Built in 1904 (Neoclassical architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. 11 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1914.
From the record
“The Free Public Library of Petaluma is a research library and history museum at 20 Fourth Street in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, US. Built in 1904 as a Carnegie Free Library, it was designed by Brainerd Jones as his first major commission before the architect gained regional recognition.”
Wikipedia article Free Public Library of Petaluma, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 73 National Register listings published here for Sonoma County · listed in 1988 · category: Building · built in 1904, Neoclassical architecture, by Brainerd Jones.
National Register reference number.88000925- the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
Then and now
1914 to 1983
The ground this property stands on, surveyed
69 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are
United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
19141983
Fires near this property
301 since 1992
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The
federal wildfire occurrence database
lists 301 fires within 5 miles of Free Public Library of Petaluma
between 1992 and 2020, burning about 767 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 15 were recorded as arson.
Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted
here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
Reported cause
Fires
Equipment and vehicle use
124
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
110
Misuse of fire by a minor
17
Arson/incendiarism
15
Debris and open burning
14
Smoking
8
Power generation/transmission/distribution
7
Natural
3
Recreation and ceremony
2
Fireworks
1
The most recent of
them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service
that recorded it.
Date
Cause
Size
Reported by
Name on the report
9 September 2007
Equipment and vehicle use
under an acre
Sonoma-Lake Napa Unit
HWY 101 / KASTANIA RD 6
9 September 1995
Arson/incendiarism
under an acre
Sonoma-Lake Napa Unit
D STREET
7 September 2011
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
under an acre
Sonoma-Lake Napa Unit
not named
7 September 1992
Recreation and ceremony
35 acres
Sonoma-Lake Napa Unit
BARBONI
7 September 1992
Smoking
under an acre
Sonoma-Lake Napa Unit
ADOBE
6 September 2018
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
under an acre
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
not named
4 September 2012
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
5.4 acres
Sonoma-Lake Napa Unit
ADOBE
3 September 2005
Misuse of fire by a minor
2.0 acres
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists
28 workings within 5 miles of Free Public Library of Petaluma: 11 producers, 8 occurrences, 5 past producers, 3 prospects.
11 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Mercury, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gemstone. Distance is straight-line from the
map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring
settlement's page as well.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The National Weather Service names
Petaluma, the town this property stands in, in 15 storm reports between 1998 and 2020: 6 hail, 5 flash flood, 3 flood, 1 lightning.
No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office
filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date
opens the federal record of that event.
Flash Flood on Willow Brook at Stoney Point Road near Petaluma. 25 homes near the river were evacuated as well as 40 to 50 residents of a Mobile home park.
Very heavy rain caused flash flooding around Petaluma late Friday night, January 26th. The Petaluma River near Corona Road went over its flood stage of 25.5 feet reaching nearly 30 feet. At least a dozen homes were flooded as were several businesses.
The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa reported that lightning struck a PG&E circuit at 11 am the morning of the 14th causing a power outage for 25 Petaluma residents lasting through the evening|http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8113975-181/rainfall-hail-in-sonoma-county?gallery=8113553&sba=AAS.
The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa showed multiple reports of accumulating small hail in downtown Petaluma|http://www.pressdemocrat.com/gallery/8113553-181/reader-submitted-photos-rain-hail-hits?sba=AAS&artslide=0.
United States Geological Survey topographic
sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then
testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
Other National Register properties close
enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both
positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties
to their map sheets.
Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.
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