THEN & NOW

John Wilson, brother-in-law to General Vallejo was originally awarded the land on which Casa Bella Estate sits in 1837, as part of the Los Guilicos land grant. Years later, around 1914, Charles and Mary Monroe, acquired the property and constructed the house, when the town of Kenwood was just emerging. At one point, the descendants of John Muir were owners of the property. In 1998, the estate was registered as an official Sonoma County Historic Landmark.

One hundred years later, the property, now Casa Bella Estate, is conveniently situated just north of Kenwood Village’s shops and boutique wineries and offers a central home base, surrounded by the some of the most celebrated wineries in Sonoma Valley.  It’s important to note that while the October 2017 wildfires have affected the region, the businesses in Kenwood Village and neighboring Glen Ellen Village as well as the historic downtown Sonoma were spared. Sonoma Valley and the Valley of the Moon are open for business!

Casa Bella is owned by Sacramento-based couple Doug and Victoria Timpe, who purchased the historic building and grounds in August, 2016. As entrepreneurs and professionals in the real estate industry, Doug & Victoria said that for years they had been trying to find a venture that they could do together. Recently they had been to a friend’s event in Guerneville where a whole property was rented out, and started to think about doing something similar in Sonoma County. Casa Bella was actually the first property they looked at, and “the stars aligned,” said Doug. “We’ve started to fall in love with the property; it’s so unique!” said Victoria.

Since purchasing the property in 2016, the current owners have reinvested and added significant improvements including a spacious outdoor patio area, updated furniture and decor, new landscaping, an electric vehicle charging station, and most recently a new pool in 2022.

Read about the Timpes in the Kenwood Press