Historic Monterey

7. First Brick House

Monterey, CA

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All Monterey's early structures were built of adobe (sun-dried mud) blocks. Walls as thick as three feet were needed to support second story floors. Adobe buildings required plastering on exterior surfaces to keep out damaging winter rains, otherwise the walls were likely to crumble. In 1847, Gallant Dickerson arrived in Monterey to introduce a new building technique to California: the art of fired clay brick making. Fired brick's increased strength allowed multiple-storied buildings with standard wall widths; fired brick was also water resistant and required little or no surface treatment. Dickerson fired thousands of clay blocks into rock-hard bricks, and with them built one of the first fired-brick buildings in California. He completed only the portion of First Brick House that stands today before moving his family to the Sierra Nevadas in search of gold. The ground floor contains exhibits on Monterey history. The kitchen has been restored as it looked in the building's later use as a restaurant. Content Provided By: Historic Monterey