Wine Country Escape: Calistoga’s restored Francis House has all the historic charm.
When The Francis House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it was already in bad shape, its glory days greatly in danger of becoming a lost memory.
In the sometimes-sleepy resort town of Calistoga, a National Historic Landmark has slowly, carefully been brought back to life.
Long considered a Calistoga eyesore, The Francis House now reigns as one of Napa Valley’s most heralded and beautiful structures, thanks to the remarkable efforts of owners Rich and Dina Dwyer.
The region that put American wine on the map has a lot new going on. Forget mansion-size tasting rooms; there’s a crop of intimate places from small lot producers like Tom Garrett’s Dakota Shy and Favia Wines (from Screaming Eagle’s Andy Erick-son and his wife, Annie Favia).
Originally built in 1886 as the family home for prominent Calistoga merchant James H Francis, THE Francis House, a meticulously restored 5-bedroom inn, is the newest place to stay in the wine country.
Calistoga’s Hospital lay empty for so long, there were people in their 50s in town who were born after the state declared it unsafe and the last patient moved out.
The lovingly restored Francis House in Calistoga
