Central Animal Hospital

After graduating from Cornell Veterinary School in 1927, Dr. Walter E Brandner relocated to Petaluma and founded an animal hospital in the Rex Hardware building on the corner of Fourth and B Streets, as well as taking over the leadership of the Petaluma Laboratories, which had been established in 1923. The Petaluma Laboratories were relocated out of town in 1931, and the new Brandner Laboratory and Hospital was established in the same location.

In 1949, Dr. Brandner contacted San Francisco architect Mario Corbett, who also constructed the Hope Lutheran Church in Daly City, to create the drawings for the structure at Second and D Streets. A laboratory, retail sales rooms, and boarding facilities for up to 50 dogs were all part of the original veterinary facility.