Located in Monterey, California, the Cooper-Molera Adobe depicts mid-1800s life in California through a three-acre complex of main house and farm buildings, with living history demonstrations, farm animals and historic gardens. The structure is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Map.
The Cooper-Molera Adobe was built in the late 1820s by J.B.R. Cooper, an immigrant American ship captain and trader who had married into an important local family.
The visitor center is open, and self-guided tours of the gardens are available daily 10 am-4 pm. Guided tours of the adobe are available at 10 & 11 am & noon July-August; 10 & 11 am Sept.-June. No tours of the adobe Monday and Wednesday.
Annual Special Events: Adobe Tour (July); Senior Citizen’s Day, Cooper Garden Plant Sale, & Preservation Week Programs (May); Children in the Adobes Program (June- July); John Cooper Lang Day & Open House for Disabled Children (Oct.); Christmas in the Adobes (Dec.).
Interpretive programs are supported and provided through cooperation with the Old Monterey Preservation Society.
Location: Take Munras Street Exit off Highway 1; follow Munras to intersection of Polk & Alvarado Streets.
For wheelchair-user access & additional information:
Cooper-Molera Adobe
525 Polk Street
Monterey, California 93940
(408) 649-7118
A monograph is available on the archaeological excavations conducted by the California Department of Parks and Recreation (see below).
The Cooper Store
Located in the historic Cooper-Molera Adobe, at the corner of Polk and Munras Streets, this gift shop is operated by the non-profit Old Monterey Preservation Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of antiquities in Monterey State Historic Park. The shop is open daily 10 am-4 pm, winter and 10 am-5 pm, summer.
One can find reproductions, from toys to furniture. An extensive collection of books celebrate the past as well as discuss the future of cultural and natural resources of Monterey and California. Themed from the 1800s, this shop is a-one-of-a-kind experience for the visitor and resident alike. As seasons change, store items also change, especially during Christmas. Proceeds from purchases go directly toward programs benefiting the historic park. The store truly brings history alive!
For information, phone 831/649-7111 or write:
Old Monterey Preservation Society
525 Polk Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Sources:
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Felton, D.L. and P.D. Schultz, The Diaz Collection: Material Culture and Social Change in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Monterey (California Department of Parks and Recreation Archeological Report No. 23, 1983). Available through Coyote Press, Salinas.