The Preservation of Historic MontereyAuthor(s): Aubrey NeashamSource: The Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Jun., 1939), pp. 215-224Published by: University of California PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3633394Accessed: 05/04/2010 06:42

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The Preservation of Historic Monterey* AUBREY NEASHAM

THE PEOPLE of the United States are becoming history-conscious. The passing of the frontier stage in the growth of this nation has allowed us to pause in our mad scramble for material wealth; and, in pausing, we have become aware of the events of the past in which our predecessors played important parts. Historic sites and

buildings, like documents and manuscripts, have been seized upon by the public as relics of past glories to be kept. The result has been a heterogeneous mixture of good and bad examples saved, with preservation, restoration, and reconstruction coming to the fore without apparent reason, guidance, or direction.

The problem of preserving historic buildings and sites seems to have escaped the concentrated effort of historians. True, every person connected with the teaching of history or in research has had the problem before him at one time or another. We all recog- nize the many phases involved; and we know the experiences faced

by the countries of the Old World in the preservation of their an- cient sites and buildings in days gone by.' However, we as a group, have not crystallized our thoughts; nor have we exerted our in- fluence in leading the American people to a greater appreciation and preservation of their historic landmarks. Consequently, upon all sides are to be seen the most varied results. In one part of the nation an entire city is rebuilt to show how once it may have

looked; in another section this house or that is restored beyond all semblance of its original appearance; if fortunate to have enough information, a good copy is sometimes made. However well done some may be, it is obvious that in others values are lost which can never be regained. The destruction of valuable documents is, in some instances, no greater loss.

* A paper read at the meeting of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association at Stanford University, December 30, 1938 [EDITOR].

1See International Museums Association, The conservation of monuments of art and

history (Paris, 1933).

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What may we as historians do to take the lead in the preserva- tion of our historic sites and buildings? The answer is to find the underlying principles of preservation; and once having found those principles be ready to pass them on through lectures, semi- nars, articles, and as advisors to those who may be interested. The result will be a uniform attack in the problem of saving our landmarks, instead of the many and varied attempts so evident around us.

I turn to Monterey, the historic capital of Alta California, as an example which offers an outstanding opportunity for finding the principles of preservation. Not only is it possible there to pre- serve the finest single collection of historic sites and buildings upon the Pacific Coast; but, also, what is done there in the way of

preservation will have its effect upon the saving of historic sites and buildings in all other parts of America.

What is this idea of preservation in Monterey? Does California have the opportunity to reproduce another city, such as that of

Williamsburg in Virginia? The fame of that recently restored city, the site of the capital of colonial Virginia, is spreading to all parts of the nation; and her influence is profound-historically, educa-

tionally, culturally, and aesthetically.2 Monterey does have the opportunity to reproduce a city of

Anglo-Hispanic culture, whose influence will be great. But, she, like Santa Fe in New Mexico and St. Augustine in Florida, is of- fered a far greater possibility in preserving that which she has.3 Her historic sites and buildings are, in essence, the very bases of

reality-reality which no reconstruction or replica or model can achieve. The adobe walls built in the Spanish or Mexican or early American periods were touched and seen by the historic person- ages of whom we read so often in California. Any attempt upon our part to reproduce what they have done is imitative and arti- ficial. Being artificial, the influences of such are not so great.

2 W. A. R. Goodwin, "The restoration of colonial Williamsburg;' National Geographic Magazine, LXXI, No. 4 (April, 1937), 402-43, gives an account of the restoration of Wil- liamsburg.

3 The St. Augustine Record, July 4, 1937, gives details of the work of preservation being done in St. Augustine.

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John Ruskin, the English author, once wrote:'

You may make a model of a building as you may of a corpse, and your model may have the shell of the old walls within it as your cast might have the skeleton ... but the old building is destroyed, and that more totally and mercilessly than if it had sunk into a heap of dust, or melted into a mess of clay: more has been gleaned out of the desolated Ninevah than ever will be out of rebuilt Milan.

