History for sale: the John E. Brown House

By REBECCA YERGER
Register Correspondent

Filled with stories of gamblers and ghosts, the rich history of the Brown residence is only surpassed by its late-1800s craftsmanship and details. Located at 4009 Browns Valley road, this large farm house is more than a vestige of its past. It also features modern conveniences sensitively integrated into this gem of yesteryear.

 Constructed circa 1890, the Brown residence exudes historic character and charm. Its 3,682 square feet of living space (plus a finished full basement), contains 14 rooms, with high ceilings and spaciousness that relects the warmth and gentility of that era.

The house was originally built for John E. Brown, the namesake of this residential district of Napa. In the 1840s Brown was the Napa County surveyor; however, Brown’s contribution to local history involved more than his professional endeavors.

There are at least two version of how Brown secured his west Napa land. One claims the land was in exchange for his horse and surrey, which, purportedly, the original landowner, Salvador Vallejo, coveted. The two men struck a deal, and agreed that, in exchange for the horse and surrey, Brown could have all the land he could ride around in one day. The end result was the establishment of the area known today as Browns Valley.

Ken Martin, who owned the Brown residence between 1971-1999 and grew up in the Browns Valley area, has a second version. “The story I was told involved a card game between Brown and Vallejo,” he said. “Brown supposedly had a great hand but had no money left to bet. Knowing how much Vallejo wanted his horse and surrey, Brown placed them as his wager. Vallejo eagerly accepted and matched Brown’s bet with a wager of some of his west Napa land. Brown did have the winning hand and walked away from the table with the land now known as Browns Valley.

Looking into the history of his property, Martin said,  “According to an old map I had found, the original drive was a semicircle located on the south side of the house and property. So originally the front porch faced the road and the property’s main entrance instead of the side property line as it does today.”

He also found out about ghostly tenants. “I was told there once was a ghost who haunted this house,” Martin said. “He was said to be malevolent and answered to the name of Richard. Supposedly he was removed from the house by exorcism.”

Another spirit that once reportedly resided at the Brown property was more of the holiday cheer type. It might have  had something to do with a previous resident who established “Andy’s Christmas Tree Farm” on the property in the 1950s. “There were about 180 trees still on the property when we first moved in,” Martin said. “My kids helped me take them out to make way for the pool and tennis court. This place was the summer hang-out for my kids and their friends.”

The Brown residence has a long history of additions, remodels and updates. An early alteration to the house was changing some of its architectural details from classic to Craftsman. The exterior changes included shingling the second floor siding, adding stylized roof rafter tails at the eaves and replacing the original porch posts or columns with a Craftsman’s style post system. As for the interior, the northernmost first floor room was appointed with classic Craftsman elements — dark wood wainscoting, a built-in closet or hutch with Tiffany inspired art glass doors and heavy ceiling beams. Craftsman details were also added to the original front entry staircase.

Although the Brown residence has undergone some changes, it still retains a lot of its original details and features. Some of these original architectural elements include the wavy window glazing, anaglypta wallpaper, oak and fir flooring, decorative molding and gas converted to electric light fixtures.

The property owners of more recent times — Martin, Nancy Jo Hiar and Steve Pugh — have also made some upgrades and changes to the Brown residence. Besides the pool and tennis court, Martin added a small barn, replaced the wooden front staircase with a brick staircase and built a bathroom in the basement for the convenience of the swimmers. Hiar, who purchased the house from Martin, updated the kitchen and began a number of projects before selling to Pugh, the current owner.

According to Heritage Southeby real estate agent Sheyl Bartholomay, Pugh’s main objectives were to retain the historic feel of the house and to save it from developers and demolition.

Nostalgia also motivated Pough. The Brown residence reminded him of his childhood home, said Bartholomay.

The changes Pough completed were essentially upgrades and updates such as a new pool, spa, landscaping and irrigation system. He also replaced the tennis court with a bocce ball court. Pough rehabilitated the front facade with a new wooden exterior staircase. Within the house, Pough created a master bedroom suite by converting a small bedroom into a master bath. He also added a gas fireplace to the first floor Craftsman lounge. He finished the basement, upgraded its bathroom and added a wine cellar. He replaced the old rock foundation with a seismically sound concrete foundation, upgraded the electrical-electronic, plumbing and heating-cooling systems.

“These changes may not be glamorous but are important to the quality of living in the house,” said Realtor Richard Van Zandt.

 The Brown residence is now what Realtors call “turnkey ready.” In other words, all one needs to do is pay $2.25 million and pack your bags and become part of this piece of Napa history.

 If you are interested in seeing the Brown residence, contact Sheryl Bartholomay at 256-2315 or 337-0094 or e-mail Sheryl@YourNapaHome.com, or Richard Van Zandt at 256-2306; 529-6650  or Richard@YourNapa Home.com.

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