The 1903 powerhouse building for the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railway is one of the best-preserved industrial heritage buildings in Sebastopol — a solid brick structure that once generated the electrical power for the interurban railway that connected Sonoma County towns in the early 20th century. The railway carried passengers and agricultural produce (apples, hops, dairy) through the county until automobiles made it uneconomic; the line was abandoned in 1932.
The powerhouse has been recognised as a California Historical Landmark and has survived where much of the railway infrastructure has been demolished or built over. It currently functions as a commercial building and is visible from the street. It's not a formal tourist site, but it anchors a walking route through Sebastopol's historical core and gives context to the town's pre-automobile past.