The Francis House: A Historical Bed and Breakfast in the Heart of Calistoga

The story of The Francis House, a pedigreed, seven-room bed and breakfast in Calistoga, is about as engrossing as one might imagine a 138-year-old estate might be. In 1886, the affluent merchant James Francis commissioned architect John Sexton to build his family residence in Calistoga, resulting in a stately, 26-foot tall Second Empire building, with walls of stone mined from local quarries and topped by a characteristic mansard roof with dormer windows. While its aesthetic appeals in the present as old-world, 138 years ago it was rather a la mode, reflecting the architectural style of the redevelopment of Paris by Napoleon III.

Five years later, following the death of Francis, Colonel Myron E. Billings, a respected local figure and appointee of President Ulysses S. Grant to the U.S. Criminal Courts of Calistoga, acquired the property. He described the estate in a letter as encircled by lilac, English walnut, and quince trees, the house equipped with electricity and hot and cold water in the indoor bathrooms– innovations that represented feats of engineering and the height of plumbing luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary for the era.

After Billings’ death seventeen years later, the house was converted into a hospital. Even though it eventually closed in 1964, it’s still sometimes fondly called “The Old Calistoga Hospital” by locals, with some members of notable winemaking families tracing their place of birth to the property. In 1979, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, being as it is the only structure authentically Second Empire in Napa County.

Notwithstanding its illustrious background, the property languished in neglect for over half a century before Dina Dwyer, an interior designer, discovered the property online. She and her husband, real estate developer Richard, had been looking for a place to retire, and Dina, who had moved from Manila to New York thirty years prior, envisioned a return to the Philippines. After many visits over several years to the Philippines and returning without any feasible options, she consulted her astrologer who advised her not to focus solely on her home country, but to zone in to where she and Richard had crossed paths. “Because we are both fire signs, my astrologer told us to look for places where there was water,” Dina says. The couple expanded their search to the Bay Area, but their efforts were thwarted by competitive bidding and unsuitable properties.

Even if years of searching wearied them to the point of shelving the project altogether, when the “The Old Calistoga Hospital” popped up on her screen, she knew they had to see it. However, they were apprehensive about the house’s lower-than-market price for the area and that it had remained uninhabited for 52 years. Upon visiting, their concerns were confirmed: while the grand, stone walls were intact, the interior was in complete disrepair. “We had to wear hard hats and sign waivers. It was full of weeds and overgrowth. Inside, you could see through to the sky, because the roof and the floors were rotted away,” describes Dina.

The house, however, effected fascination and glamour in the town as though it were a beloved local celebrity, a distinction that was not lost on the Dwyers. In addition, while inland, Calistoga is bursting–literally–with water. “All that time I was thinking of rivers, bays, things like that,” Dina laughs, recalling her astrologer’s advice. “It hadn’t occurred to me about the springs.”

Whether it was the stars aligning or serendipity, they took it on, and even if they had never worked on restoration projects before, developer Richard saw a unique property that needed their expertise and, more personally, their care. The restoration took three years.

While bed and breakfasts have a reputation for being musty, lace and doily-laden spaces lacking in top-tier hospitality, Dina’s experience as an interior designer and frequent traveler informed her modern, more luxurious take on a b&b, retaining its coziness but implementing the exacting standards of a luxury hotel. With no historical references to guide them, the Dwyers crafted the interiors from scratch, maintaining the authentic charm and sophistication inherent in the structure. The design harmonizes chic Parisian ornamentation–such as intricate moldings and antique furnishings–with a distinctly Californian coolness and playful touches, like Valais blacknose sheep lawn ornaments dotting the grounds.

“Because of the property’s historic significance, we had to clear many major design decisions before we could implement them,” says Dina. “Working with the National Parks Service was a challenge and a half.” But The Francis House is a testament to their know-how and intuitive approach to its design and restoration: in 2018, they received the Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation.

“Most, if not all, of my decisions in the design details and amenities were reinforced by something that made a difference for me in one of the hotels I stayed in. I didn’t know then that I would eventually have a hotel, but all these ideas stayed with me,” Dina shares. “I enjoyed [designing The Francis House] because every room felt like its own little project.” The seven rooms have the same airy, European feel but are refreshingly not identical, from their antique furniture and white bathroom tiles to even the drain covers. “Some guests come back wanting the same rooms,” Dina says, “and to give them a different experience, I take into consideration how the room was fitted on their last visit and switch it up a bit, changing the flowers, switching a chair, little things like that.”

It’s the Dwyers’ thoughtful consideration about these little and big things about both the estate and their guests that defines their brand of luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary. This, their good taste, and an inexorable fidelity to a luxury experience are traits that The Francis House has in spades.

“I think that travelers these days don’t look for a hotel just to have a place to sleep in,” Dina says. “People like to stay in a place that has meaning, that has significance, that has a story. I tell every guest that the story’s not ended; it continues. Every guest that we welcome is part of the story.”

As of press time, Edward Anthony LuxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary Estates has acquired Francis House. “We knew that our role was to restore this Napa Valley gem and now, ten years later, we say goodbye to this very special place that we’ve called home,” said Dina Dwyer in a statement. “Though our time here has come to a close, all of you who have walked through these doors will continue to bring life and love to this magical place.”

This article originally appeared in Robb Report Philippines’ Premiere Issue.