Below is a photograph from the Sonoma County Library showing Santa Claus in a horse-drawn sleigh heading north on Kentucky Street toward Western Avenue past the Continental Hotel circa. 1955.
Of the three buildings visible in this photo, only 19-25 Kentucky Street, currently occupied by Uber Optics, Petaluma Community Acupuncture, Stellina Pronto, and Dukes & Dolls Salon, still stands.
What had been the City Hotel was remodeled and renamed the Continental Hotel in 1905 by John Lepori. Local contractor R.W. Moller did the work, which included tearing down the old wing of the hotel on Kentucky Street and replacing it with a “brick annex” that housed a kitchen, bar, and dining room. In 1914, further remodeling was completed under the direction of H.S. McCargar, resulting in the Mission Revival style building. Brainerd Jones was the architect.
In 1939, John Croci, who owned the Rendezvous Alleys, opened his seven-alley Bowling Palace next to the Continental Hotel in the former Strand Theatre. The Bowling Palace had lockers, dressing rooms, and restrooms and could accommodate 40 players in the bowling area, 60 seats, and a sizeable standing-room lobby for spectators.
The City of Petaluma condemned the Continental Hotel in January 1967, stating it was a fire hazard. A year and five months later, the building burned down. I’m not sure if that fire also took out the bowling alley, but by 1975, the parcel it occupied was serving as the drive-thru for the newly constructed Northern California Savings (now Chase Bank).
Petaluma’s East Washington and Vallejo Streets – Then & Now