Troubled sisters and the house of Marcy
Two of our sister-cities are in trouble. First, Egypt has undergone tremendous change since Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. Now, Ukraine is under fire. Our sisters live in Aswan and Kaniv. The very least we can do, which may be more powerful than one might believe, is to simply wish for those who are suffering, peace. I do believe in the power of positive thought.
One of our sisters from Kaniv recently wrote of the situation, asking to share her words in one of Sonoma’s newspapers. She writes, “‘Maida’…In Ukrainian it means a ‘square’. It’s the Independence Square in Kyiv, our capital. It’s our Maidan which became the heart of Ukraine for the last three months and which, perhaps, became the international word nowadays. Maidan became our honesty and determination, our selflessness and heroism. Over 100 people were killed and over 2000 were injured (and these aren’t exact figures). Till now relatives can’t find their children, parents and friends.”
Egypt will have a new President by the end of April, yet few have declared that they will run. In a nutshell, upon the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt held their first democratic election. Muhamed Morsi, a member of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was victorious. In July of 2013, Morsi was removed from power by the Egyptian Army led by Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi. Field Marshal el-Sisi will be the next president of Egypt.
For the past 25 years, the Sonoma Sister Cities Association has met at the Marcy House. Sonoma has seven sister cities and for such a small town, over the years our members have been doing a great job of “promoting peace through mutual understanding and cooperation, one individual, one community at a time.” The Marcy House is also a local treasure.
The house is one of the few homes in Sonoma with a neoclassic architectural style that has been unaltered. Thomas Jefferson introduced this form of architecture to America in 1776, building his new home, Monticello, incorporating Roman classicism into 18th and 19th century architecture. The Marcy House took a different neoclassic form, using Greek forms as a basis for it’s style. The Marcy House exhibits simple features such as a gabled roof, front porch and shed roof supported by square columns.
Though the exact date of construction is unknown, we do know the Marcy family purchased the home in 1891. Jules Gustav Marcy immigrated from France at the age of 17 in 1853. In 1884, now married, Marcy moved to Sonoma, establishing a plumbing and tinning business on the north side of the Plaza. The family moved to the home in 1891, which was originally located on Broadway.
Marcy was an important figure in Sonoma. He was one of the founding members of the Sonoma volunteer fire department, organized in 1889. He was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows and played in the Sonoma Valley Band. The Marcy family sold the home in 1969. In 1988, the new owner wanted to remove the home from the property and it appeared the home would be demolished. The Sonoma League for Historic Preservation stepped in and rallied the community and city officials to move the home to it’s current location on First Street West. One year later, Sonoma Sister Cities moved in.
I have been sucked in to the Sister Cities movement. The goal is to promote peace. In a few short days I will once again be heading over to Aswan, Egypt with my 12 year old son, Andrew. Though I will be working on developing humanitarian-oriented projects, my primary goal is simple. I want to get to know our friends in Egypt a little bit better.