Ruskin summed up the first principle of preservation in those words. Put into other words and applied to Monterey, that prin- ciple is: having precise and accurate knowledge through research, leave her historic sites and buildings alone as much as possible. Only when it seems necessary to bolster, repair, or to replace, be- cause of structural weaknesses or where the safety of individuals is concerned, do so with like materials; and, if possible, retain the

original materials. Beyond that point it may be desirable to enter the field of restoration by removing unsightly or extraneous accre- tions of later periods. The restoration of landscape features may be appropriate, if information is available, in order to restore the

spirit of the buildings and their surroundings. The second principle of proper preservation in Monterey is:

having insured the actual preservation of sites and buildings, re- store them in so far as it is possible to their original functions. This has been followed to a remarkable extent in Monterey already. Many buildings, there, serve still in the functions for which they were constructed. Some are used as residences, while others are used for religious, governmental, commercial, and amusement

purposes. The Royal Presidio Chapel, the church of the Spanish Presidio of Monterey founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1770, is used today as a church; the old Custom House is preserved as a

public building by the State of California; Colton Hall, the scene of the convention and signing of the California Constitution of 1849, houses some of the municipal offices of the City of Monterey, as it did after its construction in the first days of the American

period; the site of the old Spanish and Mexican Castillo or Fort, upon the hill overlooking the harbor, is occupied by the United

4 John Ruskin, Selections (New York, 1879).

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States Army as a military reservation; the "First Theater of Cali- fornia:' owned by the State, again is filled with the applause of audiences who delight in the plays given there by local talent; and other buildings are used as stores, offices, restaurants, and, even, for the dispensing of liquid refreshment, as they were in the days of old.

It cannot be said that conditions are ideal in Monterey, insofar as the use of all of her historic sites and buildings are concerned. Preservation has been in constant competition with modern ad- vance and development. Had the energy of California centered there, instead of in other sections, after the discovery of gold in

1848, and had her buildings not been made of adobe, largely, it is doubtful that much would have been left of historic Monterey. Outside of the main lines of transportation and commerce, she was fortunate enough to be relegated to a position of forgotten distinction, until discovered anew by a more appreciative genera- tion. As it was, the adobes of more than one outstanding building went to fill in a street here, or a lot there; and in some cases they were dumped into the old estero (estuary) to get them out of the

way of progress. The result is obvious in the service stations, neon

signs, and other materialistic shrines placed upon those sites. Even the promontory in front of the Custom House presents a confused

picture. There, the forces of the United States landed and formed on July 7, 1846, when they raised the American flag to take over California. Its old but not historic wooden wharf, various and

sundry eating houses, markets, and fish odors, picturesque to the artist, cannot be said to be in keeping with the importance of

past associations. Based upon the above principles of preservation and restoration

of original functions, this preservation of Monterey is to be no mere retention of vacant buildings in a dead city-a museum col- lection of musty appearance and odor. Rather it is to be a living city, in which its historic sites and buildings take their proper place in the life and activities of the people today. Besides histori- cal influences, Monterey must not forget to develop the economic,

political, and social responsibilities demanded in this modern age.

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By being a part of the living community, and this can be accom-

plished with practicability, the influences of the past will become more vital and more easily assimilated by those who come in con- tact with them.'

You ask whether it is possible to prevent such a city as Monterey from becoming a "dead" city, if her historic buildings are pre- served? Yes, it is, for that community has certain fundamental and prevailing conditions which insure life. Already it is a city of some ten thousand people. The historic buildings, some fifty of them, are only a part of the buildings to be found there. If historic buildings, sites, documents, and accounts were all that made up Monterey, she would, indeed, appear to be a dead city. Evidences of such cities are to be found in ample number in our own South- west, in Yucatan, in other parts of North and South America, and

upon the continents of the Old World. Archaeologically and his- torically, they supply invaluable information and leads to the life of other civilizations, and, as such, are important. Monterey, how- ever, is not a dead city, for within her bounds are people, many of whom are the direct descendants of those who settled there and built. Some of them, still inhabiting or owning the houses of their ancestors, are living influences in the bond with the past. Such

may be said of the Borondas, the Munros, the Coopers, the Lar- kins, the Serranos, and the Sotos, among others.

To insure, further, the continuance of Monterey as a living com- munity, there are more factors which contribute towards that end. The peninsula of which she is a center is famous for its com- bination of historic, scenic, recreational, artistic, scientific, and intellectual elements. Historians, writers, artists, nature lovers, educators, scientists, business men, workers, home-makers, sports- men, people of wealth, and world travelers have found there a

region unique, an area which seems to combine the essentials of a fuller life. In such a center, Monterey is not likely to become a dead city, especially in this day of modern transportation, when

5 The idea of the living city was expressed in Monterey by Dr. John C. Merriam, Presi- dent of the Carnegie Institution, in a meeting of City and State officials on July 15, 1938. See the Monterey Peninsula Herald, July 16, 1938.

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all of America with more and more leisure, seems to be traveling on wheels.

