Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square gets news signage

Nine business directory signs have been installed in the historic Railroad Square area in Santa Rosa, to better direct visitors to nearby restaurants, shops and other local businesses.

The signs begin at the SMART train platform and are spread throughout the district area. They extend to Davis Street, which is next to the 101 Highway underpasses, with signs located at the intersections of Fourth and Davis streets and Sixth and Davis streets.

“We wanted to make wayfinding signage to let people know more shops were available, other than just the one block on Fourth Street,” said Mike Montague, a co-owner at TeeVax Appliance. “The signs added more information for our guests rather than just a general map on the wall.” TeeVax is located within the historic district at the corner of Sixth and Wilson streets.

The historic area is next to the Santa Rosa Downtown Smart Station and has experienced higher foot traffic since the train stop began operations in 2017. The district also covers four major hotels, including the Hyatt Regency and the Hotel La Rose.

The Historic Railroad Square Association, funded by annual taxes from property owners, is behind the new signage.

“We’re so excited. It’s something that the merchants have wanted for decades,” said Noelle Angell Hermann, a Historic Railroad Square Association board member.

The association has long aimed to establish wayfinding signs but were only able to put the plan into action after the association became an official Community Benefit District in 2019.

The association is hosting a celebration to introduce the wayfinding signs to the public on Tuesday at Railroad Square.