National Register of Historic Places

Pacific Biological Laboratories

Monterey, Monterey County, California
Listed
December 29, 1994
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
94001498

About this property

Pacific Biological Laboratories, abbreviated PBL, was a biological supply house that sold preserved animals and prepared specimen microscope slides, many of which were of maritime aquatic species, to schools, museums, and research institutions. It was located in a building on what is now Monterey's Cannery Row on Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. The building, activities, and business were fictionalized as "Western Biological Laboratory" by John Steinbeck in his novel Cannery Row, as was a character based on one of its founders, Ed Ricketts. After a 1936 fire Steinbeck invested in the laboratory and owned half its stock.

Location

800 Cannery Row
Monterey, Monterey County, California
36.61689, -121.90080

Categories

LITERATURESCIENCE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Parmelee, Lou Ellen, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Trimmer Hill
Industrial
0.6 mi
Buck, Frank LaVerne, House
Industrial
1 mi
U.S. Customhouse
Industrial
1 mi
Centrella Hotel
Industrial
1 mi

Nearby Battles

USS Savannah at Monterey
1846Mexican-American War
1.2 mi
Capture of Monterey California
1846Mexican-American War
1.2 mi
Capture of Monterey, California
1846Mexican-American War
1.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Pacific Biological Laboratories listed on the National Register?

Pacific Biological Laboratories was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1994.

What type of historic resource is Pacific Biological Laboratories?

Pacific Biological Laboratories is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Pacific Biological Laboratories?

The period of significance for Pacific Biological Laboratories is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Pacific Biological Laboratories?

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