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CALIFORNIA'S FIRST THEATRE |
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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.
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California’s First Theatre
Pacific and Scott Streets
Monterey, CA 93940
831-649-7118
Ownership: California State Parks
Open: Undergoing renovations, and open on a very limited basis. Call for details.
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