January 21, 2011 · CEDAR STREET 44¥• Page 9 The many accomplishments of LA. Work . f**„·'40- /4,/ Workblock 1: LA. Work constructed this two-story office building for the Pacific Grove branch of his Bank of Monterey at the northeast corner of Forest and Lighthouse in 1904. He later sold it to the Bank of Italy. Photo by C.K. Tuttle; courtesy of the PG Museum of Natural History. By Cameron Douglas Wherever you go in downtown Pacific Grove, you're likely to be standing on a block that has a building constructed by T.A. Work. Or possibly, the entire block itself. Some of the buildings have changed hands over the years, but the extensive legacy of this enterprising man lives on. Thomas Albert Work Sr. was born in the Shetland Islands offthe coast of Scot- land on Nov. 21, 1867, the son of a minister. His grandfather, a sea captain, probably influenced T.A. to come to Monterey after describing its coastline as one of the most beautiful areas in the world. A brother, John Work, preceded him here. T.A. married Maude Elise Porter in 1896. Two oftheir six children died young. They had three sons: Stuart, Frank and LA. Jr., plus a daughter, Betty. Stuart, the old- est, is the father of Julie Work-Beck, who runs the T.A. Work Estate General Office in Monterey. T.A. Jr. had a son named Robert, whose widow still owns commercial property in Pacific Grove. Work Sr. started off delivering milk, and then wood from the back of a cart. Soon he established a hay, grain and wood business in a lot on the north side of Laurel be- tween Forest and 168, where Mum's Place now stands. Lumber from that yard went to build many of Work's business blocks and residential properties. He became, arguably, the single largest business property owner on the Monterey Peninsula. He presided over the First National Banks of Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas and the Bank of Carmel. I .* . 'i $ + I + . + $ 4 64 * r. , A:: .4 . 9 47. + . + I . . r 3 + 14.1 4. 41 1 - .+ .. .:- .1 .* + : 9. f' 1. 7 s 1.. 1 J.>;: ++ 1 93 *05 24 »% The Work Mansion was built in 1911 at 181 Central; demolished and replaced with apartments in 1966. The Work family resided in Pacific Grove until the Gou- verneur Morris house became available in Monterey. T.A.'s primary interests were land and real estate. He bought 1,600 acres in Carmel Highlands, selling them later for development as the Highlands Inn. Around 1930, he purchased 2,000 acres from the Jacks family that stretched from Seaside to Marina. The land was cleared and became one of the largest pea ranches in the world. Before World War II, the government approached Work to sell the land, which subsequently became part of Fort Ord. T.A. kept a strong presence in Pacific Grove, forming a syndicate to purchase the holdings of the Pacific Improvement Company within PG in 1909. He bought a lumber mill in what is now New Monterey in 1912 (the mill burned down in 1919). Leafing through the card catalog in the reference section of the PG Library reveals a cache of TA.'s business ventures. Pacific Grove Review, April 14,1914: "Selling Studebaker automobiles, left-hand drive & electric headlights, $1,150." Daily Cypress, Oct. 5, 1920: "New building on Alvarado [in Monterey]...owns more business buildings in Monterey and Pacific Greve than any other four men." Work properties still in the hands of family members include other commercial properties in PG, downtown Monterey, Tarpy Flats and undeveloped land on High- way 68. Sources Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove Review, Monterey County Historical Society; Pacific Grove Public Library We also thank Julie Work- Beck for her contribution 7. 6 2 . * * =a I · 19 - ./T-- 1/14, rl 4/ 9 44$ , r -filli 1 14; -t 4 'Ry. 41,3.- 4 4 , 1 11 , 44 / V , j . I Above: T.A. Work, in shirtsleeves, leans on a wagon in his Laurel Avenue lumberyard, circa 1895. The lumberyard was located generally in the area of Mum's Place furniture store at the corner of Laurel and Forest. Photo from "Images of America: Pacific Grove" by Kent Seavey and the Heritage Society of Pacific Grove. Left: A portrait T.A. Work taken around 1958. Courtesy of the Pat Hatha- way Collection. li ! 