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The Monterey Peninsula lies midway along the California coast and is often called “the cradle of California history.”
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sighted La Bahia del los Pinos (Bay of Pines), now Monterey Bay; only 50 years after Columbus discovered the New World. Sixty years later, Sebastian Viscaino landed there and reaffirmed Spain’s claim to the area and named the place of his landing “Monte Rey” for the Viceroy of New Spain, the Count of Monterrey. For more than 60 years thereafter, the area was neglected and forgotten. The first permanent building, the Mission San Carlos de Borromeo, was established in 1770. In 1776, Spain named Monterey as the capital of its Pacific empire, including Baja and Alta California. Thus, in the same year that the United States proclaimed its independence on the Atlantic Coast, Monterey became the center of Spanish activity on the Pacific Coast. At this time, Spanish and Mexican rancheros were settling their immense grants of land around Monterey and the area thrived as a center of governmental and cultural activity.
The flag of the United States was raised over Monterey in 1846 by Commodore John Sloat, who had arrived on the frigate Savannah. Monterey became the first capital of the new State of California, and the California constitution was written there in 1849. After a brief period, however, the capital was moved to San Jose, and when gold was discovered in other parts of the state, the Monterey area lapsed into another period of obscurity.
Toward the close of the nineteenth century, outsiders began to discover the beauty of the area. The establishment of the Del Monte Hotel helped in the development of Peninsula as a resort area, and distinguished visitors from all around the world began to vacation in Monterey.
In 1900 the population of Monterey was less than 2,000 and the city was, for the most part, a rather dilapidated collection of old adobe and frame buildings. However, as in many other parts of California, the Peninsula began to grow and has experienced phenomenal increases in population and activity since about 1940.
Today, the Monterey Peninsula offers the same natural beauty it has always possessed. In addition to its historic landmarks, many art galleries, fine restaurants and shops, famed golf courses, and other cultural activities, it is home to a number of prominent educational institutions -- many with an international orientation. In addition to the Naval Postgraduate School, the U.S. Defense Language Institute and the Monterey Institute of International Studies are leaders in their respective fields.
History Of The Naval Postgraduate School
Before World War II one of the finest luxury hotels in North America, the Del Monte Hotel, occupied the present site of the Naval Postgraduate School. From its opening in July, 1880, it was an immediate success. The entire hotel was destroyed by fire in 1887, but the second Del Monte Hotel rose promptly at the same location and was more splendid than its predecessor. In the early morning of September 27, 1924, fire again devastated the central wooden structure of the hotel. Reconstruction was again immediate and the more modern building continued to make the Del Monte one of the showplaces of the world.
In 1942, the hotel was taken over by the U.S. Navy and was used as a pre-flight school for aviators. By the end of World War II, it had become apparent that the facilities of the Naval Postgraduate School at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, would be insufficient for the Navy’s future needs. Thus, in 1947, Congress authorized the purchase of the Del Monte property and the Postgraduate School was officially moved from Annapolis to Monterey in 1951.
The main building of the former Del Monte Hotel -- now named Herrmann Hall -- which once played host to world dignitaries, houses the principal administrative offices of the Naval Postgraduate School. The academic quadrangle was built incrementally after the school officially opened for business in 1951. The most recent additions include the renovation of the library (more than doubling its usable space), the new academic building - Glasgow Hall, and our new Mechanical Engineering Building. We are presently beginning the $35 million renovation of the two wings of Herrmann Hall. When completed in 2006, we will have 140 brand new Bachelor Officers’ Quarters (BOQ) rooms available for our international officers and their families for temporary residency while they establish themselves in permanent living facilities.
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