The land, between the Sonoma Barracks and "La Casa Grande", that houses the Toscano Hotel complex was sold by Mariano Vallejo to Mrs. M.M. (Dorothea) Nathanson in 1852. Shortly after the purchase, Mrs. Nathanson constructed a two-story building with surplus lumber from the new Methodist church in Sonoma. The building was first used as a retail store and rental library called Nathanson’s. In September 1859, Mrs. Nathanson sold the property to Henry Carl of San Francisco, who sold it to Christian Frederick Leiding the following March. Leiding’s Store operated from 1860 to 1877.