{"nrhp_refnum":"83001239","name":"Masson, Paul, Mountain Winery","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Pierce Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Saratoga","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.26009963900003,"lon":-122.06462110899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story winery building on a hilltop in the Santa Cruz mountains near Saratoga, Santa Clara County, California, built most likely in 1907 for winemaker Paul Masson, with a 1946 annex on its south side.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant for its association with Paul Masson, who established fine wine and champagne production in the Santa Cruz mountains. It is also architecturally significant for its Romanesque portal and other Romanesque elements, which gave a young American industry a sense of European tradition. The winery combines old and new materials.","narrative":"Set into a hilltop in the Santa Cruz mountains above the Santa Clara Valley, this gravity-flow winery was built most likely in 1907 for champagne maker Paul Masson. Its rectangular, three-story form rests on foundations cut into the hillside over a natural spring to keep the aging rooms cool. The front wall is flanked by two sandstone-block towers and centers on a round-arched ashlar portal reputed to be medieval Spanish Romanesque, though the form notes that evidence only confirms it came from St. Patrick's Church in San Jose, ruined in the 1906 earthquake. A 1941 fire destroyed the roof but left the walls standing; the interior was rebuilt with steel and concrete, and a fermentation annex was added in 1946. The property matters because Masson popularized fine winemaking in the Santa Cruz mountains and promoted his wines through their European heritage. The ancient-looking building expressed that image, joining old and new materials.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date ca. 1907)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Romanesque elements (medieval Romanesque portal, arched windows, quatrefoil ornamentation)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Reconstructed after a 1941 fire; the lower level is used as a changing area for performers in summer music and theater events, and the rest still ages sweet wines.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.453288-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/83001239.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001239/a99498cf07-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83001239/a99498cf07-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Eugene Zelenko","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Saratoga-Paul_Masson_Mountain_Winery-1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Eugene Zelenko</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA-Saratoga-Paul_Masson_Mountain_Winery-1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861736","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Winery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6925437"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/masson-paul-mountain-winery-83001239/"}