1 tf" 1 0 449 .r , OCR Text: January 21, 2011 · CEDAR STREET 44¥• Page 9 The many accomplishments of LA. Work . f**„·'40- /4,/ Workblock 1: LA. Work constructed this two-story office building for the Pacific Grove branch of his Bank of Monterey at the northeast corner of Forest and Lighthouse in 1904. He later sold it to the Bank of Italy. Photo by C.K. Tuttle; courtesy of the PG Museum of Natural History. By Cameron Douglas Wherever you go in downtown Pacific Grove, you're likely to be standing on a block that has a building constructed by T.A. Work. Or possibly, the entire block itself. Some of the buildings have changed hands over the years, but the extensive legacy of this enterprising man lives on. Thomas Albert Work Sr. was born in the Shetland Islands offthe coast of Scot- land on Nov. 21, 1867, the son of a minister. His grandfather, a sea captain, probably influenced T.A. to come to Monterey after describing its coastline as one of the most beautiful areas in the world. A brother, John Work, preceded him here. T.A. married Maude Elise Porter in 1896. Two oftheir six children died young. They had three sons: Stuart, Frank and LA. Jr., plus a daughter, Betty. Stuart, the old- est, is the father of Julie Work-Beck, who runs the T.A. Work Estate General Office in Monterey. T.A. Jr. had a son named Robert, whose widow still owns commercial property in Pacific Grove. Work Sr. started off delivering milk, and then wood from the back of a cart. Soon he established a hay, grain and wood business in a lot on the north side of Laurel be- tween Forest and 168, where Mum's Place now stands. Lumber from that yard went to build many of Work's business blocks and residential properties. He became, arguably, the single largest business property owner on the Monterey Peninsula. He presided over the First National Banks of Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas and the Bank of Carmel. I .* . 'i $ I . $ 4 64 * r. , A:: .4 . 9 47. . I . . r 3 14.1 4. 41 1 - . .. .:- .1 .* : 9. f' 1. 7 s 1.. 1 J.>;: 1 93 *05 24 »% The Work Mansion was built in 1911 at 181 Central; demolished and replaced with apartments in 1966. The Work family resided in Pacific Grove until the Gou- verneur Morris house became available in Monterey. T.A.'s primary interests were land and real estate. He bought 1,600 acres in Carmel Highlands, selling them later for development as the Highlands Inn. Around 1930, he purchased 2,000 acres from the Jacks family that stretched from Seaside to Marina. The land was cleared and became one of the largest pea ranches in the world. Before World War II, the government approached Work to sell the land, which subsequently became part of Fort Ord. T.A. kept a strong presence in Pacific Grove, forming a syndicate to purchase the holdings of the Pacific Improvement Company within PG in 1909. He bought a lumber mill in what is now New Monterey in 1912 (the mill burned down in 1919). Leafing through the card catalog in the reference section of the PG Library reveals a cache of TA.'s business ventures. Pacific Grove Review, April 14,1914: "Selling Studebaker automobiles, left-hand drive & electric headlights, $1,150." Daily Cypress, Oct. 5, 1920: "New building on Alvarado [in Monterey]...owns more business buildings in Monterey and Pacific Greve than any other four men." Work properties still in the hands of family members include other commercial properties in PG, downtown Monterey, Tarpy Flats and undeveloped land on High- way 68. Sources Heritage Society of Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove Review, Monterey County Historical Society; Pacific Grove Public Library We also thank Julie Work- Beck for her contribution 7. 6 2 . * * =a I · 19 - ./T-- 1/14, rl 4/ 9 44$ , r -filli 1 14; -t 4 'Ry. 41,3.- 4 4 , 1 11 , 44 / V , j . I Above: T.A. Work, in shirtsleeves, leans on a wagon in his Laurel Avenue lumberyard, circa 1895. The lumberyard was located generally in the area of Mum's Place furniture store at the corner of Laurel and Forest. Photo from "Images of America: Pacific Grove" by Kent Seavey and the Heritage Society of Pacific Grove. Left: A portrait T.A. Work taken around 1958. Courtesy of the Pat Hatha- way Collection. li ! 1 tf" 1 0 449 .r , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Names of People about town,V through Z File names,Work family,WORK_005.pdf,WORK_005.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: WORK_005.PDF, WORK_005.pdf 1 Page 1