By Carole Marshall
Photographs by Karen Kanes

By design and by historical coincidence, the city of Napa has one of the largest concentrations of Victorian homes in all of California. They are scattered throughout town, making their discovery both a charming delight as well as at times a puzzle. Luckily for visitors, however, most of them are an easy walk from many of the inns, hotels and restaurants. And when viewed on foot you are also spared the oft-times confusing collection of one-way streets and cul de sacs that generations of city planners have bestowed upon us.

It is said that God is in the details, and so it is with the historic homes of all styles that can be found in Napa. The Oriental Crape Myrtle tree at the Goodman-Corlett House (1225 Division St.) was shipped here from China a hundred years ago. The light fixtures at the Victorian Gothic-style First Presbyterian Church on Third Street were originally gas; it was not until 1911 that they were wired for electricity. The glazed brick and terra cotta panels at the Gordon Building on First Street (look up and around) are regarded as prime examples of Spanish Colonial Style and the John E. Hayman House (1229 Division St.) is almost a textbook on architecture, with Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Shingle styles all in evidence.

There are also the tales of intrigue found in any town. The murder at Faglania's Bar on Main Street that still hasn't been solved, for instance. The bar, remodeled in the Art Moderne style in the 1930s and 40s, remains locked and shuttered to this day.

On a more benign note, many of Napa's prime architectural examples have been preserved as bed and breakfasts. The McClelland Priest Inn, the Beazley House, Churchill Manor, the Hennessey House and many others not only remain but have been beautifully restored, as they have become viable businesses where guests can spend a night or two in the manner (and manor) of an era past. The Noyes Mansion and its adjacent carriage house, a dominant property at the corner of First and Jefferson, has just now begun the process of conversion and it promises to be quite a project. Elsewhere books are being consulted, painting charts are pulled out and every day workers take up new projects of restoration. With that in mind, it is well worth taking a walk through town to see what is being done to preserve and restore some of the city's older architectural citizens.

Reading Resource:
There is a charming little book called Enjoy Olde Napa by Gordon Eby that can be found at local bookstores. The roadmap-size Historic Walking Tours of Napa can be purchased at the Napa Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau in Napa Town Center and area shops. Both are worthwhile companions.

In the Victorian Style
By Randolph Delehanty
Chronicle Books ($24.95)

This book deals with San Francisco Victorians, but in our experience people who are fans of this style of architecture show less geographical allegiance than they do devotion to the style itself. For that reason we find this book not just enjoyable to look through (the comprehensive photography is by Richard Sexton) but a valuable resource no matter where you find your Victorian.