Perry House

The Perry House, or as it's also known, the Perry Downer House was originally constructed in 1860 by Manuel Perry, a whaling captain. This Victorian mansion is now part of Monterey's "Path of History" walking tour. The house is a wood frame structure that still has the original porch and the delicately crafted spandrel arches. Visitors interested in buildings of this period will marvel at the stained glass windows adorning the building as well as the intricately designed spiral staircase. A kitchen was added in 1906 and in 1910 the entire structure was raised in order to insert a stronger foundation to support the added weight of new additions. The house was vacant for quite a few years in the mid-1900's and experienced significant vandalism during this period of non-use. The house was purchased by Webster and Maggie Downer in the early 1960's and underwent major renovations from 1966 to 1968. The restoration project included two story additions on both the north and south sections. The dilapidated garage was remodeled into the present carriage house that incorporated a finely designed stained glass ceiling. The Monterey History and Art Association bought the house in 1997 as a storage and display facility to house its Historic Costume Collection. The Perry House is open to the public.