Dome Still in Limbo

The Sonora Union High School District Board of Trustees has received a report from superintendent Ed Pelfrey about actions needed to develop and pass a bond measure to provide funds to renovate the Dome building and fund other needed projects.  The Board decided not to pursue a bond measure.  Mr. Pelfrey also presented four options … Read more

Status December 2022

The Historic Dome Preservation Group has been eager to attain the historic building from the Sonora Union High School District since December of 2018, however the District has been preoccupied with several other more immediate issues. However, recently the District has placed the disposition of the building at a higher priority and has made several … Read more

Group presses officials for action on iconic Sonora Dome building

High atop the hill looking over downtown Sonora, the historic Sonora Dome building has been a feature of the city’s skyline since it was erected in 1909. Once home to Sonora Elementary School, the building was vacated in 1967 when it was deemed unsafe to house students under new California state mandates for earthquake preparedness, … Read more

Non-Profit Organization Has Ideas For Historic Dome

The Historic Dome Preservation Group, a 501c3 non-profit, is hoping to develop a regional art and cultural center at the Sonora Dome property. The dome, which was previously an elementary school, is currently owned by the Sonora Union High School District. The non-profit group was formed in hopes of acquiring the facility, renovating it, and … Read more

Committee recommends sale or donation of historic Sonora Dome

After nearly two years, an advisory committee has approved a recommendation to the Sonora Union High School District Board of Trustees in support of selling or donating the historic Sonora Dome, two adjacent former classroom buildings used by Tuolumne County Arts in recent years, and Lions Park. The committee, which was formed in 2019, met … Read more

Staff moves out of historic landmark Sonora Dome

As it will save the Sonora High School District about $20,000 a year, the move makes financial sense. School trustees in April voted to move the district office from the stately and historic Sonora Dome to a far smaller building on Sonora High’s Shaws Flat Road campus. Nobody challenged the plan, rightfully reasoning that every … Read more