Historic Resource Report 1 C Street, Bay Bridge Garage Petaluma, Sonoma County, California

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1 Historic Resource Report 1 C Street, Bay Bridge Garage Petaluma, Sonoma County, California Riverfront Warehouse Area in 1960 Courtesy Petaluma Museum Prepared for Adobe Road Winery Petaluma, Sonoma County, California Prepared by Diana J. Painter, PhD Painter Preservation March 7, 2016

2 March 7, 2016 Mr. Kevin Backler Adobe Road Winery 1995 South McDowell Blvd Petaluma, CA Re: Survey and Evaluation for 1 C Street, Bay Bridge Garage Dear Mr. Backler, This letter and the attached Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 forms comprise the survey and evaluation for the property at 1 C Street, the Bay Bridge Garage, in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California The work was undertaken to establish the historic significance of the property that is, its eligibility for listing in the California Register of Historical Places - for purposes of CEQA. This property consists of an industrial structure that was most recently used for automobile repair. It is located within the Central Petaluma Specific Plan area within the Petaluma Theatre District. It is my understanding that you would like to redevelop the property for a winery venue. Property Description The property at 1 C Street in Petaluma, the Bay Bridge Garage, consists of a timber frame, corrugated metal-clad industrial building constructed as a garage and service center by PG&E in It continues its use as a garage to this day, under private ownership. Also on the property is a two-row asphalt parking lot enclosed with a chain link fence. It occupies a.63-acre parcel on the block bounded by C Street on the west; the Petaluma River to the north; a PG&E substation and D Street to the east; and 1st Street to the south. Below is a discussion of research and field methods for the survey and findings. It is followed by an evaluation of the property and a recommendation for its re-use. Previous Surveys The 1937 building at 1 C Street in Petaluma was the subject of a windshield survey by Carey & Company of San Francisco as part of the development of the Central Petaluma Specific Plan in The historic preservation chapter of this report states that the Riverfront Warehouse Area, of which the subject property is a part, contains the largest cohesive collection of resources, particularly warehouse structures that had the potential to be a locally designated historic district. The subject parcel is within the Riverfront Warehouse Area, which was said to contain a unique collection of architectural resources with a unifying historical context. While these buildings are not necessarily individually significant, they do form an environment which is distinguished by its continuity, setting, urban design features, and integrity. (Central Petaluma Specific Plan, 2003:99-101). The subject property is part of a sub-area of the Riverfront Warehouse Area called the Turning Basin, bounded by East Washington, Lakeville and D Street. The subject building is identified as a potentially significant structure in this area. Policy 2.2 of the Central Petaluma Specific Plan states of this area: Recognize industrial structures with historic significance in the transition area between the commercial historic district and Riverfront Warehouse District (Central Petaluma Specific Plan, 2003:106). The Carey & Co. report specifically rated the subject building 4X,, or May become eligible as a contributor to a district that has not been fully documented (Central Petaluma Specific Plan, 2003:115). Research and Field Methods Research for this survey and evaluation was conducted at the Petaluma Branch of the Sonoma County Library. Online sources included the Sonoma County Assessor s Office and the Sonoma County History and Genealogical Library. The City of Petaluma was contacted for possible additional survey and building permit information. Other major resources included a chain of title for the property; previous environmental reports; several historic resource surveys, including those incorporated in the Central Petaluma Specific Plan; the M. Vonsen Company & the First M AILING A DDRESS: PO B OX 2899 S ALEM, OR C ALIFORNIA O FFICE: 388 P ATTEN S TREET S ONOMA, C A

3 Survey and Evaluation for 1 C Street March 7, 2016 Street Warehouses, 209, 219 & 301 First Street, Petaluma, California and Petaluma Ice and Cold Storage Co., Petaluma, California, Historic Resource Report by Painter Preservation; and standard history texts on Petaluma and Sonoma County. Findings To be considered a historic resource, a property must typically be over 50 years in age, be historically significant, and retain integrity. If these findings can be made, the property may be considered a historic resource, eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Places. The subject property was identified as potentially eligible for listing in the California Register as a contributor to a historic district, specifically the Petaluma Riverfront Warehouse District, in the 2003 Central Petaluma Specific Plan. Note, however, that substantial redevelopment has occurred around the subject parcel and block since this recommendation was made. The property was evaluated in the attached Historic Resource Report with respect to two historic contexts. It was evaluated within the context of the industrial development of the Riverfront Warehouse Area, within which it is located. And it was evaluated within the context of PG&E and power generation in general in Petaluma, as a building that was constructed as an ancillary structure to the substation at D and 1st Streets in Petaluma, which is adjacent to the subject property. Evaluation The following is an evaluation of the property at 1 C Street, according to the California Register for Historic Places eligibility criteria established for this purpose. Historical significance may be determined by meeting one or more of the criteria below, provided the resource is over 50 years of age and maintains integrity. 1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United States; The Historic Context PG&E in Petaluma established the history of power generation in Petaluma with a special emphasis on the history of this use in the vicinity of D and 1st Streets, which began with the establishment of a gas plant in 1863 and continued with the development of a PG&E substation here between 1906 and 1911, by which time the substation building, substation, transmission tower, and a gas holder tank had been constructed. This Period of Significance represents the establishment of this substation, which is still in place with the exception of the gas holder tank. The garage was built in 1937 as a garage and service center. It was built later and as an ancillary use, rather than a use central to the substation. PG&E sold the property in The Historic Context Petaluma s Riverfront Warehouse Area establishes the history of the Riverfront Warehouse Area, referred to in the 2003 Central Petaluma Specific Plan as a potential Riverfront Warehouse Historic District. The subject building, located within the Turning Basin sub-area of the study area, was identified as a potential historic property and as a potential contributor to the historic district. However, significant demolition took place in the Riverfront Warehouse Area, beginning immediately after the plan was adopted. The critical mass of warehouse and mill properties that would have enabled a district to be formed is no longer extant in the west end of the district. With respect to this particular building, it was not developed as a warehouse. It was built later than the prevailing early twentieth century buildings that populated the original Warehouse Area, and it has a different form and orientation than the warehouses, which were oriented to both the river and the railroad tracks. It does share a similar construction method, materials, and workmanship as the warehouses, and this should inform the redevelopment of the site within the context that remains from earlier eras. 2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history; Research did not reveal a connection between the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history and this building within either historic context mentioned above. 3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values; M AILING A DDRESS: PO B OX 2899 S ALEM, OR C ALIFORNIA O FFICE: 388 P ATTEN S TREET S ONOMA, C A

