504 Van Buren St
ca1891 Queen Anne Victorian
The Charles and Agatha Few House consists of a complex of buildings located on three lots. The primary structure located at the corner of Van Buren and Jefferson Streets was constructed sometime between 1888 and 1892. It is a large, imposing two and one-half story Queen Anne styled Victorian house. The property is a distinctive component of the Old Town Neighborhood and one of the earliest properties extant today.
This property was the home of Charles and Agatha Few. Charles Few was born in London, England in 1853. He left England in 1884 for America and arrived in California in December of the same year. He came to Monterey, intending to adopt the dairy business as a calling. In order to become familiar with the business he engaged on a dairy farm in the Carmel Valley, but after three years on this farm changed his intention and engaged in the livery business with Charles Norton as partner. This business they continued in Monterey from 1888 to 1889, when Mr. Few purchased his partner’s interest and became the sole owner of the Club stables. He married Agatha M. Hilby, a native daughter of California in 1888. Charles Few was a stockholder of the Bank of Monterey and the California State Savings Bank, as well as a director and secretary of the Pacific Coast Livestock Association, and director and secretary of the Monterey Board of Trade. Charles Few died in 1922 and Agatha died in 1931. Both are buried at the Monterey City Cemetery, El Encinal Cemetery. Money to build Few Memorial City Hall, (Friendly Plaza, Monterey) was willed to the city by Agatha in memory of her husband. Few Hall was built in 1934 and seamlessly joins to the older city office buildings.
Directions to the next house: Continue on Van Buren Street, cross Jefferson Street, the Bergschicker House (498 Van Buren) is the first on your left, #4 on the map below.
