54. East Side Garages

A walk around Sonoma's East Side

In the town of Sonoma, the East Side is a quiet residential neighborhood that began taking shape around 1909, as the town expanded beyond its historic plaza.

Over the decades, the area evolved into a patchwork of architectural styles—bungalows, mid-century ranch homes, and newer infill—each reflecting a different moment in time.

If there was ever a dominant style here, most traces of it have been replaced or remodeled beyond recognition. One day, I hope to track down and photograph the oldest surviving homes. But today, something else drew my attention: the garages, sheds, and outbuildings. These humble structures tell their own stories and reflect their own kind of architectural logic. Here’s a glimpse of what I saw.