Pacific Biological Laboratories, Monterey

Pacific Biological Laboratories (PBL), a biological supply company, sold preserved marine animals and specialized microscope slides to educational institutions, museums, and research centers. Located in Monterey's Cannery Row, California, PBL became famous through John Steinbeck's novel "Cannery Row", where he fictionalized the lab as "Western Biological Laboratory" and included a character inspired by PBL's co-founder, Ed Ricketts. After a fire in 1936, Steinbeck invested in PBL, acquiring half of its shares.

In 1949, following Ricketts's death, the lab's building was sold to Yock Yee, a local store owner. Harlan Watkins, a high school literature teacher and jazz fan, rented and later bought the building. From 1958, after Watkins moved to Europe, his friends, including notable artists and writers from Monterey, purchased and used the building as a club venue. This group played a role in initiating the Monterey Jazz Festival, first held in 1958.

The club sold the building to the City of Monterey in 1993 for $170,000. The Cannery Row Foundation restored it in 1998, receiving the Governor's Award for Historic Preservation. In 1997, on Ed Ricketts' 100th birth anniversary, a commemorative plaque was placed at the site by local historical societies. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for monthly public tours.