Mission Statement: Napa County Landmarks protects a living record of the past for the edification and enjoyment of future generations by promoting the saving and appreciation of irreplaceable historic buildings and sites through educational programs, public policy advocacy, research, and technical assistance.

Like many non-profits, Napa County Landmarks was founded by a group of local citizens. Concerned that Napa's unique architectural treasures were being lost in the name of development, John Whitridge III and others gathered together to stop the wholesale destruction of Napa's core downtown.

Incorporated as Napa Landmarks in 1974, the organization realized its initial scope was too small and that other communities in Napa County also were under threat to organized and unsympathetic redevelopment or benign neglect. Thus, the mission grew, and the name changed in 1986 to Napa County Landmarks.

Napa County is unique among California communities for many reasons, not least because Napa City in 1848 was among the first American-developed townships in a state already long populated through Spanish or Mexican land grants. Skilled masons from England, France, Switzerland and Italy converged on the 19th -century outpost and helped build a thriving commercial infrastructure that by the early 20th century had Napa painted as "the county of the stone bridges."  

Saving these bridges and other precious architectural gems is Landmarks' raison d'etre but we can't do it alone. Membership dollars, corporate and private gifts and other donations help Landmarks educate the public about our unique heritage and cultural landscape.

We educate the public through our walking tours, our annual Holiday CandleLight Tour and by developing programs such as our Façade Easement Program and our History Mystery tour for elementary school children.

We've also put real dollars on the line. In the spring of 1985, Landmarks provided loans and grant funds as seed money to rehabilitate the Napa Opera House. In the early 1990s, Napa County Landmarks developed alternatives to demolition of the Hall of Records and helped achieve a decision to retain the building for reuse. In 1993, Landmarks initiated the purchase of the old First National Bank Building to save it from imminent destruction and has since seismically retrofitted the First Street structure as Landmarks' own headquarters.

Unfortunately, public monies for such programs are no longer readily available. That's where members and friends of Napa County Landmarks can help. As a 501 [c] [3] non-profit, your donations are tax deductible. Please pledge your gift today and help ensure that the best of yesterday can be enjoyed today and preserved for tomorrow.

VIEW NAPA COUNTY LANDMARKS HISTORIC TIMELINE