Steinbeck, John: 1902-1968
Salinas, CA
Steinbeck's boyhood house is located in Salinas, California, two blocks west of Main Street on the corner of Central Avenue and Stone Street. The house was purchased by Steinbeck's parents in 1900, and he was born in the bedroom to the left of the entrance on February 27, 1902. John grew up here, occupying an upstairs bedroom that overlooked Central Avenue. After Steinbeck's parents passed away in the middle 1930s, the house was sold to Mrs. Marie Koenecke Klute. The Klutes resided there until 1953, after which the home was unoccupied except for an occasional tenant. In 1967 when Mrs. Klute passed away, the house was entrusted to the Hartnell College Newman Foundation as a center for the Newman Club. Student members took on the task of renovating the house which was dedicated on December 20, 1969. The Newman Club used the house as a student residence and meeting hall. In 1971 the club sold the house to the Valley Guild of Salinas, a women's organization, and the home was converted into a restaurant staffed by volunteers.