Allen Knight | |
![]() Knight's Passport Photo (1922) | |
17th Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea
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In office 1950–1952 | |
Preceded by | Frederick M. Godwin |
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Succeeded by | Horace D. Lyon |
Born | May 07, 1901 San Francisco, California, US |
Died | August 24, 1964 (age 63) San Francisco, California, US |
Spouse(s) |
-02)–end+1:"Marriage: Raissa to Allen Knight" Location: »
-02)»"Marriage: Maud Adele Hawes to Allen Knight" Location: |
Occupation | Businessman politician |
Signature | ![]() |
Allen Knight, (May 7, 1901 – August 24, 1964) an American merchant seaman and political figure in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He had eight years on the Carmel City Council, a two-year mayoral term, and a 23-year tenure on the Carmel Sanitary District Board.[1]
Early life[]
Knight was born on May 7, 1901, in San Francisco, California.[1] His father was Allen Knight and his mother was Lily C. Knight. Knight's parents and his two unmarried aunts, Agnes and Alice Miller,[2] purchased three lots on the intersection of Monte Verde Street 7th Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. On the property was a prefabricated cottage.[3]
During the summer months, the Knight family would embark on a two-day journey from their Clay Street residence in San Francisco, traveling by horse and buggy to reach their vacation cottage located on Monte Verde Street in Carmel. An activity of Knight involved frequenting photographer Louis S. Slevin's shop, where a replica of the 1840 sailing vessel, USS Ohio was displayed. After his father died when he was 17, Knight lived permanently with his aunts in Carmel. He attended Davis College, part of the University of California, for one year.[4]
Career[]
World War I and travels[]
At the age of seventeen during World War I Knight enlisted as a merchant seaman on the Falls of Clyde, a four-masted clipper ship en route from San Francisco to Honolulu. While stationed in the crow's nest during the journey, he spotted the twin-funnel-powered Sea Eagle emerging on the horizon, commanded by the German sea raider Count Felix von Luckner, notorious for sinking fourteen Allied ships. As the wind picked up, the captain of the Clyde chose to make a dash for Honolulu. After a four-day pursuit, with sails fully extended, the Clyde outpaced the Sea Eagle, ultimately finding safe haven in Pearl Harbor.[1][5]
Carmel-by-the-Sea[]
Knight became a musician and bandleader, showcasing his piano skills for leisure or financial sustenance. He engaged with three amateur theater groups. He performed at the First Theater in Monterey and at the Forest Theater in Carmel.[6]
In January 1937 Knight and his orchestra performed during the inauguration of the "Valley Ranch Club," currently recognized as the Mission Ranch.[3]
Sundial Lodge[]

Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey, California
The design of the Sundial Lodge was inspired by Knight's visit to eastern Europe in the late 1920s. He asked the owners of a Czech hotel in Prague to share their blueprints, which he gave to architect Albert L. Farr to design the Sundial apartments. He commissioned Michael J. Murphy to do the construction on the property where Knight's parents and his two aunts had purchased three lots on Monte Verde Street 7th Avenue. The Sundial Court Apartments was Carmel's first apartment building. Knight got financial backing for the construction from friends Mary L. Hamlin and Alys Miller.[7] The three partners collectively owned it, and Hamlin served as the initial president and manager. She managed the property through the challenges of the Great Depression and the early years of the World War I.[8]
In 1929 the family cottage on Monte Verde and 7th was relocated to Guadalupe Street and 6th Avenue to facilitate the construction of the Sundial Lodge.[9][6]
The Ship[]

Allen Knight's The Ship
The stone edifice, reminiscent of a seafaring craft or "stone lighthouse," was crafted using water washed granite boulders, incorporating portholes and planks from the Aurora, Knight's own four-masted schooner that had run aground on Monterey Bay in 1932. The furniture, designed to withstand inclement weather, was repurposed from dismantled sailing ships that had met their fate along the shores of the Monterey Peninsula. The shelves and tables held an array of ship models with books, charts, and keepsakes.[9][6]
The Allen Knight Maritime Museum contains nautical artifacts from Allen Knight.[10]
World War II[]
In the years that followed, Knight transitioned into the role of a real estate broker in Monterey, assuming the role of president for the Monterey Realty board in both 1949 and 1953.[1]
Politics[]
Knight served for over ten years on the Carmel City Council on two separate occasions, during which he held the position of mayor from 1950 to 1952,[11] and a member of the Carmel Police Commission. He helped in the establishment of the Carmel Planning Commission.[6] Knight became a spokesperson for mental health and a member of the Carmel Sanitary Board for 23 years.[12] He was also a director of the Carmel Boys' Club and the Navy League as vice president.[4]
Death and legacy[]

Monterey History & Maritime Museum
Knight died at the Christian Science Hospital in San Francisco in August 24, 1964. Private funeral services were conducted in the Little Chapel-by-the-Sea with inurnment in Mission Memorial Park.[1][6]
In 1966 Knight's wife Adele gave "The Ship" collection to the Monterey History and Art Association. In 1971, Knight's collection of artifacts and photographic archives served as the foundation for establishing the Allen Knight Maritime Museum. The museum was initially situated in the basement of the Monterey Museum of Art at 555 Calle Principal. It was also the home of the Monterey History and Art Association. The museum acknowledged Monterey's historical significance in whaling during its early years, its role as a key port on the western coast until the mid-19th century.[9][5]
In 2016 the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association acquired the Allen Knight collection.[13]
See also[]
- List of mayors of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
References[]
- ^ a b c d e "Allen Knight". The Times. San Mateo, California. September 3, 1964. p. 29. https://www.newspapers.com/image/51747060/?terms=%22Allen%20Knight%22%20&match=1.
- ^ Knight, Lily (1900). "1900 United States Federal Census".
- ^ a b Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California: Valley Publishers. pp. 120. ISBN 9780913548738. https://archive.org/details/tributetoyesterd0000hale/page/120/mode/2up?q=%22Knight%22.
- ^ a b Paul Warner (April 24, 1948). "Allen Knight". The Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 3. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_002743/page/n1/mode/2up?q=%22Allen+Knight%22.
- ^ a b Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau: Monterey Maritime and History MuseumArchived 2009-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e Donal M. Craig (August 27, 1964). "In Appreciation Of Allen Knight". The Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 10. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_003594/page/n9/mode/2up?q=%22Allen+KNight%22.
- ^ "Sundial Court To Open Soon". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. May 23, 1930. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_001808/page/n5/mode/2up?q=Sundial.
- ^ Neal Hotelling (16 Sep 2022). "A Thoroughly Modern Sundial". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 27–29. http://pineconearchive.fileburstcdn.com/220916PC.pdf.
- ^ a b c Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Pub.. pp. 93–94. ISBN 9780738547053. https://books.google.com/books?id=vsfoKsxi4q4C&q=Comstock.
- ^ Tom Leyde (December 5, 1981). "Allen Knight Maritime Museum". The Californian (Salinas, California) XXVII (1). https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-californian-the-ship-allen-knight/139043262/.
- ^ "Allen Knight Is New Carmel Mayor". The Californian. Salinas, California. 19 Apr 1950. p. 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/527159354/?terms=%22Allen%20Knight%22%20&match=1.
- ^ "The Entire City Family Regrets Parting With You, Fred, Says City Clerk To Retiring Mayor". Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1950-04-21. p. 1. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_002846/mode/2up?q=%22Knight%22.
- ^ Stephen Canright and Kristen Kvam (2016). "Acquiring the Knight Collection". San Francisco Maritime National Park Association. San Francisco, California. p. 10. https://maritime.org/acquiring-the-knight-collection/.
External links[]
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