ARG Conservation Services, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111
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Buena Vista Winery
Project Information
- Project Location:
- Sonoma, CA
- Status:
- Completed
- Structure Type:
- Restaurant
References
- Owner:
- Architect:
- General Contractor:
Scope Of Work
When Boisset Family Estates purchased the Buena Vista Winery in 2011, they took responsibility for a major landmark in American viticulture and California history. Buena Vista invites the use of superlatives—it is the oldest commercial winery in California, founded by the first permanent U.S. settler from Hungary, on some of the finest terroir in the world. Built in 1857 by the renaissance man and self-styled “Count” Agosthon Haraszthy, the Buena Vista Winery survived phylloxera (a vine-eating pest), Prohibition, and the Depression. It is a state and national landmark, and a premier stop on the Sonoma County wine trail.
The Boisset family’s significant commitment to good stewardship of this historic property spurred the renovation of the original cellars, which had been unsuitable for wine production and inaccessible to the public for many years. As part of a major seismic redesign and retrofit of the property, ARG Conservation Services collaborated with the general contractor to survey the masonry and evaluate structural soundness of the original stone cellar and press house buildings. Removing the ivy from the cellar façade revealed historic masonry requiring considerable cosmetic and structural repairs, in part to ameliorate the effects of a shoddy 1940s restoration project.
Our stonemasons removed deteriorating mortar, repaired broken stone, fabricated portions of missing stones to match the original, and repointed every elevation of the building. This work left the exterior masonry visually spectacular and structurally sound, allowing the renovations to safely proceed to the cellar interiors. Inside, our masons were able to further lend their expertise to the ceiling, seamlessly masking patches left by seismic strengthening.
In August of 2012, the historic cellars finally reopened to both the public and the vintners of Buena Vista—a new vintage, the first in decades, is currently aging in oak barrels lining the walls of the restored space.
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