Historic Monterey

18. Casa Amesti

Monterey, CA

Book Now

Jose Amesti, a Spanish Basque, came to Monterey at the age of 30; in 1822, he married Prudenciana Vallejo, daughter of Don Jose Vallejo. In 1833, Amesti received the grant for a town lot, and began building a single story adobe home in the traditional style. As his wealth increased, he added on to the original adobe; construction continued into the 1850s. In 1918, Frances Elkins purchased the crumbling Casa Amesti for $5000. An interior designer, Elkins called upon her brother, architect David Adler, to help her restore the building, adding bathrooms, central heating, a pair of solaria, and a lovely garden with a greenhouse the last added as late as 1951. The guest bedroom Elkins decorated for her brother, off the second-story living room, was particularly comfortable and cozy. Upon her death in 1953, the property was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and it is now leased for private use. Content Provided By: Historic Monterey