Sonoma Plaza history goes mobile with new audio tour

In a town steeped in California history, the Sonoma Community Center, built 107 years ago, is no slouch. So it’s no wonder the historic structure is part of the new Sonoma Plaza History initiative.

“This is the start of a creative conversation about this place we call home, our common ground and how we welcome guests, ” says SCC’s Charlotte Hajer.

Sonoma Plaza History will offer a free, bilingual, mobile Plaza history tour. In beta-testing now, the GPS-enabled mobile tour is a narrated  walk through time, with insights about the Barracks, Mission Solano, Blue Wing Inn, other landmarks.

 Included in the mix is the artwork of famed local artist, Mike Acker. “Portrait of the Sonoma Plaza”, a set of nine monumental panels relating history through everything from detailed 1880s street maps and ghostly scenes of buildings, past and present, to an inclusive host of people with stories to tell.

There’s more to come: an upcoming art show at SCC, and a traveling exhibit that visits local schools and libraries.

Sonoma Plaza History will be a resource for schools, and a great activity for visitors and locals alike, Hajer said.

“This partnership will allow Sonoma Plaza History to grow, so we can continue to pass down the many stories of our historic town.”

The Sonoma Community Center has its own tales to tell. Housed in the beautiful 107-year-old Sonoma Grammar School building just off Sonoma Plaza, the it was founded in 1953 as a resource for community enrichment through the arts.