Rosenburg's Department Store
Why it's listed
Located at the southeast corner of Fourth and D Streets in downtown Santa Rosa, this 1937 commercial building was designed for Rosenberg's Department Store by the San Francisco firm Hertzka & Knowles. It has a two-story corner section with a mezzanine and a simpler one-story section that was originally leased to other businesses. Walls of cast reinforced concrete are finished in smooth stucco, with a curved corner, glass block clerestory windows, a speed-line string course and tall keystones reaching the parapet. A central entry pavilion holds a fluted glass block window and a blade sign with a tower rising about 50 feet above the roof. The store replaced an earlier Rosenberg building lost to fire in 1936. It was altered in 1964, closed in 1988, and was rehabilitated in 1994 with many original features restored or reconstructed. It is considered Santa Rosa's largest and best surviving example of Streamline Moderne design, and the only Moderne tower left on the city's skyline.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is Santa Rosa's largest and best remaining example of Streamline Moderne architecture, within the context of commercial Moderne architecture in the city from 1930 to 1941. Its curved corner, glass block windows, speed-line string course, elongated keystones and tall sign tower are cited as defining features of the style.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 94001497, listed December 29, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 700 Fourth St., Santa Rosa |
|---|---|
| County | Sonoma County |
| Listed | December 29, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001497 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1937 |
| Architect / builder | Hertzka & Knowles (Wayne S. Hertzka, William Howard Knowles); built by Moore & Roberts |
| Architectural style | Moderne (Streamline Moderne) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The store closed in 1988 and stood vacant until 1994, when a rehabilitation was nearly complete, with Barnes & Noble named as the new tenant. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 38.44110, -122.71211 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 94001497.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7368524
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.