4 Survey and Evaluation for 1 C Street March 7, 2016 The building at 1 C Street does not represent the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, and does not represent the work of a master or possess high artistic values. The building is not representative of the prevailing building types - the warehouses and mills - that once occupied this area. While it shares timber frame construction and corrugated metal cladding with the other buildings in the area, it does not have the same form, orientation or use as the riverfront warehouses and mills. It does not directly relate as a type to either the PG&E context or the Riverfront Warehouses context described in the attached Department of Parks and Recreation forms. 4. Has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California or the nation This criterion is typically applied to archaeological resources and is not relevant to this evaluation. Summary The subject property does not meet any of the eligibility criteria above. While the property is over 50 years of age and retains very good integrity, it was not found to be historically significant within either of the contexts discussed above. It is therefore not considered a historic resource for purposes of CEQA. Recommendation While the building itself is not considered a historic resource, it shares certain qualities, including building materials and methods, with the other industrial buildings that once populated this area, and are still extant in the east end of the Warehouse Area. The timber framing of the building appears to be intact and in good condition, and the steel-frame industrial sash windows are also intact. It is recommended here that the project proponents consider re-using part of the building and/or building materials, particularly in the industrial portion of the new use. This would not only pay homage to what this area once was (and still is, in certain locations) it would be environmentally responsible. Valuable materials not used in the new development should be salvaged. Evaluator Qualifications I am an architectural historian whose qualifications meet the Professional Qualifications Standards of the National Park Service in history and architectural history and as outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61. I hold a PhD in Architecture and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning and have 30 years of professional experience in historic preservation and urban design. I am listed as an architectural historian on the roster of consultants on file with the State of California Office of Historic Preservation s Eastern Information Center at the University of California at Riverside. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any comments or questions. Sincerely, Diana J. Painter, PhD Owner/Principal architectural historian M AILING A DDRESS: PO B OX 2899 S ALEM, OR C ALIFORNIA O FFICE: 388 P ATTEN S TREET S ONOMA, C A

5 HRI # PRIMARY RECORD Page 1 of 35 NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date P1. Other Identifier: Bay Bridge Garage *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County: Sonoma and *b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Petaluma Date: 1981 T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; Mt. Diablo B.M. c. Address: 1 C Street City: Petaluma Zip: d. UTM: Zone: 10; me/ ; mn; (NAD 83) e. Other Locational Data: APN ; northeast quadrant of intersection of C Street and 1 Street *P3a. Description: LOCATION AND SETTING The building at 1 C Street, the Bay Bridge Garage, is located on the westerly portion of the block bounded by C Street on the west, 1 st Street on the south, a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation and concrete building to the east, and the Petaluma River to the north. The building is located on the north side of the parcel and a two-row parking lot enclosed by a chain link fence is located on the south side. To the west, adjacent to the Turning Basin, are three residential-scale buildings. To the south is the Petaluma Yacht Club (10 C Street), adjacent to the railroad tracks; in the middle is a Victorian-era residence, now used as offices (6 C Street); and to the north is the C Street Pumping station (2 C Street), recently remodeled to achieve a residential appearance. Running down the center of 1 st Street are the railroad tracks of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad with cobblestones in the center. On the south side of the street is a four-story building with three levels of parking above commercial space. To the east, on the east side of D Street, is a three-story commercial building that was developed on the site of the historic 1 st Street Warehouses as part of the Basin Street (Theatre District) development along the Petaluma River. Across the street to the south is the historic Bar Ale (Rivertown Feed) building. To the northeast is the 1933 D Street bascule bridge (the original bridge was constructed in 1883). A street-end park is planned for the foot of C Street, west of the subject building. The entire area surrounding the Bay Bridge Garage building is varied in character. Vestiges of the earlier warehouse district remain, including the railroad tracks and pilings within the river. While the bridge has changed, a bridge at D Street has crossed the river in this location since The circa 1910 PG&E building, which has classical styling and a public art installation on the south Continued on sheet 2 *P3b. Resource Attributes: HP8 Industrial Building *P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.) P5b. Description of Photo: P5a. Photo or Drawing West (front) and south facades, looking northeast *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: Historic Prehistoric Both 1937 *P7. Owner and Address: Mr. Kevin Backler Adobe Road Winery 1995 South McDowell Blvd Petaluma, CA *P8. Recorded by: Diana J. Painter, PhD Painter Preservation PO Box 2899 Salem, OR (707) *P9. Date Recorded: February 5, 2016 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive for property evaluation *P11. Report Citation: None *Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map Continuation Sheet Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List):

6 Page 2 of 35 P3. Description Continued from sheet 1 side, is located directly east of 1 C Street. Also east of the building is the substation that accompanies it, which appears to have been originally installed at the same time that the PG&E building was constructed. Most of the other buildings in the area, with the exception of the Bar Ale building and the PG&E building, are new, having been constructed as part of the Theatre District redevelopment. Styling for these new buildings varies, from an industrial vernacular aesthetic to Art Deco, in the case of the theater, to the modern parking garage across the street, to a vaguely Second Renaissance Revival treatment on several other buildings. BUILDING This vernacular industrial building at 1 C Street in Petaluma, the Bay Bridge Garage, is a one-story gabled structure with two main volumes, a wider volume to the east and a longer, narrower volume to the west. The main entry to the office portion of the building is on the west gable end. It is located in the east quadrant of the intersection of C and 1 st Streets on a.63-acre parcel and faces west, overlooking C Street. The building has a raised parapet on each end that follows the moderate pitch of the roof, and no eaves. A small cupola whose roof and weathervane has been removed is located on the ridge. The timber frame structure is clad in corrugated metal siding with a corrugated metal roof and has a concrete slab foundation. Corrugated fiberglass panels are regularly spaced on the roof to provide interior light. The building was constructed in 1937 (Carndo ERI) as a garage and service center for PG&E (note that Assessor records indicate a construction date of 1940). Front (west) façade. The front entry for the building is on the west façade. The main pedestrian entry door is an aluminum-frame, double entry door with full-height glass, with a transom window above. This door is recessed within the opening which can then be covered with a sliding metal door with a solid pedestrian door offset toward the right. Above the entry, centered under the gable, is a tall louvered metal vent. Equally spaced to each side of the entry are former windows, now covered in corrugated metal. A sign for Dupont Automotive Finishes Body Shop is mounted on the right window opening. South side façade. The south side façade of the building has three automobile-sized entries toward the east side of this façade. They are covered with two-leaf sliding metal doors with no other openings. Also on the south façade is a small, partially open wood shed with a shed roof, located just west of the larger easterly volume. Also visible on this façade are three twelve-light, steel frame, industrial sash windows. Rear (east) façade. The east façade of the building has the same appearance as the west façade, with the exception that there are three evenly spaced windows instead two [covered] windows and a central door here. North side façade. The north side façade of the building is directly above what were originally wharves and pilings along the Petaluma River. Two industrial sash of the same size as those found throughout the building are located toward the east end, as well as two smaller steel-frame windows. Also on the east end is a shed-roof dormer with two window openings. Toward the west end is a pedestrian door accessed by a small stair and stoop with a simple rail. This is flanked by two, two-part sliding sash windows. Also on this façade are two signs, one with the building address and one with the business name and phone number. A chain link fence and barbed wire that is affixed to the building on the west end prevents access to this area. Interior. The interior of the building has two finished spaces with dropped ceilings, one at the front of the building, which contains offices, and one toward the rear of the building along the north wall. This rear enclosure has a wood stair to a second level, which is lit internally by the windows in the dormer. The remainder of the spaces are open, with the original timber trusses with steel rod reinforcements visible. The front volume is separated from the rear volume by a solid wall. A pedestrian door with a light in the upper portion accesses the rear portion of the building. Fluorescent lighting is mounted on the underside of the trusses and the framing of the roof and building walls is visible, with the exterior corrugated cladding also visible. Changes over time. The building appears to be largely intact, with the same finishes and windows that it appears to have had historically. Two of the front windows are covered over, and the rear (north) door and flanking windows may be new. The cupola was intact as late as The shed-roof dormer is apparent in a 1969 photo of the building. The building retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. It appears to be in good condition.

