Alexander Valley, Sonoma County California

Alexander Valley, Sonoma County California

Alexander Valley, Sonoma County California

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Before it was a home, it powered three towns and was the engine of an empire.

Built in 1903 as a steam-generating power plant that converted Big Sulpher Creek water into power for the Italian Swiss Colony—the legendary Sonoma wine enterprise that went on to win ten gold medals at international competition and later become the second-most-visited destination in California after Disneyland. In 1923, the power plant was acquired by PG&E. Then, sometime in the 1950s, it caught the eye of famed Bay Area banker Arthur Foster and heir of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad family, who converted, renovated, and remodeled it into a private residence. He called it “The Power House.” The name stuck.

One wall still bears the original restored painted sign: No Admittance. Danger. The only danger now is that you won’t want to leave.

After Foster, landscape architect Todd Cole — whose work has been recognized as some of the most evocative in California — added his own imprint to the grounds and the property's design sensibility deepened further. Ancient olive trees anchor the property with the kind of permanence that takes decades to earn. Native plantings, gravel pathways, and considered sight lines invite exploration throughout the property.

After a four-year extensive restoration, the heart of the home is a ~40' x ~40' great room with ~20-foot ceilings, an enormous fireplace with herringbone-patterned fire bricks and a steel hood, smooth stucco walls, and polished concrete, radiant-heated floors, with windows looking out to the creek. A full wall of custom-made Sapele wood doors with Van Cronenberg hardware joins the great room to the gardens, making indoors and outdoors more of a conversation than a boundary.

The kitchen features high ceilings, custom cabinetry, marble counters, a vintage Wedgewood stove, and doors leading to the entry courtyard on one side and to the creek area on the other.

The primary suite, with a very cool Mid-Century Modern vibe, opens to a private terrace with a water feature. Two additional bedroom suites sit on opposite sides of the house. A dedicated office and a powder room complete the interior.

Step outside and the property opens further: a swimming pool and pavilion, a cutting and vegetable garden, and a fully-equipped guest cottage. Then there's Big Sulphur Creek itself — running along the full length of the property with the kind of visual and acoustic presence that makes morning coffee feel like a small event. A lovely sitting area tucked beyond the lawn area frames an absolutely mesmerizing view: moving water, canyon walls, and ever-changing canyon light. A pigeon and dove coop rounds out the grounds. Two parcels consisting of approximately 9 creek-front acres offer canyon and mountain views in every direction.

One designer compared the interior to an Axel Vervoordt wabi-sabi aesthetic. She wasn't wrong.

This estate along Big Sulphur Creek in Alexander Valley wine country has been doing remarkable things for more than 120 years.

Located 80 miles north of San Francisco in northern Sonoma County, sitting at the heart of Alexander Valley wine country, 20 minutes from Healdsburg. A world away from ordinary.