California Historical Landmarks in Monterey County

California Historical Landmark 136
First Theater in California
Pacific and Scott Streets
Monterey


First Theater in California

This building was built about 1844 as a sailor's lodging house by Jack Swan. In 1848 it was commandeered by a group of mustered-out soldiers of Colonel Stevenson's regiment of New Yorkers looking for a place to put on plays and comedies. The theater afterward served as a whaling station, a lookout station having been added to the roof.

Citation from California Office of Historic Preservation

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