For History Buffs
Only...
Discover the Underwood-Brown
Adobe
Built in 1843, the building located on the corner of Pacific and Madison
streets and known as the Underwood-Brown Adobe, was constructed on part of
the original land grant from the Mexican government to the Pueblo of
Monterey.
Santiago Stokes, a then-prominent Monterey citizen, constructed the older
portion of the present building. Later that same year, the house was sold to
José María Sánchez and was used by the wealthy ranchero when he was in
Monterey.
Following Sánchez’ accidental death at the end of 1852, the house was
purchased at auction by Monterey County Sheriff William Roach. Subsequently,
the adobe became part of the folklore surrounding a notorious feud and the
legend of “Sánchez Gold” worth some $85,000, which was hidden and never
recovered.
In 1854, W. S. Johnson purchased the property from Roach and owned it until
1866 when Charles Underwood acquired it.
The house was called the Underwood-Brown Adobe based on the long occupancy
of the families of Charles Underwood and his daughter, Margaret Brown.
Fulfilling the wishes of Charles Underwood, who died in 1923, the home was
sold to the City in 1926.
The adobe was deliberately incorporated into the City’s office buildings in
1934 as part of the Few Memorial Complex. The original adobe was a small
single-story rectangular structure with a low gabled, shingled roof
extending horizontally to form a porch held by vertical posts.
The structure has four double sashed windows, two on either side of the
central entrance, which was restored and fitted in the late 1970s with a
carved door from Mexico.
Today the building is home to the City Council’s Office, the City Manager’s
Office and executive meeting rooms.
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