Step into a world where contemporary French design intertwines with rich history at The Francis House, a luxury bed and breakfast. Dina, an interior & retail designer and Richard, a real estate developer and general contractor often found themselves in Napa Valley on Sundays as an easy escape from city life. Driving through the many towns in Napa and Sonoma Valleys and admiring both quaint cottages and grand estates were the makings of an absolutely perfect afternoon for the couple.
“Discovering the Francis House was like uncovering a hidden treasure”. Uninhabited for the past 50 years, it is a picture of time standing still. “There was no doubt we wanted to take on this project even before we knew exactly what we could do with it.”
It is the very first stone building the Dwyers are restoring and also the most prominent property they have acquired. This website will chronicle the many challenges and painstaking work that is required to bring back to life the only stone building in Napa County that is authentic in the Second Empire architecture. It began as a family home for prominent local merchant James H Francis (1886) and converted to the Calistoga Hospital (1919). One hundred and thirty years later, a structure that survived many natural calamities and has been “disconnected” from the grid for 50 years will be back, this time as a bed and breakfast property in 2018.