You ask what has been done in Monterey, as outlined by the above principles of preservation and the retention of the city as a living community? The answer to that is clear.

Already, preliminary steps have been taken. In fact, from the very beginning of the American period, there have been those who have cried out to save the evidences of their predecessors in California. The founding of pioneer and historical societies early showed the way. Other organizations and individuals have played their parts, among which the Native Sons and Daughters and landmark leagues have been outstanding. Today, the numbers of such organizations actively doing their work in saving historic landmarks is growing; and their members number in the thou- sands. Important cogs in the general and specific movements, their work cannot be overemphasized.

As for Monterey, itself, the moves for the preservation of her historic sites and buildings go back into the earlyAmerican period. Stephen Massett, better known to Californians as "Jeems Pipes;' advocated in the 1 86o's the preservation of Colton Hall as an heir- loom of the people;6 and he was followed by Walter Paris, artist friend of Jules Tavernier, who stated his willingness to make plans of the Carmel Mission, with suggestions and estimates of cost for

partial restoration.7 Others have followed, with the result that to-

day in Monterey the movement is being carried on by the people of Monterey as a community responsibility.8 The results have been a preservation of important relics, and a growing consciousness on the part of the local group of the trust which they hold in their hands. The program ahead of them may take years to complete, but succeed it will, if present indications and trends are allowed to go to a logical conclusion.

6 "Jeems Pipes" was known for his writings as well as for his talks. 7 Monterey Weekly Herald, November 13, 1875. Tavernier was one of the early Califor-

nia painters. 8 The Monterey History and Art Association in recent years has taken the lead, locally,

to preserve Monterey's historic sites and buildings. Under the leadership of Laura Bride Powers, Colonel Roger S. Fitch, Carmel Martin, J. S. McKillop, Theodore K. Clark, and others, much has been done to identify and to preserve those historic evidences.

THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORIC MONTEREY

The problem of the preservation of historic Monterey has

gained the attention, not only of the city and people of Monterey, but of others as well. The State of California, through its State Park Commission, has acquired historic properties and has sup- plied technical information regarding preservation;9 and through the Bancroft Library of the University of California much infor- mation through research has been gained regarding the old capi- tal.1 The Carnegie Institution of Washington, D. C., recognizing the importance of Monterey's position and influence, has encour-

aged the project by giving its technical aid and counsel." Other

agencies, local, State, and Federal, notably the National Park Serv- ice, have been called in or are ready to bring their weight forward in order to insure the spirit of preservation."

As for fitting the idea of preservation into the demands of the

living city, that problem has been met by entering the sphere of

city planning. Such city planning calls for a "master plan" and

project plans to be followed in the future. Into those plans will

go provisions for preservation, as guided by the principles of pres- ervation. In addition, provision will be made for the activities and needs of the modern city-landscape treatment, civic art, edu- cational and recreational facilities, restricted zoning, traffic and

parking control, placement of boulevards and streets, health and

sanitary provisions, as well as the retention of scenic features and a full utilization of museum and archive possibilities. Sketches and plans will be drawn; recommendations by specially created civic planning groups will be made; and the community, through representatives or vote, will be called upon to give their decisions. In constant attendance will be those specialists, who by their tal- ents will be able to give authoritative counsel.

9 The California State Division of Parks owns and administers as State Historical Monu- ments the "Landing Place of Sebastian Viscaino and Father Junipero Serra,' the "Old Cus- tom House' and the "First Theater of California'

10 T. O. Larkin, Papers and Accounts, as well as other manuscript sources in the Bancroft Library, give information on the construction of Monterey's buildings. Maps compiled by this author are deposited there which give the locations of historic buildings and sites.

11 The Carnegie Institution has made available funds, also, for preliminary surveys in the study of Monterey's preservation.

2 Among other cooperating agencies, in addition to the above, have been the California State Library at Sacramento, the California Historical Society, the County of Monterey, and the Works Progress Administration.

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Under the inspiration and guidance of the City of Monterey, the State of California, the Carnegie Institution, and the National Park Service, a preliminary master plan, based upon historical evidence and the results of past efforts, has appeared with its pres- entation, recently, by Mr. Emerson Knight, planning authority." Consisting of the fundamental principles of which we have writ- ten, it gives Monterey that which she has long desired, an ideal for which she may strive in community effort and planning. Combin- ing the evidences of past cultures and civilizations, and preserv- ing them for the future, the plan takes care of the needs of the living city. Followed through to its conclusion, as presented by Mr. Knight's visualization, it places Monterey in a unique po- sition of influence-historically, educationally, aesthetically, and

culturally. Monterey looks forward. Holding in trust her heirlooms of the

past, she goes on to her positions of influence-an influence more vital, perhaps, than that as capital of Alta California.

