Dunbar Hardware Store - 536 Broadway St

This is a two-story commercial building.  Both sides, the back and the top half of the front are still covered with metal sheeting (embossed to look like cut stone blocks as seen on other buildings located on East Napa Street.)  The sheeting, no doubt, helped to advertise the business of John J. Dunbar, the original owner of the building.  The structure basically was wood on a wood foundation.

The Facade has been changed over the years with a stucco coating, a covered wood balcony and the use of tile along the base.

Dunbar came to Sonoma in the 1890's and was in business with J.G. Marcy for a time.  Then he went into business for himself and it was probably then that he had this building constructed sometime in the early 1900s.  The Woodmen of the World (WOW) used the second floor as a meeting hall in the early days.

In addition to the plumbing and hardware business, J. J. Dunbar's was also an early gasoline station in Sonoma.