Sonoma Valley Woman's Club

About this property

Sonoma Valley Woman's Club is a historic woman's clubhouse located in Sonoma, California. It was founded in 1901 by eleven local women led by Martha Stearns. Built in 1916, the club was designed by architect Brainerd Jones from Petaluma and plays a role in the civic development of Sonoma. The Woman's Club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2015. The Sonoma Valley Woman's Club (SVWC) was founded on September 21, 1901, by eleven local women led by Martha Stearns. This coincided with the year when the General Federation of Women's Clubs was granted a charter by Congress. By October 26 of that same year, the club had 40 charter members. The club played a role in the preservation of Sonoma's historic buildings and the improvement of the Sonoma Plaza, developing the Sonoma Carnegie Library at 453 1st Street East, and restoring the Sonoma Mission. Shortly after its formation, the Woman's Club initiated the Plaza Fund to finance improvements to the Sonoma Plaza. They planted trees and paths and installed three benches in 1903. On March 25, 1904, the Santa Rosa Republican published an article about the project, stating that beautifying the Plaza would significantly enhance Sonoma's attractiveness and help the Women's Club achieve its goals. In 1905, the club president Mrs. Robert P. Hill, sent out postcards featuring the stone foundation the club placed in the Plaza. In 1908, they erected a monument commemorating the Bear Flag Revolt. A larger Bear Flag Monument was installed by the Native Sons of the Golden West (NSGW) in 1914. In 1903, SVWC took the initial steps to establish a free library for Sonoma. They raised funds to buy books and furnishings for the new building. By August 7, 1909, the Library was handed over to the city council for governance when it became the Sonoma Carnegie Library. In 1903, the SVWC raised $184 (equivalent to $6,593 in 2025) to help preserve the Sonoma Mission as a city landmark. In 1910, Club members got a lease on the property and raised $800 (equivalent to $27,643 in 2025) for repairs. They were assisted by the Native Sons and Daughters of Sonoma. In 1911, club members petitioned the State Legislature, resulting in a appropriation of $5,000 (equivalent to $172,768 in 2025) to restore the Mission. By 1914, fundraising efforts began to raise money for building a clubhouse. The chosen site was situated on a residential block at 574 1st Street East, Sonoma, California, within a block south of the Sonoma Plaza. In 1916, the Native Sons provided a loan for $2,500 equivalent to $73,968 in 2025). Contractor W. E. Warriner was selected to build the clubhouse. The first meeting in the new clubhouse took place on September 15, 1916.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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