CATELLUS WEST
The Catellus site is made up of of two parcels of land on the Monterey
waterfront at the foot of wharf #2. In the map on the left the two
parcels are outlined in black. Del Monte Avenue runs along the south
edge of the parcels. The west parcel is in front of the Monterey
harbor. The east parcel is in front of
the Monterey City beach.
Development of the Catellus parcels is being hotly debated - read more about what residents would like to see happen to these prime parcels.
Click on any picture in the column on left to see a larger version.
On
the left is a wide angle photo of the west Catellus parcel. This
parcel was purchased by the City of Monterey for $3,240,000.
The west parcel currently is largely a privately run parking lot with one major building, the historic train station. This building currently houses a marine supply store.
This is a picture of the train station as it was in 1948. This
picture and the following two are provided by and with permission
from Pat Hathaway and may not be reproduced without his express
written permission. For more information go to www.caviews.com
Any plans for the development of the Catellus site should preserve and restore the train station. It is one of the most significant historic buildings in Monterey. In restoring the train station there will be an opportunity to include displays and information describing the role the Del Monte Express played in the early tourist, military and commercial presence in our city.
Want to see Catellus West from the air, click here! Thanks to Kenneth Adelman and www.californiacoastline.org
The first train rolled into Monterey in 1874 on the Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad Company narrow gauge tracks built by David Jenks and associates.
Tourism – The Southern Pacific
Co, built both the Del Monte hotel and the railway system connecting
Monterey and San Francisco. The Del Monte Express and the historic
Del Monte hotel were established to serve each other. The hotel
depended on the train for most of its tourist business. People
visiting the Hotel Del Monte and Monterey arrived by train and
were met by horses and wagons and driven around seventeen mile
drive.
Del Monte Oldest Southern Pacific Train – The Del Monte Express is thought to be the oldest train in the Southern Pacific system. Local records indicate that the Del Monte Express was running in 1887 and may have started as early as 1885. Rail service was discontinued on September 30 1971.
In the early 1900's, the Statue of Sierra on the hill at the Presidio was dedicated. People came in by train including a band from Watsonville. A parade traveled from the train station to the statue dedication.
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Commerce – Rail service was very important to commerce. Railroad service put Monterey county on the national map and was key to the development of the county. Agricultural crops from Salinas, particularly lettuce, were shipped throughout the country. The freight operation was very important to the city of Monterey. When freight brought in by ship was discontinued, everything was brought in by Railway Express. On the return trip to San Francisco, sand was shipped north.
Military –
The Monterey train station was a busy station during both World
War I and World War II. The Presidio was an induction center. Pictured
are soldiers departing for the Philiipines approximately 1905.
Soldiers were brought in by train and they were marched up the
hill to the Presidio for processing. After induction, the soldiers
were then shipped to their various base assignments.
Movies – The train station was featured in the movie the Four Wives (a sequel to Four Daughters movie) around 1939, starring John Garfield, Priscilla and Rosemary Rain and Claude Raines. Bonnie Gotshore remembers joining a lot of children as they watched the film being made.
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