Hall of the above centennial, an eras tour
Connie Williams, library historian at the Sonoma County Library, unearthed this article marking the opening of our incredible building, which gave us our birth date: April 25 1926 (even though the building facade says 1925—construction schedules, right?).
So. This means our centennial is right around the corner! We’re hosting an open house April 25, 2026, and are inviting the whole community to come by and wish the building a happy birthday. And we thought we’d take a little walk down memory lane in celebration of this moment.
Info pulled from Petaluma Historian and photos from Sonoma County Library Archives
1870’s: derby building
After the Great Petaluma Fire of 1872 burned down the wooden buildings on both the northwest and southwest corners of Petaluma Boulevard and Washington Street, developer Andrew B. Derby built the Derby Building, designed in the same Italianate style as the Bank of Sonoma County across the street.
The building held the Morris Cigar Store and a dry goods store in the Main Street storefront, and the Petaluma Courier newspaper and its presses in the Washington Street storefront. Upstairs was filled with the offices of dentists and doctors and a hall for performances, social gatherings, and community meetings (hey hey!).
Derby Building, 1875 (Photo Sonoma County Library)
1926: Sonoma County National Bank
In 1925, George P. McNear purchased and tore the Derby Building down, replacing it with a new Italian Renaissance style building to house the Sonoma County National Bank and the Petaluma Savings Bank. (For a gorgeous collection of archival construction photos collected by our dear friend Katherine Rinehart, local historian extraordinaire, see here.)
1928-1968: Bank of America
In 1928, Bank of America purchased the building to serve as its regional branch. In 1930, they also purchased the Bank of Italy across the street on the northwest corner of Main and Washington streets to serve as its Petaluma branch.
The Bank of Italy that once sat on the northwest corner of Main and Washington streets and served as the Bank of America Petaluma branch until 1968
Bank of America circa 1958 (southwest corner of Main and Washington streets)
Night deposit vault on the northeast side of the building
Bank of America operated both corner locations until 1968, when it combined the two branches into a new building.
Construction at 201 Petaluma Blvd North in 1969
Bank of America Building on the left built 1967, beside new Bank of America under construction in 1982.
Bank of America operated at this location until August 2024
1970’s and 80’s: Westgate Realty Company
After the 1968 move, Westgate Realty and Regan Holding Corp/Legacy Marketing occupied the space. We sadly couldn’t unearth any photos from this time (save for this one image of the exterior from 1977), but if you have any, please let us know!
1995–2008: Monarch Interiors & Oriental rugs
Mr. Taghi Rezaian opened Monarch Interiors in 1995, after running Rezaian’s Persian Rug Co. in Mill Valley since 1967 (you may know the iconic building there as well). He kept an incredible selection of rugs, antiques, and paintings, until he retired in 2008.
The original, iconic Rezaian Persian Rug Co. in Mill Valley
Mr. Taghi Rezaian in the main hall
The downstairs vault was once a rug vault
His son Jason, has memories of getting locked in this rug vault—the fire department had to be called. Wildly enough, it was a precursor for an imprisonment of a much more serious kind later on—Jason spent 544 imprisoned in Iran in 2014 while working as the Tehran bureau chief for the Washington Post. He was released January 16, 2016, and is still working as a journalist, and also still dabbles in selling Persian rugs!
2009-2018: headquarters of The Seed Bank
You know them, you love them… we cherish the murals they created in the downstairs areas. You can now find them at 110 Petaluma Blvd just down the street. The Seed Bank renamed themselves when they moved into the building (from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), as they couldn’t pass up the perfect naming opportunity.
There are rumors the benevolent ghosts they knew in the building traveled with them to their new location, but this is yet to be verified.
This lovely Seed Bank teller sits outside of the vault downstairs
2023-Present: Hall of the Above
We see ourselves as stewards; we’re just tenants with a five-year lease, passing through like other people have done before us. In the meantime, though, it represents an extraordinary opportunity for us to do something for this beautiful building and, by extension, for the community.
One of the community Swing Nights at Hall of the Above
