Herbert Heron
Herbert Heron playing in Romeo and Juliet at the Forest Theater
9th and 13th Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea
In office
1930–1932
Preceded byRoss E. Bonham
Succeeded byJohn C. Catlin
In office
1938–1940
Preceded byEverett Smith
Succeeded byKeith Evans
Personal details
Born
Herbert Heron Peet

(1883-10-26)October 26, 1883
Englewood, New Jersey, US
DiedJanuary 7, 1968(1968-01-07) (aged 84)
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, US
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1905, divorced)​
    Mary Helena Conger
    ​
    (m. 1924)​
    OccupationWriter, actor, poet

    Herbert "Bert" Heron (October 26, 1883 – January 7, 1968) was an American writer, actor, and poet. Heron is best known for founding the Forest Theater in 1910. He was the former mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for two terms in the 1920s. He lived in Carmel for 62 years.[1]

    Early life

    Heron was born, as Herbert Heron Peet, on September 9, 1868, in Englewood, New Jersey. His parents were Gilead Smith Peet (1847-1885) and Jeannie Spring (1843-1921). He came from a background of writers and dramatists. On July 17, 1911, he changed his name to Herbert Heron in Superior Court because he wrote and was known under that name.[2]

    Career

    Herbert Heron in Romeo and Juliet (1912)

    Heron grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University but left to go on the stage. He joined the Belasco Stock Company, the Crawley-Meatayer Company, and the Morosco Stock Company in southern California. This experience taught him how to be a Shakespearean actor. He performed in San Francisco and went to Frank Coppa's restaurant, known among Bohemians in San Francisco. At Coppa's, he met George Sterling, who invited him down to the art colony at Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, in 1908. There, he met James Franklin Devendorf, co-founder of the Carmel Development Company, who sold him a lot to build a house where he lived with his wife and daughter. His wife was Sara Opal Piontkowski Heron Search, the daughter of a Polish Count, whom he married in 1905.[3]

    In 1910, Heron approached Devendorf again to purchase another lot. This time it was in an area surrounded by oaks and pines, for an outdoor (open air) theater. Heron wanted to stage plays starring Carmel residents. At that time there were only three hundred residents. By February 1910, construction began on what would be called the Forest Theater with a platform stage and wooded benches. Devendorf paid the expenses knowing it would be good for Carmel.[4] There was no electricity at the theater, so Heron used calcium floodlights that were brought by covered wagon from Monterey to light the stage.[5]

    Herbert Heron in Hamlet (1926)

    On July 9, 1910, Heron put on the first of the annual theatrical productions at the Forest Theater. It was David, a biblical drama by Constance Lindsay Skinner under the direction of Garnet Holme of UC Berkeley. Heron was in the title role as David and writer Alice MacGowan as Astar.[6][4][7] The play was reviewed in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was reported that over 1,000 theatergoers attended the production.[8] The second play was the Twelfth Night, on July 3 and 4, 1911. Heron played the character Feste. He was part of the cultural circle that included Jack London, George Sterling, James Hopper, and Mary Hunter Austin, Alice MacGowan, and Sinclair Lewis.[7]

    The Carmel Bay Company (once the Seven Arts Building).

    In 1918, Heron opened the first Seven Arts bookstore, selling books, art materials, poetry, and antiques near the Forest Theater. In 1923, Heron commissioned Michael J. Murphy to build the Seven Arts Shop for him and Helena Conger at a new located on Ocean Avenue and Monte Verde Street, next to Edward G. Kuster's Carmel Weavers Studio. In 1925, he hired architect Albert B. Coats and builder Percy Parkes to build the Tudor Revival style building called the Seven Arts Building, located on Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Street. The building is now the Carmel Bay Company.[9] The building accommodated several art organizations, including the Carmel Art Association, and the studio of photographer Edward Weston.[10][11]

    We remember this poet against a background of books which reached to the ceiling of the great living room in his "Eighty Acre" home being gentle host to celebrities of pen and brush. His private library of beautiful and rare books formed the nucleus of his Seven Arts book shop. A writer and producer of plays! an authority on Shakespeare; an actor.

    — Carmel Pine Cone[12]

    In the late 1920s, Heron, concerned about Carmel being commercialized, he entered city politics. He was elected to city council and served twice as mayor of Carmel. He was on Carmel's first planning commission.[13] During the 1930s, a heated dispute arose over the choice of paving material, either asphalt or cement, for the colored pavement. Heron advocated for asphalt while City Councilman John P. Jordan championed cement. Despite the fervent debate, no definitive resolution was reached on the matter of colored pavement, leaving the issue unresolved.[14]

    In 1960, Heron finished his 50th year with the Forest Theater with his play, Pharaoh. By 1963, the theater had shown over 140 plays.[13]

    Plays

    Other plays included:

    Death

    Heron died on January 7, 1968, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, at age 84. Funeral services were private and held in the Little Chapel By the Sea in Pacific Grove, California.[1]

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 "Herbert Heron Former Carmel Mayor, Dies". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. January 8, 1968. p. 22. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
    2. ↑ "Change of Name Is Asked By Author". The Californian. Salinas, California. July 17, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
    3. ↑ Stories of old Carmel: A Centennial Tribute From The Carmel Residents Association. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 2014. pp. 36–37. OCLC 940565140. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    4. 1 2 Edwards, Robert W. (2012). "Chapter Two – Western Frontiers: Birth of the Carmel Art Colony (1896-1909)". Jennie V. Cannon: The Untold History of the Carmel and Berkeley Art Colonies, Vol. 1. Oakland, Calif.: East Bay Heritage Project. p. 39. ISBN 9781467545679..
    5. ↑ "Letter to Richard N. Palmer from Herbert Heron", Harrison Memorial Library, Herbert Heron Collected Papers, June 12, 1963
    6. ↑ Hudson, Monica (2006). Carmel-by-the-sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 56, 82, 88. ISBN 9780738531229. Retrieved March 16, 2022. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    7. 1 2 3 "Forest Theater Plays". Harrison Memorial Library. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. July 9, 1910. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
    8. ↑ "Poet Walks With Plumber In Play". he San Francisco Call. San Francisco, California. July 10, 1910. p. 39. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
    9. ↑ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia. pp. 38, 73, 74, 77. ISBN 9781467103039. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
    10. ↑ "About Us". Carmel Bay Company. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
    11. ↑ Kent L. Seavey (January 31, 2003). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
    12. ↑ "Who's Who-and Here". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. December 14, 1928. pp. 9–15. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
    13. 1 2 "Herbert Heron Collection" (PDF). Harrison Memorial Library. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
    14. ↑ Richard Flower (2014). "The Colored pavement Controversy". Stories of Old Carmel: A Centennial Tribute From The Carmel Residents Association. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 139–140. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    15. ↑ "Fairy Play In Forest Theater. The Land of Heart's Desire Is Given by the Carmel Club". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco, California. September 24, 1911. p. 18. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
    16. ↑ "Finish Rehearsals For Carmel Plays". Monterey Daily Cypress and Monterey American. Monterey, California. June 28, 1916. p. 4. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
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