Winter 2024

T he cultural and artistic history of Monterey is lengthy, colorful and filled with drama, intrigue and economic ups and downs. The committed group of volunteers known as the Monterey History and Art Association has been working to preserve that body of knowledge and its physical objects for nearly a century. To show- case that rich tapestry of history and display its deep archive of art and artifacts, the association has recently rededicated the Stanton Center with plans to turn the expansive building into an informative window into the past. The association was formed in 1931, spear- headed by several Monterey residents who were keen on preserving Monterey’s “irreplace- able reminders of years gone by.” Spearheaded by Laura Bride Powers and led for many years by Colonel Roger S. Fitch, the group’s initial rai- son d'être was the preservation of what was left of the city’s then-crumbling original adobe 118 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 (Above) This display depicts some of Monterey’s Italian traditions. (Below) Watercolorist Zella Conan lived here at various times, creating these vibrant and accurate paintings of Monterey’s adobes, set in the era before Monterey was widely settled. Photos: Kelli Uldall