kids encyclopedia robot

Sonoma Plaza facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Sonoma Plaza
Sonoma City Hall.jpg
Sonoma Plaza is located in California
Sonoma Plaza
Location in California
Sonoma Plaza is located in the United States
Sonoma Plaza
Location in the United States
Location Sonoma, California
Built 1846
Architectural style Italianate, Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP reference No. 75000489
Quick facts for kids
Significant dates
Added to NRHP April 3, 1975
Designated NHLD December 19, 1960

Sonoma Plaza is the central plaza in the former town of Sonoma (pueblo de Sonoma, in Spanish), now known as Sonoma, California. The town is centered on this plaza, the largest plaza in California.

Description

"General Vallejo Reviewing His Troops in Sonoma, 1846"
General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo reviewing his troops in Sonoma Plaza, 1846.

This plaza is surrounded by many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solano, Captain Salvador Vallejo's Casa Grande, the Presidio of Sonoma, the Blue Wing Inn, and the Toscano Hotel. In the middle of the plaza, Sonoma's early 20th-century city hall, at the plaza's center and still in use, was designed and built with four identical sides in order not to offend the merchants on any one side of the plaza. The plaza is a National Historic Landmark and still serves as the town's focal point, hosting many community festivals and drawing tourists all year round. It provides a central tourist attraction. "The Plaza", as it is known, is the site of a huge Fourth of July celebration, with thousands of the town's inhabitants attending the festivities. It is also the location of the Farmer's Market, held every Tuesday in the summer.

History

This location was where the Bear Flag Revolt took place in 1846, which led to the founding of the short lived Republic of California.

Sonoma City Hall was dedicated in 1908.

"For many years, the site in Sonoma Plaza where the bear flag originally had been raised went unmarked. Largely through the efforts of the Native Sons of the Golden West, the legislature appropriated $5,000 for a monument to be placed there. The Native Sons of the Golden West raised $500 to prepare the site, put on dedication ceremonies, and to move the huge rock that serves as the pedestal from a mile away."

Gallery

  • SONOMA STATE HISTORICAL PARK - CALIFORNIA

    Blue Wing Inn

  • TOSCANO HOTEL IN SONOMA STATE HISTORIC PARK - CALIFORNIA

    Toscano Hotel

  • SONOMA BARRACKS, SONOMA STATE HISTORIC PARK, CALIFORNIA

    Sonoma Barracks

  • BearFlagMonument

    Bear Flag monument

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Sonoma Plaza Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.