We've been around for a while...
Before there was a state of California, there was Mark West Lodge. A Sonoma County enterprise that began in the 1840's, the Lodge has become a landmark and a symbol of wine country hospitality.
William Marcus "Mark" West was an early California pioneer of Scottish descent. He was an ambitious and multi-talented entrepreneur who came to Sonoma County in the 1830's to make his fortune. He got a good head start when he met and married Guadalupe Vasquez in 1832. Guadalupe was a cousin of the Governor of Mexican California, Juan Bautista Alvarado, and also the niece of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. The marriage brought West a handsome land grant of over 6,000 acres. The land was located between Santa Rosa Creek and what was to later become known as Mark West Creek. William and Guadalupe built a large adobe home near the creek, and established a trading post that also served as a stagecoach stop between San Francisco and points north.
West subsequently built a hotel on the site, and planted the now famous grapevines that still span the giant trellis across Mark West Springs Road. In 1871, Judge Albert P. Overton bought the property and opened Mark West Lodge as one of the first hot springs resorts in the area. It quickly became very popular with the wealthy folks in San Francisco who could afford the $3.75 for the round trip stage coach ride which, after all, only took five and a half hours each way. By the turn of the century the Lodge was accomodating up to 200 people a night. The original hot springs can still be found on the Creekside property.
Mark West Lodge has been a Sonoma County institution for over 150 years. The property evolved into a family resort with cozy cabins and a large mineral water swimming pool on what is now the Creekside property. The main building boasted a popular Western-style steak house, often frequented by locals on horseback. After a hearty steak dinner and numerous libations, if you could manage to climb back onto your horse, chances were good you would make it back home. There was lodging upstairs, with rumors persisting for years that the place was a bawdy roadhouse.
In the early 1950's the property was purchased by Czechoslovakian chef and restaurateur Rene Pavel who turned the steakhouse into an elegant French restaurant. He enjoyed great success and his establishment quickly earned a reputation for being the "finest eatery north of the Golden Gate". The elegance and sophistication of his restaurant made it a favorite for early wine entrepreneurs, as well as visitors from all over the bay area. In 1976 when Chateau Montelena, a Napa Valley winery, stunned the wine world by winning an international wine competition in France, vintners from Napa and Sonoma all headed to Mark West Lodge to celebrate with bottles of their best wines.
In 1979 the Lodge was completely destroyed by a tragic fire. The only thing saved by the firemen's hoses were the famous grapevines. Pavel's love of the property inspired him to rebuild, and the Lodge rose from the ashes more beautiful than ever, reopening its doors in 1981. However, because of growing competition from both Calistoga and Santa Rosa, Pavel's restuarant along with its successors were eventually destined to fade into Sonoma County history.
The beautiful building and grounds sat idle, awaiting a better use. Happily, Jack Martin and partners purchased the property in 2002. Realizing the property's full potential as a stunning venue for private events, they gave it a substantial renovation to give it the look you see today - a celebration of the past with the amenities of the present. With the construcion of a bridal changing suite and the expansion of the rear gardens in 2004, the Lodge began a new chapter in its 150 year history as a premier wedding location and Sonoma County landmark, and an even more wonderful place to meet and celebrate.
