“Cooperage,” First Street West, Sonoma – Supplemental HRE/Archival Research

The owner hired Alice during renovation of this mixed-use commercial building when new conditions and features were unearthed during construction. Specifically, a well was uncovered inside the rear addition of the building. Alice conducted extensive supplemental archival research to clarify the original use and construction history of the property. Alice discovered that the building was originally an “ice plant,” and not a cooperage. The newly discovered well was crucial to this early function and dictated how the rest of the building was constructed.