Watsonville City Plaza stands on part of the Bolsa de Pajaro Spanish Land Grant once owned by the Rodriguez family. This ground in the center of town was given to the people of Watsonville by Sebastian Rodriguez in 1860 through his heirs. At first it was little more than pasture land where cattle grazed freely and children hid behind the tall grasses. In 1880 the Butterfly Social Club donated a fountain to the plaza, and in 1893 the Women's Christian Temperance Union donated a drinking fountain that was modernized in 1913. The present bandstand, which replaced an earlier wooden one, was designed by architect William Weeks in 1906. A cover designed by Ralph Wyckoff was placed on the bandstand in 1916 and was later replaced in 1965 by one designed by architect Robert Wong. Although many innovations have been proposed over the years, the plaza has for the most part remained what it was intended to be: a pretty spot in the center of town for local people to use and enjoy.