Located at 525 Polk St, Monterey, CA 93940
Operated by the California State Parks this adobe is a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Museum is free and provides several exhibits focussing on the history of this particular home and the history of Monterey at large.
The Park's website (
visit link) informs us:
"Fully restored in the 1980s, this adobe displays the elegance and wealth of the John Rogers Cooper family. Cooper was from New England, immigrated to California, and married into a Mexican family. Cooper traveled extensively as a ship captain, trading in hides, tallow, general merchandise and sea otter pelts.
California State Park's operating agreement with this property's owners, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, expires in 2016. The extent to which CSP will continue to be present for tours, special events and interpretive programs will be determined in the future. National Trust plans include historic structure restoration, landscape improvements and the addition of a small café on the property. The Cooper Museum Store, once operated on the property closed December 31, 2015. The new Park gift shop has relocated to the Custom House and is now called The Custom House Store.
The grounds are unique in that almost two acres are available for exploration. Behind adobe walls, one can find barns, vegetable and fruit gardens, and a visitor center.
Also located here is the Cooper Store giftshop where one can sense the ambiance of a 19th Century general store that, today, supports Monterey State Historic Park. The store offers books, games from the past, greeting cards, and an extensive inventory of locally created gift items."
Ans Wikipedia's page for the Park (
visit link) informs us:
"The Cooper-Molera Adobe was built by John Bautista Rogers Cooper, a sailor, in 1823. He became a merchant and a prominent landowner in Monterey. Cooper's daughter Amelia married Eusebio Joseph Molera in 1875. The adobe house is a leading example of Spanish building style combined with New England architecture.
The Cooper-Molera Adobe was featured in Bob Vila's A&E Network production Guide to Historic Homes of America. In 2015, the exhibits and collections were reassessed in order to better illuminate the lives of the family who lived there. Through the historical collections inventory, the Cooper-Molera Adobe's holdings were identified and grouped in various categories. This process illuminated 2 activities that were of particular interest to the family: animal husbandry and farming (specifically artichoke growing)"