7 Page 3 of 35 Front (west) façade, looking east North and west (front) facades, looking northwest

8 Page 4 of 35 Rear (east) and north side facades, looking northeast South side façade, looking north (warehouses on north side of river in background)

9 Page 5 of 35. Industrial steel sash, typical

10 Page 6 of 35 Interior trusses and finishes, typical Interior wall between west and east sides of building, looking east

11 Page 7 of 35. Railroad tracks and cobbles on 1 st St, looking east PG&E power plant and power plant building, looking north

12 Page 8 of 35 Setting, looking northwest Setting, looking northeast

13 Page 9 of 35 North façade, looking east toward D Street bridge Warehouses across the river from 1 C Street, looking north

14 Page 10 of 35 1 st & D Streets, looking east 1 st & D Streets, looking northeast, Basin Street 1 st & D Streets, looking southeast, Bar Ale

15 BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 11 of 35 *NRHP Status Code: 6Z Found ineligible for the NR, CR or Local designation through survey evaluation B1. Historic Name: Unknown B2. Common Name: Bay Bridge Garage B3. Original Use: Garage and service center B4. Present Use: Auto body garage *B5. Architectural Style: Utilitarian *B6. Construction History: The building was constructed in 1937, according to a report prepared by Cardno ERI (Assessor records indicate a construction date of 1940). No known major changes have been made to the building. The front entry insert appears to be newer. *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features: The only related feature is a parking area. B9a. Architect: None known b. Builder: Not known *B10. Significance: Theme: Industrial development Area: Petaluma Period of Significance: 1937 Property Type: Garage Applicable Criteria: A HISTORICAL SETTING The block bounded by C and D Streets and 1 st Street and the Petaluma River (Block 97) was first developed in 1875 by A. P. Whitney. In 1883, it was bordered by the Petaluma River to the north, across which a bridge was being constructed at the foot of D Street; another warehouse owned by A. P. Whitney across C Street to the west that was used to store grain; the Petaluma Gas Works to the east; and scattered residences, sheds and stables within the block to the south. Other businesses in the area included S. Rasmuson s Centennial Planing Mill to the southeast; Symonds & Lamoreaux s hay warehouse to the southwest; the D. W. Bliss grain warehouse and S. J. Hopkin s Lumber Yard, also to the southwest; and J. McNear and Sons wood and coal yard to the south, on 3rd Street. SITE HISTORY A. P. Whitney built his warehouse and wharf on the block bounded by C and D Streets and 1 st Street and the Petaluma River in 1875 ( A. P. Whitney will build ). The 1883 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows that the warehouse was used for storing hay and potatoes. The warehouse had a post-and-pier foundation and an east-west drive-through parallel to the long wall of the building, toward the north side. Ladders on the east and west sides accessed the roof. The map noted a plank wharf over the water. The warehouse had five gables running north-south, in a sawtooth pattern. The warehouse across C Street to the west was in place, as was the truss bridge across the river at the foot of D Street. The map illustrates the wharf by showing a schooner in place adjacent to it and the building. Continued on sheet 12 B11. Additional Resource Attributes: HP8 Industrial Building *B12. References: Agreement between City of Petaluma and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, June 30, Continued on sheet 19 B13. Remarks: None *B14. Evaluator: Diana J. Painter, PhD Painter Preservation PO Box 2899 Salem, OR (707) *Date of Evaluation: March 7, 2016 (This space reserved for official comments.) North DPR 523B (1/95)

16 Page 12 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 11 The 1888 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows that an A. L. Whitney (A. P. Whitney s son) owned the warehouse at that time. In 1894, the warehouse was used for storing hay and Whitney s warehouse to the west was used to store grain and potatoes. By 1906, the site was vacant, although the warehouse to the west was still extant, owned by A. Kahn and used for storing grain. By 1910 most of the block was still vacant, but PG&E had built their substation on the eastern portion of the block, which accessed industrial east Petaluma via a wooden draw bridge. In 1911, PG&E built a 150,000 cubic foot gas holder at the corner of 1 st and C Streets. The date of the next Sanborn map, 1923, shows that the substation facility had expanded. On the west side of the block was a small warehouse close to the river. The subject building was constructed in 1937 and housed an automotive garage, warehouse and workshop (Compilation of Investigation :1). When the 1923 Sanborn map was updated to 1949, the substation and gas holder were still extant, and the subject building had the same footprint that the building has today. The narrower volume to the west was labeled 1-40 gallon chem. Cart and the building was noted as having a concrete floor and truss roof. The slightly wider volume to the east was called the meter room and was a meter repair facility (Compilation of Investigation :2). The Sanborn map update to 1965, after its purchase by the Torliatt family, shows that the narrower portion of the building was used as an auto body shop and the wider portion of the building was used for glazing and upholstery. The gas holder was no longer extant (it was decommissioned in 1954 and removed by 1958). OWNERSHIP HISTORY The subject property as a developed site has had relatively few owners. The entire block was first owned by the Whitney family, beginning some time before 1875, where they built warehouses for their grocery, hay and grain business. The land was purchased by the predecessor of PG&E in PG&E owned the property until they parceled off the westerly subject parcel and sold it to Kenneth and Marge Toriliatt in It was owned very briefly by Ralph (Skip) Sommer, who in turn sold it to the Freiberg family in They owned it until 1993, when it was sold to the Hermsmeyer family, who sold it in Despite several owners the subject building itself has been in nearly continuous use as a garage from the time of its construction in 1937 to the present. The following is a profile of the early owners of the subject parcel. Albion Paris Whitney. Albion Paris Whitney ( ) built the first warehouse on the subject property, as well as occupying the warehouse across C Street to the west and building a store and residence in A. P. Whitney, a grain and produce dealer, was born in Maine in He gained experience in the lumber, flour milling and general merchandise business in Maine and Minnesota before moving to California in There he spent two years in the mines before moving to Petaluma in 1861, where he engaged in the grocery business with Mr. Cross in a building across the street from the one he eventually built at Main and English Streets (Petaluma Blvd. N. and Western today). From this small beginning he has worked his way steadily upward, until his business has become the largest in the county. He has united warehousing, commission and shipping business with his other vocation, having six large warehouses and employing several packets [boats] between Petaluma and San Francisco (Munro- Fraser, 1880:602). The 1870 census shows that he held real estate valued at $26,000 and a personal estate valued at $15,000. He was elected a state senator from Sonoma County in He married Susan D. Eastman of New Hampshire in 1850 and had eight children, seven of which survived. His home, still extant, is located at 312 Sixth Street in Petaluma. He died in At the time he was noted as working for C. E. Whitney & Company, which was named after his son Calvin. His widow continued to live in their house, later with her father Otis Eastman and a housekeeper. She listed her profession as landlady. In 1919, the house was purchased by John Olmsted, Sr. Arthur Lesley Whitney. After the death of A. P. Whitney, historic maps show that the warehouses were owned by A. L. Whitney (1858-n.d.). After their father s death in 1884, sons Arthur, Albion and Calvin Whitney operated two companies, the C. E. Whitney and A. L. Whitney companies. Albion took charge of business operations in San Francisco and Arthur took over the Petaluma operations, hence the change of ownership of the waterfront warehouses to A. L. Whitney & Company, while also continuing work in San Francisco. C. E. Whitney & Company dealt in dairy produce and provisions. It was referred to as one of the largest in that city [San Francisco]. Arthur attended the University of California Berkeley where he studied business and Heald s Business College, then returned to Petaluma. He married Anna B. St. John and had two sons. They built their home at 312 Sixth Street, still extant, in Kenneth R and Mabel Torliatt. In 1964, PG&E sold the subject parcel to Kenneth R. and Mabel Torliatt. Torliatt, an auto body mechanic, ran his business, Ken s Auto Body, out of the building. Torliatt ( ) worked as an auto body mechanic his entire career, working for Pete s Auto Top Shop (a relative) and Chet Dickson in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and for himself thereafter. Mabel Torliatt ( ) worked at Sunset Line and Twine during World War II and later as a bookkeeper for Mattei Brothers. She married Ken Torliatt after high school and later, at age 84, married Jerome Starr. Continued on sheet 13

