Lee Bros. Building - 1906
Brothers William H. Lee (born 1854) and Charles E. Lee (born 1856) came to California from Michigan and by the 1880’s had established a successful warehousing and drayage business. The earthquake of 1906, which caused greater damage to Santa Rosa than to San Francisco, destroyed the brother’s original building, and they rebuilt this building, with 18” thick brick walls, immediately. Lee Bros. and Company Express began with horses and wagons switching to trucks in the early 20th Century. The company became one of the most reliable businesses in town, counting Standard Oil and the Press Democrat as customers. In 1914 Charles Lee was the Mayor of Santa Rosa. The building was purchased by the Montague family in 1972 and underwent substantial earthquake retrofitting and extensive restoration.
Marker is at the intersection of Wilson Street and Fourth Street, on the right when traveling north on Wilson Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
