Petaluma Historic Commercial District

Downtown Petaluma's historic commercial core runs along Petaluma Boulevard and the streets that cross it, bounded on the east by the Petaluma River. The district includes 64 contributing resources, mostly one- to four-story buildings that sit directly on the sidewalk with recessed entrances and display windows. Its best-known feature is a cluster of multi-story, iron-fronted buildings near Petaluma Boulevard and Western Avenue, in Italianate and Second Empire styles, including the Masonic Building, Odd Fellows Hall and Mutual Relief Building. Other styles appear too: Mission Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Streamline Moderne and classically designed bank and post office buildings from the 1920s. Stone and brick warehouses along the river date from about 1854 and now house shops and restaurants. Many storefronts have been altered, yet the upper floors usually keep original materials and design. The district was listed for its role in local commerce and for its architecture between 1854 and 1945, and it retains the feel of a traditional downtown.