17 Page 13 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 12 Myron and Deborah Freiberg. The property was sold to Myron and Deborah Freiberg in 1980 by Ralph ( Skip ) F. Sommer, who bought it in It was later also held in trust by their children. Myron Freiberg ( ) was an electrical contractor. He and his wife worked all over the country before he retired. Deborah Freiberg ( ) was a very accomplished social worker. Her last position was with the Family Agency of Sonoma County. She and her husband moved to Sonoma County in 1971 and built their home in Sobre Vista in They were also active in local historic preservation efforts. She and Myron married in 1937, upon completion of her graduate studies at Smith College. They were married for 56 years when Myron died in The Hermsmeyers. The Freiberg family sold the property to the Hermsmeyer family in 1993.The Hermsmeyer family had leased the land for their Bay Bridge Garage beginning in the mid-1980s (the company was established in 1942). The Hermsmeyer family sold the property to the present owners in HISTORIC CONTEXT PG&E IN PETALUMA Petaluma s gas works, called the Petaluma Gas Light Company, was the city s first organized source of power. The gas works was established by C. M. Baxter in 1863, and located on the east side of D Street south of the river. On December 19, 1863 gas lights were activated and Petaluma was lit for the first time. The gas works was purchased by Peter Donohue in 1870, as part of his purchase of the railroad; he supplied 15 gas street lamps to the city and promised to keep them lit at no cost. He also agreed to provide gas to city hall and the fire department (Roop, 2009:31; Celebrating Petaluma, 44). The 1877 Sonoma County atlas reported that Peter Donohue was the proprietor of the gas works and that 400 tons of English and Australian coal was used annually to produce 2,800,000 feet of gas, valued at $15,800 (Thompson, 1877:20-1/4). This same year, however, articles of incorporation were filed for the Petaluma Gas Light Company, whose purpose was to manufacture and supply the City of Petaluma with gas. It was formed with capital stock of $100,000 ( Incorporations, 1877). Donohue deeded his gas equipment to the newly formed company. The land itself, east of D Street and north of 1 st Street, was sold to F. G. Nagle on March 11, 1878 (Documents Concerning Electricity in Petaluma, ). The plant was still in place, with the same name, in Petaluma had had electric street lights since That year, the Petaluma Gas Light Company won a bid to supply electricity for the streets in west Petaluma. Led by I. G. Wickersham, the company contracted with the city to erect 40 poles and lights on the west side where municipal mains already existed, as well as construct mains on D Street, Hopper, and East Washington in East Petaluma. They were also to supply electricity to the new plant. On December 27, 1889 the Petaluma Gas Light Company incorporated as the Petaluma Electric Light and Power Company with invested capital of $20,000 and five people on its Board of Trustees. It contracted with the city to furnish light standards and fixtures, as well as the electricity for electric street lights in the downtown and East Petaluma, and four coal oil lights for the two drawbridges. They were also charged with maintaining the plant. The company expanded and improved its facilities over time. By 1891, it supplied power and light to three-quarters of Petaluma s businesses and public buildings (The Resources of California, 1891:7). By the end of 1892, it had $39,154 in assets (Documents Concerning Electricity in Petaluma, ). It issued mortgage bonds valued at $15,000 to raise money to purchase new boilers, a building to house them, new incandescent light dynamos, and a new engine. In April 1895, the citizens of Petaluma voted for municipal ownership of the Petaluma Electrical Light and Power Company. Apparently nothing happened as a result of that vote and by September the power company had such serious financial problems that George McNear stepped in and paid off the creditors and original stockholders. The company was sold for $20,000 to James Burdell and on December 14, 1895 a new board was established, populated by members of the Burdell family. In spring of 1896, Burdell was soliciting bids from engineering companies based on plans and specifications for a cold storage and electrical plant that was to be called the Petaluma Electric Light, Power and Cold Storage Company (Painter, 2008:23). The Petaluma Electric Light and Power Company was owned by Marin County pioneer James Burdell from 1895 to about He apparently bought the company as an experiment, to house it as part of the planned Petaluma Ice and Cold Storage Building (the Burdell Building today). While the company operated from this building for a relatively short time, it was a significant period in Petaluma s development and innovative in the way it was combined with the cold storage plant. An entire page in the 1898 Reynolds & Proctor Sonoma County altas was devoted to it, entitled, Petaluma s Pride. Electric Light, Electric Power, Ice Plant, Cold Storage and Creamery Under one Combine. The Electrical Department was described as follows: The electrical department housed four dynamos, two for commercial incandescent lighting; one for arc lights for the City of Petaluma; and one that was used for furnishing power to various manufacturing enterprises in the city. It was noted that the electrical instruments were mounted on a 20 by 8 marble switch board (Reynolds & Proctor, 1897: 34). The facility s presence in East Petaluma at this time helped attract industry and manufacturing and the improved power source allowed existing industry to expand (Painter, 2008:20). Continued on sheet 14

