First Theater

First Theater is a historic adobe and wood building in Monterey, California, associated with the beginnings of organized theatrical performance in the state. It stands near Monterey's Custom House in what is now the Monterey State Historic Park. Although the site is commonly described as California's first theater, the building was not originally designed solely for theatrical use. English mariner and pioneer Jack Swan developed the property in stages during the 1840s, first creating a small wooden structure that served as a boarding house and tavern for sailors arriving in Monterey. The timber was reportedly salvaged from a shipwreck. The building contained compact two-room units, fireplaces, and exterior access points suited to short-term lodging and commercial use. Swan added a larger rectangular adobe section in the autumn of 1847. This portion was initially intended as additional lodging for sailors, but it was soon adapted for performances. Soldiers stationed at the Presidio of Monterey and local entertainers organized theatrical presentations, and the space was equipped with a simple stage, a pit, benches, whale-oil lamps, candles, and improvised curtains. The venue could accommodate approximately two hundred people. Handwritten programs and informally printed posters reflected the limited production technology available in the Mexican-American transition period and early American Monterey. In 1848, military officers and civilian performers developed the venue into a more organized theater operation under actor-manager Charles E. Bingham. The establishment was promoted as the Union Theatre for the production of Melodramas. A production of Putnam, the Iron Son of '76 is generally identified as California's first paid theatrical performance, giving the building its enduring historical designation. Between 1848 and 1850, the theater hosted melodramas, comedies, and scenes from Shakespeare, including Box and Cox, Damon and Pythias, and the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. After the theater's initial period, the property passed through several uses. Jack Swan leased the adobe from 1850 and spent years prospecting for gold in the Sierra Nevada. Over the following decades, the building functioned at different times as a lodging house, whaling station, drug store, gift shop, tea room, and retail space. A lookout tower was added to the larger structure during the 1850s. The smaller wooden section was later associated with Fred Smith, who operated a curio shop there for roughly two decades beginning in the late nineteenth century. The adobe portion deteriorated after Swan's death in 1896. Preservation efforts began in the early twentieth century. The California Historic Landmarks League, supported by Monterey residents including William Randolph Hearst, acquired the property in 1905 and transferred it to the State of California in 1906. Restoration was completed around 1920, after which the adobe reopened as a museum. California and Monterey authorities formally designated the building California Historical Landmark No. 136 on January 31, 1934. Theater use resumed in 1937 under Denny-Watrous Management. The Troupers of the Gold Coast subsequently made the building a long-running venue for revived nineteenth-century melodramas. Their residency, which began in 1937 and continued until 1999, connected the restored site to a living performance tradition rather than treating it solely as a static historic structure. The theater later closed for renovation and remained associated with preservation work led by the Monterey State Historic Park Association and state park authorities. A public reopening event was held on August 31, 2024. Today, First Theater is best understood as a historic site and museum property with occasional event and heritage-programming functions, rather than as a conventional commercial theater brand.

First Theater developed from a mid-nineteenth-century Monterey lodging and tavern property into a landmark associated with the emergence of theater in California. Jack Swan, an English mariner and pioneer, acquired land on the old Calle Estrada near the Custom House before the American occupation of Monterey in July 1846. Around 1845 he erected a small wooden structure using lumber salvaged from a shipwreck. Its four sets of two-room units, fireplaces, and separate exterior entrances made it suitable as a boarding house for sailors and as a tavern. Like other saloons in Monterey, it was later affected by efforts led by Walter Colton, the American alcalde, to close such establishments. Swan expanded the property with a larger adobe building in the autumn of 1847. The rectangular room measured approximately 75 feet long and 12 feet wide and was originally intended to provide more lodging. Its conversion into a performance venue followed the organization of a minstrel show by four soldiers from Santa Barbara, joined by three local comedians. The building's movable wooden partition, raised and lowered on hinges, helped divide the interior. The performance area eventually included a stage and pit capable of accommodating about two hundred spectators. Programs were handwritten, while posters and bills were produced with simple brush-and-ink methods. By 1848, officers connected with the Presidio of Monterey were seeking a place for plays and comedies. Under actor-manager Charles E. Bingham, the venue was presented as the Union Theatre for the production of Melodramas. Swan supplied basic theatrical equipment, including benches, whale-oil lighting, footlights, and makeshift curtains. The company performed Putnam, the Iron Son of '76, regarded as California's first paid theatrical performance. The event established the building's historical identity as the First Theater in California. Additional performances between 1848 and 1850 included Box and Cox, Damon and Pythias, and a scene from Romeo and Juliet. This initial theatrical period lasted approximately twenty-one months. From 1850 to 1896, Swan leased the adobe and pursued gold prospecting along the American River and elsewhere in the Sierra Nevada. The property then experienced a long period of changing commercial and utilitarian roles. The adobe was used as lodging, a whaling station, a drug store during the 1870s, a gift shop, and eventually a tea room and shop. A lookout tower added in the 1850s reflected Monterey's maritime setting. The smaller wooden building was occupied by Fred Smith from 1881 to 1919, and his curio shop operated there for about twenty years. The adobe fell into disrepair after Swan died in 1896. Preservation began in 1905 when the California Historic Landmarks League, a group of Monterey residents that included William Randolph Hearst, acquired the property. The group donated it to the State of California in 1906. State legislative funding supported restoration, which was substantially completed by 1920. The adobe then reopened as a museum displaying historical objects, with another room used for tea service. Formal landmark recognition followed on January 31, 1934, when the building was declared California Historical Landmark No. 136. The building returned to theatrical use on June 3, 1937, when Denny-Watrous Management presented an 1880s melodrama, Tatters, the Pet of Squatter's Gulch. A lease obtained later that year, with support from the Monterey History and Art Association, established the Troupers of the Gold Coast as resident performers. Their production of In the Shadow of the Rockies was successful, and from 1937 through 1999 the troupe revived melodramas in the tradition of the theater's nineteenth-century performances. This made First Theater unusual among historic buildings: its significance was reinforced by recurring live performance rather than only by architectural preservation. The troupe's residency ended when the building closed for renovation in 1999. Subsequent preservation and repair activity involved the Monterey State Historic Park Association and state park authorities. First Theater remained part of the interpretive landscape of Monterey State Historic Park and continued to be associated with special events, including Christmas in the Adobes. A public event on August 31, 2024, celebrated the theater's reopening. Its present identity combines historic architecture, museum interpretation, and the memory or occasional revival of early California theatrical practice.

