Clayton Vineyards-DeMartini Winery - Clayton, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 37° 56.548 W 121° 56.231
10S E 593386 N 4199964
Former vineyard, now the civic center building.
Waymark Code: WM5GVV
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/05/2009
Views: 6
A plaque on the building reads in part:
Paul de Martini built Clayton Vineyards Winery in 1885 on land formerly owned ny Joel Clayton, the area's first vintner. An Austrian stone mason directed construction, using stone quarried on Mount Diablo and hauled here by wagon teams. This was the second largest winery in Contra Costa County.
De Martini port, sherry, white claret and zinfandel won state, national and international recognition. De Martini sherries and ports won first prizes at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition.
Wine production ended when the 1919 Volstead Act prohibited alcoholic beverage sales. De Martini wine making did not resume when Prohibition ended in 1933. Phylloxera blighted vineyards had been replanted with orchards that were subdivided for housing after water service came to Clayton in the early 1950's. The winery was used for storage and as a residence before the city acquired the property in 1988.
Innovative engineering and creative design saved the historic structure and enabled the city to adapt it for functional use and community events.
Clayton's Civic Center was dedicated on August 30, 1997.
Street address:
5919 Clayton Road
Clayton, CA USA
County / Borough / Parish: Contra Costa
Year listed: 1984
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering, Person
Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Historic function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Industry/Processing/Extraction
Current function: Vacant/Not In Use (though it's the city's civic center)
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Privately owned?: Not Listed
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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