18 Page 14 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 13 In January of 1897, it was announced that a meeting of the stockholders of Petaluma Electric Light and Power Company would be held in a few days when business of importance would be discussed. A proposal from Western Refrigerating Company to. purchase the electric light plant and related franchises and contracts was to be entertained. The Gas Light Company was thereafter to be called the Petaluma Gas and Electric Company. It was to be housed in the new building along with the Petaluma Ice and Cold Storage and Western Refrigerating companies Research did not reveal the exact sequence of events in the transition from Burdell s ownership of the power company. In December 1905 the sale of the property bounded by C and D Streets and 1 st Street and the Petaluma River, from the California Central Gas & Electric Company to the California Gas & Electric Corporation was recorded, and in February 1906, a sale of the property from California Gas & Electric Corporation to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) was recorded. (The predecessor of PG&E was the California Gas and Electric Corporation, which was formed in In 1905, this company merged with San Francisco Gas and Electric Company to become PG&E ( Energizing California for 150 years ). At the same time, the Western Refrigerating Building (aka the Burdell Building), which had been housing the power company, was damaged in the 1906 earthquake (see figure on sheet 26). In the 1906 directories the Petaluma Gas and Electric Company was located at 840 Main, where they had an office and storage (Petaluma Blvd. N. about midway between Washington Street and B Street today), and Petaluma Power and Water Company was located at 516 Washington. This same year, Sanborn maps show that both the former gas works site and the former A. P. Whitney warehouse site were vacant. On March 4, 1907 a petition, signed by nearly 100 businessmen and business owners in the city, was presented by the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce to the City. It stated that: the expense of lighting the City of Petaluma both public and private, for both electric and gas light, is excessive, we the undersigned residents and householders of the said City, hereby petition your Hon. Board to investigate said matter and after proceedings held according to law in such matters in cities of this class, fix a rate with the Electric Light & Gas Company may charge (Documents Concerning Electricity in Petaluma, ). An article in The Petaluma Argus on June 11, 1907 announced that a new steam plant was being built in order to continue to supply cheap power and light to Petaluma, which was particularly valuable to local industry. By 1910, a new substation, a new substation building, a small storage building, gas tanks, and a Steel Switchtower were located on D Street at their present location and by 1912 a new substation called The Great Western Power Company was located on Hopper Street in East Petaluma. A small storage building was located on the former gas works site. These utilities featured heavily in the Chamber of Commerce 1916 publication: Petaluma is well lighted by electric lamps placed advantageously throughout the City. Light, power and gas in unlimited quantities and at very reasonable rates are supplied by the Pacific Gas & Electric and the Great Western Power Companies. No city on the coast of similar size is more favored in this respect (The Largest Poultry Center :3). It appears that PG&E owned the subject block beginning in 1905 and began development of their plant in that location between 1906 and 1910, by which time it was in place. Their concrete building and tower was established. No doubt the actual substation equipment has changed over time due to changes in technology, but the plant still occupies the location at 1 st and D Street. PG&E built their 150,000 cubic foot gas holder at 1 st and C Streets in 1911 and built the auto garage and service center in The gas holder facility was shut down in 1954 and removed by 1958 (Compilation of Investigation :1). The garage was sold to a private party in 1964 (Chain of Title :3). HISTORIC CONTEXT PETALUMA S RIVERFRONT WAREHOUSE AREA Petaluma was the northernmost point in the Bay Area accessible by ship in the mid-nineteenth century. It got its start as a shipping center for agricultural products, serving the needs of San Francisco during the gold rush, which had created a huge demand for food and made its provision highly lucrative. Petaluma continued to be a major transportation hub, exporting the agricultural products of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, in addition to being a center for the agricultural industry itself, until the mid-twentieth century. Transportation was at first supplied by Petaluma Creek (River today), which drove the location of the nineteenth century river warehouses. Later the rail spur along 1 st Street also served the warehouses, hence their continued location between the river and the railroad tracks in the twentieth century, with an orientation towards both. Finally, they continued to be viable in the later twentieth century, served by truck. The cluster of warehouses and mills along the river, particularly between D and H Streets, was intact and continuous by the midtwentieth century (see figure on sheet 30). Other support industries located on inland blocks, particularly those blocks between 1 st and 2 nd Streets. Many of the warehouses constructed in the nineteenth century, such as the A. P. Whitney warehouse, were located closer to downtown. By ca 1906 Whitney s main warehouse, constructed in 1875, had been demolished and the riverfront area closest to downtown, in the vicinity of B Street, was redeveloped as a center for McNear s warehouses and mill (founded in 1854). Continued on sheet 15

19 Page 15 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 14 The subject block was soon to be redeveloped as a PG&E substation. Warehouses, mills and wharfs continued to be constructed further east in the early twentieth century, which included most of the buildings comprising the Riverfront Warehouse Historic District discussed in the Central Petaluma Specific Plan. These buildings, sited directly east of the subject block in the 200 block of 1 st Street are, with the exception of st Street, no longer extant. Commercial shipping on Petaluma River began circa Petaluma was the northernmost point in the Bay Area accessible by ship, and its river habitat provided abundant game. This was Petaluma s main export until Once California became a territory families began to homestead and in the early 1850s farms were established. At this time products grown in Sonoma County included wheat, barley, corn, rye, buckwheat, peas and beans, potatoes, fruit, vineyards, and cattle. The first warehouse in Petaluma for storing and shipping these goods was built by James McReynolds for James Hudspeth to store potatoes (Painter, 2004:4). From 1854 to 1860 Petaluma grew faster than any town in Sonoma County in wealth and population due to its activities as a port. When the town was incorporated in 1857 the population was 1,338. By the 1880s, it was 5,000 and Petaluma was a thriving mercantile center. Products at this time included wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, hay, hops, butter, cheese, wool, nut trees, horses, sheep, goats, and timber. In addition to exporting goods from Sonoma County, Petaluma transformed itself into an agricultural supply point. In the 1870s and 1880s it promoted itself as a manufacturing center and a center for the poultry industry, for which its climate and soil were ideal. As early as 1907 Petaluma called itself the poultry center of the Pacific Coast. Additional exports that gained prominence at this time included hay, grain and dairy products. Hay was sent to San Francisco for use by individuals and in the livery trade. Petaluma was the shipping point for much of the region s abundant grain crop, which left Petaluma for San Francisco and was then shipped to three continents (LeBaron, 1993:58). Dairy products enjoyed the most growth in Sonoma County at this time. Butter in particular was an important export, as it could withstand the journey to San Francisco. Whitney s warehouse, as well as many others, stored the crops that shipped from Petaluma. Continued on sheet 16 Historic view of Riverfront Warehouse Area; PG&E transmission tower in distance Courtesy Petaluma Museum

