Entry No. 19 — the Monterey file — filed under: history
Shakespeare Society of America (New Shakespeare Sanctuary)
An easy-to-miss building right off Highway 1 holds 10,000+ theater artifacts, 1,000+ costumes and museum pieces, and 3,000 rare books — the salvaged collection of the old Globe Playhouse in West Hollywood — with an on-site curator who'll talk your ear off about Shakespeare and hand you a prop or costume piece to hold.
The story
Drive past the produce packing sheds and antique shops along Moss Landing Road, and you would never suspect that a modest building just off Highway 1 shelters the surviving soul of West Hollywood’s old Globe Playhouse. When that storied theater shuttered, its sprawling hoard of stage history needed a home. It found one on the Monterey coast, re-established as the New Shakespeare Sanctuary under the stewardship of Shakespeare Society of America president Terry Taylor.
Inside, there are no sterile glass display cases or velvet ropes keeping you at arm's length. The sanctuary houses more than 3,000 rare books and reference volumes, alongside an overwhelming index of 10,000-plus theater artifacts and over 1,000 costumes and museum-quality pieces. It functions less like a polished municipal museum and more like an obsessive archivist’s private vault, packed edge-to-edge with stage props, script folios, and physical relics of American theatrical history.
What it's like
Pulling off Highway 1 into Moss Landing, you are stepping into a true hands-on archive rather than a casual walk-through gallery. Expect an intimate, informal tour led directly by the curator, who will happily talk your ear off about Bard lore while handing you physical props or costume pieces to inspect up close. The rooms are artifact-dense and crammed tight, so watch your elbow room. Because this is a niche, non-profit repository, operating hours can vary—always confirm they are open before making the detour.
The move: Let the curator give an impromptu tour through the artifact-stuffed rooms, then act out a scene together from a script pulled off the shelf.
- 📍 Moss Landing
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 7981 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Giant Artichoke — Trade high-brow theatrical archives for iconic coastal kitsch just three miles down Highway 1 in Castroville.
- Pacific Biological Laboratories ("Doc's Lab") — Pair an archive of classic stagecraft with the preserved Cannery Row laboratory that inspired John Steinbeck's literary world.
- Robert Louis Stevenson House — Continue your literary heritage crawl into Old Town Monterey to visit the 1830s adobe where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in 1879.
Good to know
Where did the sanctuary's collection originate?
The collection was salvaged from the former Globe Playhouse in West Hollywood and moved up the coast to Moss Landing by the Shakespeare Society of America.
What kind of items are stored here?
The inventory includes over 3,000 rare books and reference texts, 1,000-plus historical costumes and museum pieces, and more than 10,000 theater artifacts.
Can visitors handle the objects in the collection?
Yes, tours are curator-led and remarkably hands-on, often allowing visitors to hold stage props, examine garments, or leaf through script materials.
Do I need to call ahead before visiting?
Yes, hours can be unpredictable for this specialized archive, so it is best to confirm current open hours before heading out.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Atlas Obscura · Facebook
last checked: 2026-07-20