City Of San Rafael Historic Sites
1010 B Street - Albert Building
Pratt Building, ca. 1870, at the corner of Fourth and B Streets in San Rafael.
The building housed a street-level general store and post office and a saloon in its basement.
From 1870 to 1930, 4th and B Streets was a mercantile corner. The first two story brick building was erected in 1870 by Frederick H. Pratt, merchant and postmaster. He established Pratt’s General Store on the street level and lived with his large family on the second floor.
Jacob Albert, also known as the “Merchant Prince of San Rafael,” began his mercantile business as a peddler around the ranches of West Marin. In 1895, he established the Little Wonder Store in a small shop near the southeast corner of Fourth and B Streets. When his business outgrew that site, he changed the name of the Wonder Store and moved across the street to the Pratt Building.
In 1930 Albert built San Rafael’s tallest building on the site and installed Marin’s first elevator. Although no longer the tallest building, the Albert Building remains standing. If you look inside the glass doors at 1010 B Street, you can see the beautiful marble interior and the elevator doors.
Albert was as famous for his philanthropy as for his business accomplishments. He donated the land for the park on B Street that bears his name.
Aerial photograph of the Albert Building, ca. 1930s. Saint Raphael's Church is visible in the upper right.
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Boyd Gate House
1125 B Street, San Rafael
Wed - Sat
11 am - 3 pm