• 2024

  Public reopening celebrated

  [2]California State Parks: First Theaterparks.ca.gov

  A public event on August 31 marked the reopening of the historic theater.

• 1999

  Troupers residency ended

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The long-running melodrama program concluded when the building closed for renovation.

• 1937

  Theatrical activity revived

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Denny-Watrous Management restarted performances, leading to the Troupers of the Gold Coast residency.

• 1934

  California Historical Landmark No. 136

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The building received formal state and municipal landmark designation.

• 1920

  Restoration completed

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  State-supported restoration concluded and the adobe reopened as a museum.

• 1906

  Transferred to the State of California

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The California Historic Landmarks League donated the acquired property to the state for preservation.

• 1850

  Initial theater period concluded

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  After roughly twenty-one months of performances, the building returned to other lodging and commercial uses.

• 1848

  California's first paid theatrical performance

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  A company associated with Charles E. Bingham presented Putnam, the Iron Son of '76 at the venue.

• 1847

  Adobe section added and adapted for theater

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Swan added the larger adobe building, which was soon converted from lodging use into a performance space.

• 1845

  Initial wooden structure built

  [1]First Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Jack Swan erected the smaller wooden section, using salvaged shipwreck lumber, as a sailor boarding house and tavern.

A preserved California heritage landmark positioned around early state theatrical history, Monterey's maritime and civic past, and the adaptive reuse of an 1840s adobe building.

• Historic attraction · 1847

  First Theater historic site

  The preserved adobe and wood complex is the central visitor offering. Its significance comes from the building's layered history as a sailor boarding house, tavern, early theater, commercial property, museum, and restored heritage site in Monterey State Historic Park.

• Live heritage theater · 1848

  Historic theater performances

  The venue hosted early melodramas and comedies and later became known for the Troupers of the Gold Coast's revival of nineteenth-century theatrical forms. Performance activity was an important part of the site's twentieth-century interpretation, although the current operating schedule is not specified in the supplied sources.

• Museum experience · 1920

  Museum and interpretation

  Following restoration around 1920, the adobe operated as a museum displaying historical objects and interpreting Monterey's early social and commercial life. Contemporary visitor interpretation is conducted within the state historic park framework.

• 1999

  Closure for renovationOther

  Background

  The historic building required renovation after decades of recurring performances and public use.

  Action taken

  The theater closed while preservation and repair work proceeded.

  Aftermath

  A public reopening event was held in 2024, although the current extent of regular performances is not specified.

  Source

• 1937

  Revival as a working melodrama venueStrategy

  Background

  After restoration and decades of non-theatrical use, managers sought to reactivate the building while emphasizing its original performance history.

  Action taken

  Denny-Watrous Management resumed productions, and the Troupers of the Gold Coast established a long-running melodrama program.

  Aftermath

  The troupe performed at the site until 1999, making live heritage theater a defining part of the property's modern identity.

  Source

• 1847

  Conversion from lodging house to theaterStrategy

  Background

  The larger adobe section had been constructed as sailor lodging, but local performers and soldiers needed a venue for organized entertainment.

  Action taken

  Jack Swan and the performers adapted the room with a stage, seating, lighting, footlights, and makeshift curtains.

  Aftermath

  The building became associated with California's first paid theatrical performance and acquired its historic name.

  Source

1. 1First Theateren.wikipedia.org
2. 2California State Parks: First Theaterparks.ca.gov