Cooper-Molera Adobe is one of about 15 historic adobes – Monterey has 22 in all – that open for the annual Christmas in the Adobes event, set for Dec. 13-14 this year. The Cooper-Molera Adobe is one of the few that is open to the public regularly, year-round, but few people know about it. The facility’s first executive director, Karyn Lee-Garcia, is pledging to change that.
“We want to tap into the history of the adobe and how it was utilized since the 1800s. It was always a mix of residential and commercial use,” Lee-Garcia says. “Not only is there is the historic home that the family lived in, but also there was always a bakery or a general store, or even a dance studio.”
The adobe is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its 2.5 acres includes a museum, two popular dining spaces (Alta Bakery + Cafe and Cella Restaurant), as well as The Barns at Cooper-Molera, an event venue. Open to anything, the adobe also hosts a regular qigong class.
“The historic home is beautiful and is available to rent,” Lee-Garcia says. “It can fit about 50 people. It has a beautiful skylight room.” She has a lot of ideas.
The museum comes with permanent exhibits, but Lee-Garcia, who previously served as chief programs officer at another nonprofit, the Arts Council for Monterey County, wants to bring more art. She would like to attract local artists and rotate exhibits.
Until recently the museum portion of the property was understaffed, to say the least. Lee-Garcia is now a staff of one. She started in October. She will be doing marketing and strengthening partnerships with local institutions.
“Many people are curious about what’s going on in the museum and have never heard about programming,” Lee-Garcia says, who also plans to develop programs for the garden space.
The museum now offers individual tours and soon will be organizing group tours.
For the museum, the plan is to hire a senior manager of interpretation and education, who will get familiar with the archives, the property’s history, the stories of the people who lived here or were involved with the space. “Our goal is to tell the full American history one can learn from such an adobe,” Lee-Garcia says.
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