Sonoma Plaza (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Plaza de Sonoma'') is the central

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

Sonoma, California Sonoma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's p ...

. The plaza, the largest in California, was laid out in 1835 by

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Don (honorific), Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807 – 18 January 1890) was a Californios, Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of ...

, founder of Sonoma.

Description

This plaza is surrounded by many historical buildings, including the

Mission San Francisco Solano Mission San Francisco Solano was the 21st, last, and northernmost mission in Alta California. It was named for Saint Francis Solanus. It was the only mission built in Alta California after Mexico gained independence from Spain. The difficulty o ...

, Captain

Salvador Vallejo Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807 – 18 January 1890) was a Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of Mexico, and shaped the trans ...

'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 A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

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 Native Sons of the Golden West is a fraternal service organization founded in the U.S. state of California in 1875, dedicated to historic preservation, documentation of historic structures and places in the state, the placement of historic ...

, the legislature appropriated $5,000 for a monument to be placed there. The

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."Native Sons of the Golden West, Richard Kimball & Barney Noel

Gallery

File:SONOMA STATE HISTORICAL PARK - CALIFORNIA.jpg, Blue Wing Inn File:TOSCANO HOTEL IN SONOMA STATE HISTORIC PARK - CALIFORNIA.jpg, Toscano Hotel File:SONOMA BARRACKS, SONOMA STATE HISTORIC PARK, CALIFORNIA.jpg, Sonoma Barracks File:BearFlagMonument.JPG, Bear Flag monument

References

External links

NPS article on Sonoma PlazaSonoma State Historic Park website
{{Registered Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in the San Francisco Bay Area National Register of Historic Places in Sonoma County, California Parks in Sonoma County, California Tourist attractions in Sonoma County, California Buildings and structures in Sonoma, California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California