Robert Louis Stevenson House

Historic building in California

United States historic place

Stevenson House

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. National Historic Landmark

Stevenson House, Monterey, California.

Location in the Monterey Peninsula

Location| 530 Houston Street, Monterey, California
Coordinates| 36°35′50″N 121°53′36″W﻿ / ﻿36.59722°N 121.89333°W﻿ / 36.59722; -121.89333
Built| circa 1836
Architectural style| Spanish Colonial Revival architecture
Website| Stevenson House State Historic Monument
NRHP reference No.| 72000239[1]
Added to NRHP| January 7, 1972

The Stevenson House, is a historic two-story  Spanish Colonial style building located at 530 Houston Street in Monterey, California. It was a boarding house called the French Hotel, built circa 1836. The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson lived there in 1879, writing and courting his future wife. It is now a museum and property of the Monterey State Historic Park. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 1972.[2] The building is also listed as a California historical landmark #352.[3]

## History

[edit]

Robert Louis Stevenson House, illustration by Jo Mora. Robert Louis Stevenson House, Photo by Julian P. Graham.  Stevenson House kiosk provided by Monterey State Historic Park.

The original adobe was built circa 1836 by Don Rafael Gonzalez, who was the customs administrator at the Port of Monterey.[4] Some of the walls are of chalk rock, which was laid up in mud mortar. Other walls are of wood frame. The exterior walls are plastered with limestone mortar. The bracketed overhanging roof has wood shingles.[5]

From 1856 to 1870s, merchant Juan Girardin operated a general store on the first floor and lived upstairs. Some additions were made and spare bedrooms were rented, when it became the French Hotel.[6][4]

In the autumn of 1879, Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson stayed at the French Hotel. Stevenson lived there while recovering from Ill health as he was crossing the United States to court his future wife Fanny Osbourne. While at the hotel, he dined at a nearby restaurant run by Frenchman Jules Simoneau which was located at what is now the Simoneau Plaza. It was at the hotel that Stevenson wrote The Amateur Emigrant; The Pavilion on the Links; Prince Otto; essays on Henry David Thoreau and the Japanese reformer Yoshida Torajiro; The Old Pacific Capitol; and inspiration for Treasure Island.[5][4]

In 1920s the Monterey Group of painters were meeting at Stevenson's House Some of them were associated with the Society of Six. [7]

In 1937, the hotel was purchased by Edith C. van Antwerp and Mrs. C. Tobin Clark to preserve it as a memorial to Stevenson. They bestowed it to the State of California and it was restored as a home representing the  Spanish Colonial period.[4] The hotel was later named the Stevenson House in honor of Robert Louis Stevenson. It holds a large collection of Stevenson papers and Stevenson memorabilia. It features a bas relief depicting the author writing in bed.[5]

An outside kiosk provides information about the Stevenson House, Robert Louis Stevenson, and directions to visit the Monterey State Historic Park website for more information.

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Monterey County, California
* California Historical Landmarks in Monterey County

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Welts, Allen W. (1970-03-20). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Monterey State Historic Park for Stevenson House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
3. ^ "Robert Louis Stevenson House". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks.
4. ^ a b c d "The Path of History Is wide in Monterey". The Californian. Salinas, California. 11 Jul 1977. p. 136. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
5. ^ a b c "National Register Of Historic Places Inventory, Nomination Form". United States Department Of The Interior National Park Service. Monterey, California. January 7, 1972.
6. ^ "Monterery's Historic Trails by Sea and Land". The Times. San Mateo, California. 25 Apr 1970. p. 33. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
7. ^ Boas, Nancy (1997). The Society of Six: California Colorists. University of California Press.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stevenson House.

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Monterey County tourist attractions

Historic sites|

| Historic buildings|

* Asilomar Conference Grounds
* Colton Hall
* Ecualyptus Tree Row
* First theater in California
* Gosby House Inn
* House of the Four Winds
* Larkin House
* Monterey State Historic Park
* Point Pinos Lighthouse
* Point Sur Lighthouse
* Samuel M. Black House
* Sherman Quarters
* Vásquez House
* Whalers Cabin

|

Historic
mission churches|

* Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad
* Mission San Antonio de Padua
* Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

Literary sites|

* Cannery Row
* John Steinbeck House (Salinas, California)
* National Steinbeck Center
* Robert Louis Stevenson House
* Tor House and Hawk Tower

Museums|

| Art|

* Monterey Museum of Art

|

History|

* Boronda History Center
* Camp Roberts Historical Museum
* Museum of Monterey
* Presidio of Monerey Museum

Science|

* Hopkins Marine Station
* Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Arboretums and gardens|

* Casa del Oro Sensory and Herb Garden
* Casa Soberanes Garden
* Custom House Cactus Garden
* First Theater in California Garden
* Memory Garden
* Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area

Golf courses|

* Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course
* Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links
* Pebble Beach Golf Links
* Poppy Hills Golf Course
* Spyglass Hill Golf Course

Cultural|

| Performing arts
centers and venues|

* Forest Theater
* Golden State Theatre
* Monterey County Fairgrounds
* Sunset Center

|

Annual events
and festivals|

* California Rodeo Salinas
* California Roots Music and Arts Festival
* Carmel Bach Festival
* Kiddie Kapers Parade
* Monterey Car Week
* Monterey Jazz Festival
* Monterey Motorsports Reunion
* Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Sports venues|

* Laguna Seca

Outdoors|

| Regions|

* Big Sur
* Monterey Bay
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* Monterey Peninsula
* Salinas Valley

|

Trails|

* Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
* Monterey Bay Coastal Recreational Trail

Regional parks
and lakes|

* Garland Ranch Regional Park
* Jacks Peak Park
* Lake El Estero
* Palo Corona Regional Park

Reserves, preserves,
and refuges|

* Asilomar State Marine Reserve
* Big Creek State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area
* Carmel Bay State Marine Conservation Area
* Carmel Pinnacles State Marine Reserve
* Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area
* John Little State Reserve
* Lovers Point State Marine Reserve
* Mill Creek Redwood Preserve
* Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
* Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area
* Point Lobos State Marine Reserve
* Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge

State parks|

* Andrew Molera State Park
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* Carmel River State Beach
* Fort Ord Dunes State Park
* Garrapata State Park
* Hatton Canyon
* Ishxenta State Park
* Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
* Marina State Beach
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* Moss Landing State Beach
* Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Park
* Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
* Salinas River State Beach
* Zmudowski State Beach

National parks|

* Pinnacles National Park

National forests|

* Los Padres National Forest

Scenic drives|

* 17 Mile Drive
* Big Sur Coast Highway
* Highway 1
* Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
* Point Pinos Lighthouse Drive
* River Road Wine Trail

* Robert Louis Stevenson House
* Guide to the Stevenson House Collection

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