Cooper Molera Adobe reopens for July 4th

In the 1820s, pioneer John Cooper and his wife, Encarnacion Vallejo, began to build their life on a large property in the middle of Monterey, eventually growing to two and a half acres.

“(Vallejo was) the sister of General Mariano Vallejo, who was the most powerful man in Mexico. Of course when he (Cooper) came here in the late 1820s, this was the capital of Alta, California,” Katherine Malone-France, with the National Trust of Historic Preservation, said.

The Cooper-Molera Adobe continued to grow, with the influential families owning it until it was given to the government in the 1970s. It fell on hard times, but now restored after a seven million dollar project headed by Foothill Partners.

“I was watching it deteriorate, and I knew the Trust and called the Trust and said this place could be so much more than it is without losing its historic integrity,” Doug Wiele, President of Foothill Partners, said.

The public poured into this point in history, Wednesday, hidden right under our noses. The National Trust wants to bring that back to life.

“Learning about history, or whether it’s having a cup of coffee it’s going to lunch or
having a wedding or wandering in and enjoying sitting in the orchard or in the gardens,” Malone-France said.

A museum, event space, garden, and cafe, all coming to the grounds.

“It was a hole in the fabric of downtown. It was here but it wasn’t really here. It was cloistered behind the wall. Our goal, and I think we’re going to get there, is knitting that fabric back together again,” Wiele said.

Wednesday was the second day of soft openings for the Cooper Molera Adobe. The full opening is expected to be later this summer.