PETALUMA’S PAST: Victorians were not so comfy back then

Skip Sommer describes Petaluma’s grand architecural treasures|

Petaluma has been blessed with some of the finest architecture - of many varieties - to be seen anywhere in the United States. The Victorian era, in particular, was one of opulence and beauty here. However … Victorian architecture did have its drawbacks in comfort and practicality, even back then.

Between 1880 and 1935, prominent architects such as Albert Farr, Julia Morgan and Petaluma’s own Brainerd Jones designed many outstanding homes and commercial buildings in this city. They built within many different styles.

In other words, you name it and, we’ve got it!

Brainerd Jones was our hometown star.

For 47 years, he lived and practiced in his building at 226 Washington St., at the corner of Liberty St. Jones has been credited with designing over 60% of Petaluma’s downtown, including the McNear Building, the Fire House, the Post Office, various hatcheries, the Silk Mill, the Woman’s Club and the Carnegie Library-Museum.

He also served on our City Council and Planning Commission for many years.

Petalumans of the 1880s through the early 1900s had money to spend, and they wanted new homes to show it off.

In 1879, L.C. Byce had invented and manufactured the chicken incubator in Petaluma and, by 1895, this equipment had become a standard in every chicken ranch and farm in the U.S. Petaluma was becoming the “Chicken Capital of the World” and L.C. Byce had become very, very wealthy. Tapping some of those profits, he built a fine Queen Anne Victorian at 226 Liberty Street in 1902.

The home featured a three-story dominant tower, sits on a quarter-acre lot, and boasts a carriage house, which was reached through a porte cochere.

The dairy industry was also flourishing then, what with Petaluma’s great year-around climate and lush soil for pasture. The local industry has long been mainly agricultural, and it spawned all the supporting businesses that go with that - feed mills, harness and wagon makers, hardware and clothing stores, groceries, tanneries. Plus, of course, saloons and hotels, which were being built non-stop through the early 20th century. Our first large homes were constructed by these ranchers, merchants, bankers and manufacturers.

Here are a few more examples of the elegant Victorian style in Petaluma:

In 1892, Leonard Haubrich - who owned the Arcade Saloon and Oyster House on Western Avenue - built his gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian at 200 Keller St. It features three stories and a magnificent circular tower. The saloon business was a big money maker in those days and, it was estimated in 1890 that the average American drank nine gallons of whiskey per year!

So Mr. Haubrich was doing very well, and he wanted to demonstrate that.

In 1895, not to be outdone by other merchants, grocer M. Veale built a Queen Anne Victorian at 115 Liberty St. It’s a two-story house, with a round tower facing the mountains, and has a spacious wrap-around porch. There were many grocers in Petaluma at that time, and they all prospered, as our city grew with gusto.

Mercantiler Phillip Sweed constructed his own Queen Anne Victorian in 1895, at 301 Keokuk St. Sweed had become the president of the Petaluma Board of Education and held that position for over thirty years. In 1927, Sweed was honored by having the school building at 331 Keller St. named after him.

Architect Brainerd Jones designed that building, too.

However, lest the home owner of today lusts after those elegant and prosperous times, keep in mind that those homes were heated by cook stove and fireplaces, and the meals and hot water were also prepared by that same cook stove. Wood and/or coal had to be brought-in for the fuel. Some indoor plumbing was to be had in 1890, but mostly the good old out-house prevailed as the standard then.

It was a mighty cold run to the outhouse in the winter, at night especially.

And those icy wood seats? Well …

The horse stables, which housed the means of transportation then, were usually situated beside the home. Complicating that proximity, window and door screens were not invented till the 20th century.

And back then, of course, there were no telephones, no radios, no TVs or computers. Washer and dryer? I’m afraid not. The arduous washing of clothes was usually performed by hand, in an auxiliary structure, because of the heat and odors which that process produced.

And remember that water also, had to be heated by wood or coal stove. It was almost a necessity to have hired help, just to complete the daily chores.

These uncomfortable issues were eventually resolved, of course, as inventions and merchandising brought newfangled solutions.

Yes, even indoor toilets eventually came to Petaluma.

Today, the Victorian homes of Petaluma are not only gorgeous, they are now up to speed in modernity. Some even sport elevators to the third floors.

And, they all survived the great earthquake of 1906, as was not the case with many other Bay Area homes then.

I urge the visitor to Petaluma to view these lovely homes and commercial buildings that grace our town. Few communities are as historically beautiful as ours. All of the homes I’ve highlighted herein are still here. Check out the very good ‘Walking Tour,’ led by docents in period costumes, sponsored by the Petaluma Historical Museum. Also, be sure to visit the permanent architectural exhibit on the Museum’s mezzanine.

And you may wish to purchase the excellent book, “Petaluma, A History in Architecture,” by historian Katherine Rinehart. It’s available at the Museum and also at Copperfield’s Books.

(Historian Skip Sommer is an honorary life member of Heritage Homes, and the Petaluma Historical Museum. Contact hi, at skipsommer@hotmail.com)

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