Pacific Biological Laboratories, Monterey

Pacific Biological Laboratories (PBL), a biological supply company, sold preserved marine animals and specialized microscope slides to educational institutions, museums, and research centers. Located in Monterey's Cannery Row, California, PBL became famous through John Steinbeck's novel "Cannery Row", where he fictionalized the lab as "Western Biological Laboratory" and included a character inspired by PBL's co-founder, Ed Ricketts. After a fire in 1936, Steinbeck invested in PBL, acquiring half of its shares.

In 1949, following Ricketts's death, the lab's building was sold to Yock Yee, a local store owner. Harlan Watkins, a high school literature teacher and jazz fan, rented and later bought the building. From 1958, after Watkins moved to Europe, his friends, including notable artists and writers from Monterey, purchased and used the building as a club venue. This group played a role in initiating the Monterey Jazz Festival, first held in 1958.

The club sold the building to the City of Monterey in 1993 for $170,000. The Cannery Row Foundation restored it in 1998, receiving the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation. In 1997, on Ed Ricketts' 100th birth anniversary, a commemorative plaque was placed at the site by local historical societies. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for monthly public tours.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Pacific Biological Laboratories
Sight Location: Monterey, USA (See walking tours in Monterey)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Cannery Row Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Monterey, California

Create Your Own Walk in Monterey

Creating your own self-guided walk in Monterey is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Cannery Row Walking Tour

Cannery Row 鈥� the waterfront street in Monterey, California 鈥� was once home to a number of sardine canning factories, the last of which closed down in 1973. The former nickname for Ocean View Avenue became the street's official name in January 1958 to honor John Steinbeck and his famous eponymous novel. In the novel's opening sentence, Steinbeck described Cannery Row as "a poem,... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles

Monterey Introduction Walking Tour

Monterey is one of California's oldest cities, having been settled since 1770. The Spanish and Mexican governments both used the city as a capital for Alta California. Monterey offered many important firsts for California during this era, including a newspaper and printing press, public school, library, and theater.

This city was the location for the first constitutional convention in... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles

Monterey State Historic Park Walk

Monterey State Historic Park is a National Landmark and a part of the Monterey Old Town Historic District. Found on the grounds here are a group of significant old-time houses that once made up California's earliest capital and were the site of the state's first constitutional convention. Today these buildings retain their rich heritage, preserving an important part of Californian as... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles

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