We, as historians, are in a position to gain much from Monterey. Besides finding there the underlying principles of preservation, which we may disseminate, there are other values to be found.

The greatest values in the preservation of historic sites and buildings, aside from tradition and sentiment, are those which indicate to us how our predecessors lived. Documents may tell us how former peoples may have lived, but if we have authentic evi- dence still existing which shows the construction of their build- ings, the furnishings of their rooms, and their modes of daily life, we are the better able to understand them. Their material culture should be not only of interest to us, but of use to us in many in- stances. The best of their architecture, landscape treatment, inte- rior furnishings, and ways of living, all may well be incorporated into our own material culture of today and tomorrow as ours may be also, into that of the future. It has been said that the aesthetic and cultural influences of Williamsburg in Virginia have caused a

I It must be emphasized that the master plan has resulted only after a long period of intensive research and effort on the part of the citizens of Monterey. The master plan, pre- sented by Emerson Knight, appeared on July 15, 1938.

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revolution in American living. Monterey has that same opportu- nity, if properly handled and presented.

Other values have been gained in the study of Monterey's pres- ervation. Besides knowledge gained concerning material culture, documents of great interest have come to light, thus emphasiz- ing the relationship between historic monuments and the written word. Those documents, known perhaps in connection with other

studies, but now studied in detail to gain information concerning the buildings of Monterey, have changed the conception of Mon-

terey's history in certain instances. I have in mind, for example, the Thomas O. Larkin Collection which is deposited in the Ban- croft Library of the University of California. That collection, con-

sisting of Larkin's personal business accounts and letters, gives in detail not only what the people of Monterey and of California wore, ate, bought and sold, but, also, the material which went into their buildings, especially for those of the late Mexican and early American periods. Larkin, it may be said, was responsible for the construction of many of the historic buildings of Monterey, be- cause of his contracts to build or because he sold the necessary building materials.

The Custom House, today owned by the State of California, may be used as one illustration of how the concept of the history of Monterey has been changed through a study of that building. Tradition and written history tells us that the north wing of the Custom House was built by Spain, the central portion was built

by Mexico, and the south wing was built by the United States; all of which indicated that all three nations had a hand in the con- struction and activities of that building. There have been other stories, but in all cases those nations have had their parts. A study of the Larkin records along with other sources has revealed, how- ever, that the Custom House of Monterey is, evidently, entirely a Mexican period structure, built mostly under the direction and contract of Thomas O. Larkin between the years, 1841-46. A small portion, probably the lower portion of the north end, had been built about i 827.' Seemingly, neither Spain nor the United

14 A. Neasham, "New evidence upon the construction of the Custom House,' Monterey Peninsula Herald, March 16, 1938.

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States was concerned with the construction of the original build-

ing, although both did have activities which centered in that area. As an evidence of material culture, therefore, the Custom House is of importance, only in so far as it is a Mexican period example of Monterey architecture, and not that of any earlier or later

period. The non-Mexican periods are today represented, it is true, because of modern restoration and architectural evolution.

The above illustration emphasizes, of course, the need for a

thorough study of source materials, before any major steps in the

preservation of historic sites and buildings are undertaken. Had the old stories continued to be accepted, Spain and the United

States, both, would have been credited with attributes and activi- ties not their own. The examples of false classification are too ob- vious in the lives of the American people today; and calling a Mexican door a Spanish door or a Mexican wall an American wall does not help to clarify our conceptions of past cultures. For those same reasons, it is imperative that we do as little as possible to the materials of past civilizations, because of the danger that we may spoil forever the evidences of their methods and culture, and in so doing superimpose our own influences upon theirs, even to the extent of calling ours theirs.

In closing, I wish to stress once more the need for cooperation between historians in this problem of saving our historic sites and

buildings. If we can point out the way of preservation, after find-

ing the principles of that preservation, there will result a service of great benefit to those who come after us. Let Monterey be our

example. Capital of Alta California, conceived and founded by Spain, controlled for a time by Mexico, and seemingly ignored by the United States, Monterey remains the greatest example of his- toric architecture upon the Pacific Coast. As such, she retains the

atmosphere and influence of the three nations under whose flags she has developed. Preserved, she carries forward the bonds of the

past to the generations of the future. AUBREY NEAHAM

National Park Service Santa Fe, New Mexico

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