20 Page 16 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 15 The face of shipping in Petaluma changed once the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway (P&SR), which was an electric interurban line, began service in East Petaluma in 1904 (note that Petaluma s first railroad, the Petaluma and Haystack Railroad, was established in 1864). It ran from Petaluma to Sebastopol to Santa Rosa, comprising 37 miles of track, with additional branch lines, and carried both passengers and freight. The railway was built to help outlying towns get their produce to market via Petaluma s rail and shipping lines (Wilson, 2001:53). In Petaluma the trains connected to boats bound for San Francisco. Beginning in 1919, the P&SR Railroad built a spur line along 1st Street (the West Petaluma Spur ) that served the warehouses on this route. This was completed in June The rail line extended from about Payran on the north side of Petaluma and ran along Water Street through downtown, and behind McNear s Mill on a trestle. From there it ran down 1st Street, with spurs serving the warehouses and mills along this route, extending all the way to the Petaluma Box Company, where Foundry Wharf is today (PAST Consultants LLC, 2007:23). The tracks and trestle still exist. Railroads opened up markets for agricultural and timber products from Sonoma County, but rail did not supplant shipping by boat. Sailing scows continued to be more economical to ship out hay and other bulky products such as grain and lumber. In fact, Petaluma advertised itself as the town where rail and water transportation meet, which it did from 1864 to Design Characteristics of the Warehouses Corresponding to their function, the typical features of the warehouses that developed along the Petaluma River in the nineteenth century are as follows. They had rear openings onto the river, which allowed goods to be moved directly from the warehouse to the wharf. The wharves extended out over the river, supported by piers. Whitney s warehouse on the subject block had an innovative interior drive-through that extended from C Street to D Street, allowing goods to be offloaded within the warehouse. The warehouse buildings also had front openings onto 1st Street, and often multiple other openings along the sides that appeared to be added or deleted as needed over time. The openings onto 1 st Street did not appear to be as carefully designed for transportation purposes as the rear openings onto the river. They sometimes appeared to be retrofitted to serve various transportation modes, from rail to trucking. By the mid-1950s the wharves along the river were nearly continuous from D Street to G Street. Today the piers supporting the wharfs still exist, although they have no planks or decking. The twentieth century warehouses typically had timber frames and corrugated metal cladding on the exterior walls and roof. Both corrugated iron and steel became increasingly popular for agricultural, light industrial and warehouse buildings in the twentieth century. The Architects & Builders Handbook of 1921 noted that iron and galvanized steel were both used extensively in building. Builders and suppliers, plan books, and organizations such as the USDA and University of California Experimental Station promoted the use of corrugated metal. Through the 1930s and 1940s however, both wood (usually board and batten) and metalcladding continued to be used (Painter, 2004:34). Typical metal cladding measured ten feet long by 27 ½ inches wide These corrugated metal sheets were easily replaced; thus the framing and form of the warehouses were their primary historic features, allowing cladding and openings to be changed to serve changing needs. The basic form characteristics of the warehouses continue to the present. They no longer made active use of the waterfront once the use of scows was discontinued for transporting hay and other bulky goods in the 1920s and the last steamer made its final run in 1950 (Wilson, 2001:24). (Note however that barges still run on the river, hauling mainly oyster shells and gravel (Painter, 2004:9). The warehouses no longer made use of the railroad once freight service was discontinued on the 1 st Street spur. The Northwestern Pacific Railroad, which had bought out the P&SR in 1932, dismantled the trolley lines in 1947 when they converted to diesel. By 1955, only one rail freight line per day left Petaluma (PAST Consultants LLC, 2007:30). The 1 st Street warehouses were successfully served by truck once rail traffic was curtailed. This continues to this day for the warehouses that are still used for industry at the east end of the Warehouse Area. Thus the characteristic form and function of the warehouses continue to serve the [much diminished] industrial needs of Petaluma in the Warehouse Area. The Riverfront Warehouse Area in the Twentieth Century The Riverfront Warehouse Area in the nineteenth century was discussed in general terms above. The following is a discussion of the area in the twentieth century. By 1906, a number of changes had taken place on the waterfront. A. Kahn operated the warehouse west of C Street and north of 1 st Street, in place of Whitney. Whitney s large warehouse was gone, supplanted by a PG&E substation. And the Petaluma Gas Works east of the D Street bridge was also gone. The years between 1910 and 1923 (the dates of the available Sanborn Fire Insurance maps) were transformative years. The industrial area on the opposite side of the Petaluma River from the subject block was densely developed with mills, warehouses, egg storage and packing plants, planing mills, and lumber yards. The Petaluma & Santa Rosa electric railway station was located at E. Washington and Weller Street. Railroad tracks and spurs for the line and the Northwestern Pacific railroad wove through the area and even through buildings, serving industries such as the G. P. McNear Co., Golden Eagle Milling Co., Cavanagh Lumber Co., Continued on sheet 16

21 Page 17 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 16 Camm & Hedges Co., Petaluma Ice & Cold Storage, Western Refrigerating Co., and Poultry Producers of Central California. Poultry Producers of Central California had their main facilities here, including box storage and a storage and shipping warehouse (Painter, 2004:16). George P. McNear built his main plant west of B Street in 1902 (Clark, 2001:5). By 1919, the complex extended from Main Street (Petaluma Blvd. N.) to the Petaluma River. It included a barley cleaning mill, several grain and feed warehouses, and a sack sorting and storage building (Sanborn Fire Insurance map, 1910/1919). By 1925, he had at least 14 warehouses. Most of the buildings were timber-frame construction clad in corrugated iron, although other materials included wood siding, brick and stone, the latter remaining from an earlier warehouse (Clark, 2001:5). By about the mid-twentieth century, the area from D Street to beyond H Street along the river was nearly built-out with warehouses, a condition that remained until the early twenty-first century. By 1949, McNear had expanded operations north of B Street to fill nearly every square foot of available land. The complex included various warehouses, grain elevators, and a feed mixer. The old Kahn (previously Whitney) warehouse was now McNear Warehouse #10. East of the subject block, the warehouse area was dominated by Magnus Vonson s warehouses and mills. Beyond Vonsen s properties were the warehouses of the Poultry Producers of Central California. The mass of structures by 1960 can be clearly seen in the aerial photo on sheet 30. The Riverfront Warehouse Area was a major employment center at midcentury. In just two examples, the Poultry Producers of Central California employed 415 people at their mill just north of the river in 1949, not considering their other employment centers, and Magnus Vonsen and his feed business employed 75 people in Petaluma alone at his death in 1954 (City Mourning Vonsen Death, 1954:1) Magnus Vonsen ( ) was a businessman and entrepreneur whose career in many ways echoed that of A. P. Whitney, with the exception that it occurred nearly two generations later. Vonsen s warehouse and feed mill complex occupied the blocks immediately east of the subject block. Today all his buildings are gone, with the exception of st Street, Rivertown Feed, formerly Bar Ale, a business that is the successor of his M. Vonsen & Co. founded in At the height of his business ventures, he operated five warehouses and a mill in the Warehouse Area, in addition to his retail store downtown. In the 1920s, Vonsen served as the president of Petaluma s Chamber of Commerce, whose job it was to promote area business, which was dominated by the poultry, egg, dairy and feed industries. One of Vonsen s main accomplishments during his presidency was to write an address that was part of a series of four entitled Community Consciousness. It was broadcast on March 22 nd, 1926 on radio station KQW of San Jose and read by Fred J. Hard, editor of the California Farm Bureau Radio News. An excerpt follows: Today on the west bank of the Petaluma River we see tremendous warehouses to which are brought not only the wheat of California and the Pacific Coast states, but corn from Argentina and Manchuria, cocoanut meal from the islands of the Pacific, meat scraps from South America, kaffir from Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, mill feeds from the flouring mills of the Pacific Northwest and Canada, in fact any and everything which economically can be used in the production of eggs and butter-fat (Painter, 2004:23). Historic Studies of the Riverfront Warehouse Area A number of historic resource studies of the Riverfront Warehouse Area have been conducted over the last several years to assess its historic significance. As early as 1992 William Roop of Archaeological Resource Service called the area an impressive district of older, river oriented, metal commercial buildings. The buildings of the area were included in numerous surveys of Petaluma, but were specifically studied for the Central Petaluma Specific Plan, which now governs this area, and as part of the redevelopment of the area for the Petaluma Theatre District. These focused studies nearly unanimously recommended formation of a local historic district to recognize and protect the resources of the area. The studies included the Carey & Co. survey of 2001; the Carey & Co. survey of 2003; and the Clark Historic Resource Consultants recommendations of An earlier study by Page & Turnbull of San Francisco stated: These blocks of predominantly gabled metal buildings, specifically those bounded by First Street and the river, are unified by their industrial use and style. The older of these buildings was built around 1920, replacing others built from the mid-to-late 1800s for agriculture related industry. The present Bar Ale [Rivertown Feed] operations is a very unified industrial complex, lending great interest and vitality along with a sense of the industrial activity authentic to Petaluma to both the street and the river (Central Petaluma Specific Plan, 2003:107). The Central Petaluma Specific Plan. The historic reports prepared by Carey & Co. were undertaken for the Central Petaluma Specific Plan. Their findings are incorporated in the plan in Chapter 9. Historic Preservation. The study area was organized into four geographic sub-areas: North River Area; Turning Basin; Riverfront Warehouse District; and Lower Reach. The subject property is in the Turning Basin sub-area. The report outlined historic preservation goals, objectives, policies and guidelines for the area. It also identified Potentially Significant Resources. It identified a potential Riverfront Warehouse Historic District, which was defined Continued on sheet 18

