The Murphy Building at the southwest corner of Petaluma Boulevard North and West Street was built in 1916 by Dennis Murphy as a neighborhood grocery and residence.[1]
Murphy emigrated to California from Ireland in 1875, settling in San Francisco, where he worked as a grocer. In 1912, at the age of 53, he moved to Petaluma, purchasing the East Petaluma Grocery and Delicatessen on the southeast corner of East Washington and Vallejo streets (across from today’s Whole Foods).[2]
The East Petaluma Grocery was three years old, having been built and operated by A. Seligman and his wife. Seligman also purchased 10 acres along East Washington Street between Vallejo and Edith streets, which he subdivided into residential lots for sale. After his wife became critically ill in 1911, Seligman sold the grocery to Murphy, and the couple moved back to San Francisco.[3]
Murphy added a second floor to the building for his family to live in, a common tradition of merchants living above their stores.[4] His first wife, Minnie, with whom he had seven children, had died in 1897 at the age of 33. In 1909, he married Mary Carter of Sebastopol. They couple had two young daughters, who resided with them above the grocery, his children from his first marriage apparently all grown by that time. [5]
In 1916, Murphy purchased an empty lot at the corner of West Street and Petaluma Boulevard North (then North Main Street), and constructed a new Murphy’s Grocery on it, built in a style that largely mimicked that of the East Petaluma Grocery, with living quarters for his family upstairs.[6]
Murphy operated the new grocery for only three years before his death in 1919. His wife Mary maintained ownership of the building, living upstairs and leasing out the downstairs grocery to five different merchants during the 1920s, who apparently had a hard time making it work.[7] It doesn’t appear the grocery was operating during years of the Great Depression years.
Mary Murphy lived in the building until her death in 1943. Her daughter Connie, who inherited the building, sold it to local sign maker Lew Barber, and joined Women’s Naval Reserve, or WAVES. Barber set up his store on the first floor, and his family moved into the residence upstairs.[8]
In 1947, Lew was joined in the business by his brother Warren, who created neon signs. The Army surplus Quonset hut, which still sits on the property along West Street, was apparently installed by Barber to serve as their neon sign shop.[9]
In 1956, Barber sold the building to The Pride of Petaluma Brooder Stove Company, which had been operating their store and plant two doors away since 1924. They leased it out to L&L Furniture & Appliances until 1964, when it returned to being a neighborhood grocery called Ben’s Trading Post. Ben and then Bev Miller operated the store until 1970.[10]
In the years since, the Murphy Building has been rented out to a series of business and residential tenants.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Petaluma Argus, June 13, 1916.
[2] “D. Murphy is Summoned,” Petaluma Courier, October 11, 1919.
[3] “George P. McNear Sells 10-acre Tract,” Petaluma Argus, June 12, 1908; Ad for city lots for sale by Seligman, Petaluma Courier, August 13, 1909; “Building a Store,” Petaluma Courier, October 26, 1909; “Will Open New Store Wednesday,” Petaluma Argus, November 29, 1909; “A Fine New Store,” Petaluma Courier, December 14, 1909; To Submit to Operation,” Petaluma Courier, April 23, 1910; “Local Notes,” Petaluma Argus, December 22, 1911.
[4] “Grocery Store Sold Yesterday,” Petaluma Argus, January 30, 1912.
[5] “Deaths,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 14, 1897; “More Marriage Licenses Granted,” Petaluma Argus, March 18, 1909; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151017093/dennis-murphy. Note: two of Murphy’s children from his first marriage had died by the time he moved to Petaluma.
[6] Mr. Murphy building new home, Petaluma Argus, June 13, 1916; First ad for D. Murphy Grocery at Main and West streets, Petaluma Argus, June 27, 1917.
[7] “Filed Will for Probate,” Petaluma Courier, October 18, 1919; “Deeded Property to Widow,” Petaluma Courier, October 19, 1919; “Bought Murphy Grocery,” Petaluma Courier, March 17, 1920; “J. O’Rourke Opens Murphy Store,” Petaluma Argus, May 5, 1920; “Disposed of Grocery Store,” Petaluma Courier, February 18, 1921; “Bought Lock Grocery,” Petaluma Courier, October 5, 1921; “Temple Grocery is Sold,” Petaluma Argus, September 11, 1923; Ad of Grocery for rent at 695 Main, Petaluma Argus-Courier, September 18, 1929.
[8] “Death Takes Mrs. Mary Murphy,” Petaluma Argus-Courier, February 11, 1943; “Mary C. Murphy left Estate to Daughter,” Petaluma Argus-Courier, February 22, 1943; “Constance Murphy Thrilled with WAVES,” Petaluma Argus-Courier, September 20, 1944; “Personal Items,” Petaluma Argus-Courier, August 14, 1944.
[9] First ad for Barber Neon, Petaluma Argus-Courier, July 28, 1947. Note: Petaluma historian Katherine Rinehart says that Warren Barber joined his brother Paul in 1947, adding neon to the sign company, with the neon shop located in the Quonset hut behind the house.
[10] Ad for new Petaluma Brooder Stove Co., Petaluma Courier, March 15, 1924;“Brooder Firm Buys Main St. Property,” Petaluma Argus-Courier, February 1, 1956; First ad for L&L Furniture & Appliances, Petaluma Argus-Courier, July 23, 1956; First ad for Ben’s Trading Post, 697 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma Argus-Courier, June 19, 1964.