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Built in 1892, this Queen Anne mansion sits on Keller Street Hill overlooking the town. The corner gate with original iron fencing leads to the front entrance beneath the imposing three-story corner tower. The original owner, Sarah Brown, was a wealthy widow who married Leonard Haubrich, proprietor of the Arcade Saloon and Oyster House on Western Avenue. They hired local builder, Samuel Rodd, to build the 5,000 square foot redwood residence. Rodd also built the Philip Sweed house at 301 Keokuk the same year. The interiors of these two houses are very similar including the central heating, possibly the earliest examples in Petaluma.
Sarah died in 1906 leaving the house to her son, Robert H. Brown, who had his name incised over that of Leonard Haubrich on the carriage step that survives today. At that time Robert owned a jewelry shop on Main Street (now Petaluma Boulevard). His wife, "Dolly", lived in the house for over 60 years until her death in 1954. Over the next 40 years, five owners made minor changes to the house. A couple who purchased the house in 1994 extensively improved the property. They have restored a dozen original light fixtures and installed period fixtures to replace modern lighting from previous remodels. The kitchen and bathrooms were remodeled, a turn-of-the-century marble needle shower was installed upstairs and a swimming pool and outbuildings added to the extensively landscaped grounds.
Notable features include the original finish on the doors and woodwork, the electric Anunciator call box on the side porch and original linoleum in the pantry and back hallway. The Lincrusta wainscoting in the Parlor and the stair hall was installed upside down by the builder and refinished at the expense of a movie company in 1998. The large stained glass windows on Keller Street were installed about 1972, salvaged from a local mortuary. Several doors and the upstairs sink were retrieved from the McNear Mansion that used to sit on Petaluma Boulevard South where McNear Landing is today. The current owner is continuing the tradition of protecting and restoring this lovely historic home from Petaluma's past!
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