22 Page 18 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from Sheet 17 as both sides of 1 st Street between D and H Streets. Finally, it ranked and assigned a National Register of Historic Places Status Code to each identified property. The Plan called out the building at 1 C Street as a potentially significant resource within the Turning Basin sub-area (Central Petaluma Specific Plan, 2003:105). It rated the property 4X, defined as, May become eligible as a contributor to a district that has not been fully documented (Central Petaluma Specific Plan, 2003:119). The proposed Warehouse Area Historic District was not designated and many of the buildings were demolished or irrevocably altered as part of the Theatre District redevelopment and subsequent development projects. Today most of the remaining industrial buildings in the area are at the east end of the Warehouse Area, including the adaptively re-used Foundry Wharf. The report prepared by Painter Preservation & Planning on the Warehouse Area concluded: Many of the warehouses east of F Street still exist, although they are somewhat inconsistent in quality. Foundry Wharf remains an excellent example of adaptive reuse of historic structures, and a project that provides high quality public space, access to the water, and an orientation that takes advantage of both the river and territorial views (Painter, 2004:44). M. Vonsen Company & the First Street Warehouses, 209, 219 & 301 First Street, Petaluma, California. As part of the mitigation for the demolition of Magnus Vonsen s warehouses at 209, 219 and st Street, the City of Petaluma hired Painter Preservation & Planning to develop a historic context for the area and make recommendations for recognition and preservation of the remaining riverfront area historic resources. This study, prepared in 2004, made note that the building at 1 C Street was virtually the only industrial building along the river between B and F Streets that was still extant by that time (note that st Street has apparently also been retained). At the west end, the study noted that The Great Mill was also an example of adaptive reuse, although its rehabilitation makes it difficult to understand the historic origins of the structure. It continued: Nonetheless it [the Mill] has some interesting features and takes some advantage of the waterfront. The treatment of the railroad trestle in this location will be important to retaining what is left of the historic context in this area. The Riverfront Warehouse Area Today The core buildings of the Riverfront Warehouse Area that captured the imagination the view of gable roofs gently curving along the river bank and docks lining the frontage and conveyed the history of over 150 years of shipping on the Petaluma River is gone. The five buildings from the D Street drawbridge including the corner gable-front building at st Street and mill at st Street that burned to beyond E Street are gone and nothing that is built in their place can re-capture the drama and history that was inherit in this skyline. Numerous studies over time found the area to be historically significant but action toward creating a Riverfront Warehouse Historic District, as was recommended, was not taken. Today the Riverfront Warehouse Area that is, the buildings between the Petaluma River and the railroad track, anchored by The Great Mill to the west and Foundary Wharf to the east is much changed. The block to the west of the site is occupied by the pump station at 2 C Street (recently renovated); a ca 1880 Victorian house at 6 C Street that was moved to the site and contains offices; and the Petaluma Yacht Club at 10 C Street, a contemporary building. This was the site of a warehouse once owned by Whitney, which existed at the site until at least The block was partially taken by the enlargement of the Turning Basin. The subject block, as well as the property to the west, was occupied by Whitney s warehouses in the nineteenth century. In the first decade of the twentieth century it was redeveloped by PG&E. The PG&E substation is still extant and consists of a concrete building and the substation. The two transmission towers flanking each side of the 1933 D Street Bridge in this area form a gateway to the Turning Basin with an appropriately industrial motif. The 1911 Gas Holder tank on the subject property was removed circa The subject building, constructed in 1937 as a garage and service center for PG&E, is still extant. It was sold to a private party in The block to the east of the subject property once contained M. Vonsen s feed mill and warehouse complex, much of it built circa 1910, which existed here until the first decade of the twenty-first century. One business is left from this era, Rivertown Feed (formerly Bar Ale), which is located at st Street, on the southeast corner of the intersection of 1 st and C Streets. The circa 1940 building is occupied is the successor to M. Vonsen s grain and milling business. Several of his former warehouses between D and F Streets were demolished and redeveloped as part of the Theatre District project in Others succumbed to fire. All were gone but Rivertown Feed by the 100-year anniversary of the original business, with the possible exception of the industrial building at st Street which appears to be the original industrial building on the site, albiet refurbished. The apartment building at the foot of F Street, also within this block, is three stories. If any of the original building was retained here, it is unrecognizable. Buildings between F and H Streets have been retained and are still occupied, for the most part, by industrial businesses. The building at st Street is occupied by Kresky Signs, which has been in business for over 60 years. Once occupied by Poultry Producers of Central California, it is a four-bay industrial building with a loading dock and spur track on 1 st Street. The Poultry Producers of Central California sign on the river frontage could still be seen until the warehouses were repainted in the summer of East of this structure, at 521 First Street, the city still had their machinery storage in The building is still there today and houses A & G Tool & Die, Inc. It is a corrugated metal structure with a monitor roof. This block retains the most authentic industrial appearance in the Riverfront Warehouse Area today. Continued on sheet 19

