Driving & Walking Tour of Saratoga Area Historical Sites

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1. Mountain Winery, Saratoga (formerly Paul Masson Winery)

Formerly known as the Paul Masson Winery, the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California is now a premier outdoor concert venue and has recently begun growing grapes once again. Masson, a French immigrant, purchased the property in 1901 and built a home on the hillside he called La Chateau in 1905. The winery was partially destroyed twice, once by earthquake and the other by fire. It was rebuilt on both occasions. It stopped making wine in the 1950s and began its second life as a live show venue in 1958 and has continued that tradition ever since. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983 and was designated a California Historic Landmark in 1960.

2. Hakone Estate and Gardens

Established in 1915, the Hakone Estate and Gardens showcases traditional Japanese architecture and landscaping in a historic setting. Hakone also offers cultural activities, classes, and events, including tea ceremonies; kimono demonstrations; origami and storytelling sessions; Japanese and Western style art classes; classes in yoga, Zen meditation, tai chi, and karate; Lunar New Year and Matsuri festivals with dancing, entertainment, and food; performances; and docent-led tours. The Cultural Exchange Center holds an art gallery, and through Sister Cities the Hakone Foundation helps organize student exchange programs and trips to Japan. The gardens also host events such as birthday parties, weddings, and even business meetings. Hakone served as the location for the film Memoirs of a Geisha, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was chosen by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a "Save America's Treasures" site (1).

3. Saratoga Foothill Club

In 1915, this Arts and Crafts style clubhouse was built for the Women's Club of Saratoga, which had been established in 1907 with twelve local women. The organization was incorporated in 1914 as the Saratoga Foothill Club. The architect of the redwood-shingled building with a vaulted redwood ceiling was Julia Morgan, a pioneering architect who was the first woman to graduate from the School of Engineering at U.C. Berkeley. The Saratoga Foothill Club became the City of Saratoga's first Historic Landmark in 1988; the building was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The historic clubhouse is still owned by the Women's Club and still serves as the meeting space for the Saratoga Foothill Club. The locale also specializes in event rentals, event planning, and catering. Several public events are held in the space, most of which are free to students with IDs.

4. Saratoga Village Library

The building that formerly housed the Saratoga Village Library was designed in 1927 by architect Eldridge T. Spencer (1892-1978). For over half a century, the town's library was housed here. Spencer's firm also drew up plans for a new library that was built elsewhere in Saratoga in 1978. For five years after the new library opened, this building served as a second public library. The building has been converted into a used bookstore called Book-Go-Round, operated since 1983 by volunteers with the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries; profits go toward the Saratoga Library. The Saratoga Village Library is a City of Saratoga heritage resource and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 for its long association with the development of civic life in twentieth-century Saratoga.

5. Saratoga Historical Foundation Museum

Located in Saratoga Historical Park, this local history museum is housed in a commercial building that was constructed in 1905 and originally stood on Lumber Street. The building was moved to this spot in 1975 to be converted into a museum which was dedicated on July 4th, 1976, during celebrations for the American Bicentennial. Just feet away from the museum is one of the oldest houses in Saratoga, the McWilliams House (20460 Saratoga-Los Gatos Rd.). The McWilliams House dates back to around the 1850s and it was moved to its present location to save it from demolition in 1973.

6. Montalvo Arts Center

The Montalvo Arts Center is a 175-acre complex that features, in addition to an arts center, gardens, hiking trails, an arboretum, outdoor performance venues, and the Villa Montalvo. The villa and gardens were constructed by former San Francisco Mayor and U.S. Senator James Duval Phelan from 1912-1914. Upon Phelan’s death in 1930 he requested that the grounds be open to the public and his estate be used to promote the arts. It is now known for its arts residency program and for its first-class galleries and performing arts programs. The Montalvo Arts Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Driving & Walking Tour of Saratoga Area Historical Sites

Created by Laurie Paonessa on July 18th 2024, 3:04:58 pm.

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Description

Start out at the Montalvo Arts Center and then drive to Saratoga Historical Park. Park there and explore the Saratoga Historical Foundation Museum, then walk to the next two: the historic library building that has become a used bookstore, and a redwood clubhouse designed by the first female architect in California. For an extended walk through village history, see the link to a walking tour brochure on the museum's entry. Then drive from the park to a Japanese style estate and garden, and finally to a winery.

Entries on This Tour

Driving & Walking Tour of Saratoga Area Historical Sites

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