Historical Marker · No. 136
First Theater in California
Monterey, Monterey County · California
Nothing cast marks the theatre; a printed State Parks sign names it. Jack Swan, an English sailor, built a lodging house and saloon here in the 1840s, and in 1848 soldiers of Stevenson's New York regiment staged plays in it and charged admission. That paid performance is what the title rests on. The Troupers of the Gold Coast revived melodrama here from 1937. The building then went dark for more than two decades of repairs, restored at a cost of nearly two million dollars, and the stage came back into use in 2024.
Where it stands
36.60305, -121.89548 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Casa de Oro — steps away
- Old Pacific House — steps away
- Custom House — steps away
- Soberanes Adobe — steps away