23 Page 19 of 35 B10. Significance Continued from sheet 18 East of H Street Kresky Manufacturing had a large facility for oil stove manufacturing. It included a sheet metal shop, paint booth, welding shop, bake oven, stove assembly area and tin shop. Today this structure has been renovated into Foundry Wharf, which is mainly an office and light industrial complex. It encompasses all the massive Kresky Manufacturing plant, with new structures at the northwest corner and to the north along the water. South of Kresky s Poultry Producers of Central California had a poultry storage and dressing facility. This was demolished to make way for the parking lot for Foundry Wharf. Summary The demolition of structures along with losses by fire of the historic structures in the Riverfront Warehouse Area means that significant context has been lost, particularly along the waterfront on the west end. (There are significant structures remaining in the east end, the showpiece of which is the redeveloped Foundry Wharf.) Much of the area immediately surrounding the subject property has been redeveloped. The block to the west was redeveloped some time after The block to the southwest was redeveloped as part of the Theatre District project. The block to the south was redeveloped as part of the Theatre District project, with the exception of the Fire Station. The block to the southeast contains the historic Rivertown Feed. The block to the east was redeveloped as part of the Theatre District project. Lastly, the parcel to the immediate east of the subject parcel retains its historic substation. This author agrees with the findings of the Central Petaluma Specific Plan that 1 C Street would be a contributing building to a historic district, but the loss of historic context means that the immediate area is no longer eligible as a district, and the opportunity for the subject building to be contributing to a district has been lost. The subject building is not a historic warehouse; it was built later than many of the warehouses, which date to the early twentieth century, and was built as a garage. It does not have the characteristic form or orientation as the historic warehouses, and was not used as a warehouse. It is not a contributor to a small district made up of the PG&E substation, as it was built later than the circa substation and tower, as an ancillary use and building. In conclusion, the subject building and property is not a historic resource for purposes of CEQA. For a formal evaluation, see attached cover letter. B12. References Continued from sheet 11 All Appropriate Inquiry Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment 1 C Street, Petaluma, CA Prepared by Harris & Lee Environmental Sciences, LLC. Prepared for Exchange Bank. May 18, A. P. Whitney will build at Petaluma..., Marysville Daily Appeal, February 17, Bay Bridge Garage Inc., accessed January Chain of Title Guarantee Schedule A. Prepared by Stewart Title Guaranty Company. Prepared for Buckler Family Vineyards. February 9, City Mourning Vonsen Death, Argus-Courier, June 17, 1954, p. 1.City of Petaluma, Central Petaluma Specific Plan. Petaluma, CA: City of Petaluma. Adopted June 2, Clark, Susan, Evaluation for Significance, G.P. McNear Grain Warehouse #9, 102 C Street, Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA [sic], APN Prepared by Clark Historic Resource Consultants. Prepared for Basin Street Properties, February Compilation of Investigation and Clean-Up Reports, Petaluma Former Gas Holder and Service Center. Prepared by Cardno ERI. Prepared for PG&E. December Deborah Freiberg, (obit), The Press Democrat, April 30, Documents Concerning Electricity in Petaluma On file, Petaluma History Room, Sonoma County Library, Petaluma Branch, Petaluma, CA, Energizing California for 150 years, PG&E, accessed February Guinn, J. M., A history of the State of California and biographical record of Oakland and environs: also containing biographies of well-known citizens of the past and present. Oakland, CA: Historic Record Company, Heig, Adair, History of Petaluma, A California River Town. Petaluma, CA: Scottwall Associates, Illustrated Atlas of Sonoma County, California. Santa Rosa, CA: Reynolds and Proctor, Reprinted Mt. Vernon, IN, Windmill Publications, Incorporations, Sacramental Daily Union, August 30, Continued on sheet 20

24 Page 20 of 35 B12. References Continued from sheet 19 LeBaron, Gaye and Joann Mitchell, Santa Rosa, A Twentieth Century City. Santa Rosa, CA: Historia, Ltd., Mabel Torliatt Starr, (obit.), Marin Independent Journal, December 4, Munro-Fraser, J. P., History of Sonoma County including its Geology, Topography, Mountains, Valleys and Streams. San Francisco, Alley, Bowen & Co., 1880 (reprinted by Charmaine Burdell Veronda, Petaluma, CA, 1973). Painter, Diana J., Petaluma Ice and Cold Storage Co., Petaluma, California, Historic Resource Report. Prepared by Painter Preservation & Planning, Petaluma, California. Prepared for Creedence Construction & the City of Petaluma, Petaluma, California. March 2008; rev. October , M. Vonsen Company & the First Street Warehouses, 209, 219 & 301 First Street, Petaluma, California. Prepared by Painter Preservation & Planning. Prepared for the City of Petaluma. September Smith, Perry, Editor, Celebrating Petaluma. Petaluma, CA: Petaluma Sesquicentennial Committee and Petaluma Visitor s Program, Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad Trestle, Petaluma, California, Historic Structure Report. Prepared by PAST Consultants, LLC. Prepared for City of Petaluma. November 30, Petaluma Sonoma Co. Cal., (Birds eye view), Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad Trestle, Petaluma, California, Historic Structure Report. Prepared by PAST Consultants, Petaluma Sonoma County California, The Largest Poultry Center in the World. Petaluma, CA: Petaluma Chamber of Commerce, Phase II Environmental Assessment, Basin Landing Project, Petaluma, California. Prepared by Kleinfelder. Prepared forg & W Management Company. June 30, Polk City Directories, San Francisco, CA, various years. Rinehart, Katherine J., Petaluma, A History in Architecture. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, Roop, William, An Archaeological Evaluation of the Proposed Petaluma Town Center Project, Petaluma, Sonoma County, California. Prepared by Archaeological Resource Service. Prepared for Basin Street Properties, Petaluma. April 8, Roop, William and Katherine Flynn, A Few Historic Facts About Petaluma and Its River, May Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, Petaluma, 1883, 1885, 1888, 1894, 1906, 1910, 1923, 1923 updated to 1949, 1958, Sonoma County, The Resources of California. San Francisco, CA: February U.S. Census, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, Wilson, Simone, Petaluma, California. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2001.

25 Page 21 of Sanborn Fire Insurance map showing A P Whitney s warehouse on the subject property; A P Whitney s warehouse west of C Street; and the Petaluma Gas Works east of D Street

26 Page 22 of 35 A. P. Whitney warehouses in 1884

27 Page 23 of 35 The A. P. Whitney grocery at English (Western) and Main (Petaluma Blvd. N.); no longer extant

28 Page 24 of 35 A. P. Whitney House, 320 Sixth Street, 1862 A. L. Whitney House, 312 Sixth Street, 1882

29 Page 25 of 35 Western Refrigerating Building (AKA Burdell Building) in 1905, when it still housed Petaluma s power plant, and before being damaged by the 1906 earthquake

30 Page 26 of 35 Petaluma Ice and Cold Storage (Western Refrigerating) stack after the 1906 earthquake Courtesy Petaluma Museum

31 Page 27 of 35 Map of the route of the P&SR Railroad spur on 1 st Street Courtesy PAST Consultants LLC

32 Page 28 of 35 PG&E Plant some time before 1958 Source: Petaluma A History in Architecture

33 Page 29 of 35 PG&E substation some time before 1958 Courtesy Sonoma County Library

34 Page 30 of 35 Property context, 1960, showing Riverfront Warehouse Area before redevelopment Photo courtesy Petaluma Museum

35 Page 31 of Sanborn Fire Insurance map, updated to 1965, showing autobody shop of Ken Torliatt

36 Page 32 of 35 Subject property and context in 1993 and 2015

37 Page 33 of 35 Tax parcel map

38 SKETCH MAP Page 34 of 35 *Drawn By: Sonoma County Assessor *Date: 2016 DPR 523K (1/95)

39 LOCATION MAP Page 35 of 35 *Map Name: Petaluma *Scale: 1:24,000 *Date of Map: 1981 DPR 523J (1/95)