Take yourself on a tour of the Path of History with this informative map and cellphone tour. The map and tour point out important adobes and structures such as Colton Hall, Custom House Plaza, Pacific House and the Golden State Theatre.
Aside from these tours, there are also numerous events during the year which allow the public to view these early Monterey structures. Two of the main events are Art in the Adobes and Christmas in the Adobes.
For more information about Art in the Adobes, please see the following link:
http://artintheadobes.org/
For more information about Christmas in the Adobes, please see the following link:
http://museumofmonterey.org/christmas-in-the-adobes-2/