California's First Theatre.
The wood , adobe structure and beautiful flowers around the old house known as California's First Theatre is located at the corner of Pacific and Scott Streets in Monterey.
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This is the probably the most valuable historic old landmark left to State of California and very first public dramatic entertainment given to the people on the Pacific Coast ( File 43 ).
This building was originally built in 1844 by a man named Jack Swan.
He arrived in Monterey on the ship from Mexico in the spring of 1843. He had been a sailor in many parts of the world, but he decided to quit sailing and settle in Monterey . .
In the summer of the following year, he purchased the lot on 0.59 acres of land. The lot was in southwest corner of what is now Pacific and Scott street. He built a small, rectangular two-story adobe building typical of the time to be used as sailor boarding house with adjoining apartments (File 43 ).
According to M. L. Bradford, curator of the Monterey State Historic Park Swan constructed the building as the large room in the southern end of the building, which was used as a dining room in the day time and as a dance hall at night. The second story was used as a dormitory. And, at the north end of the smallest room, the barroom, there was a big fireplace.
Before Jack arrived to Monterey, the food they cooked at that time was Mexican. So he begin baking pies with lots of vegetables,.
pastries, meat pies and fruit pies, and he offered to the soldiers and sailors the type of food they remembered from home. When Jack opened the barroom , they did not just came for food; they also came to hang out, play cards and chess, and to dance (March 2000 ). .
According to the file 43, the property of Jack Swan was assessed to be of $ 1, 000 value in the years 1845-51. But, in 1855, the property was assess to be of $ 2,000 value.