Monterey - Custom House

An adobe building constructed in 1827 during the period of Mexican rule; today the Custom House in Monterey houses an exhibition on the decades between 1830 and 1850. The two famous Monterey cypresses grow in the garden in front of the house.

Monterey's Custom House (1814) is the oldest governmental building in California. It is listed as California State Historic Building #1. The building was used as a Custom House under the Spanish, Mexican and United States governments.

Under Spanish dominion, it was a political and social center, where matters of state were settled and gala balls were conducted. It was built in three phases, the upper end under the Spanish in 1814, the center section under Mexico, and the lower end added by the United States in 1846. It was here on the Custom House flagpole that the American flag first flew over California (July 7, 1846) and the "dream of Manifest Destiny" became a reality.

The building served as a Custom House until 1868, when it was deactivated and all Customs operations were moved to San Francisco.