French Laundry
Why it's listed
Built about 1900 at the corner of Washington and Creek Streets in Yountville, this two-story building combines a double-wall first story of basaltic fieldstone with a frame upper floor under a low hip roof. Stonemason Gus Clark, a Scottish immigrant who lived at the California Veterans Home, built it for Peter (Pierre) Guillaume, who came from the Spanish Pyrenees. It first held the Eagle Saloon. In 1907 John B. Lande, from the French Pyrenees, bought it and ran the French Laundry on the ground floor while his family lived upstairs. The laundry served many families across the central Napa Valley until 1936, after which the building was a residence. It was listed as the only remaining example of Clark's fieldstone double-wall work in Yountville and as an expression of French and Italian building traditions brought to the valley. At the time of nomination it was being renovated as a restaurant.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of three stone buildings in Yountville built between 1870 and 1900 and the only surviving example of Gus Clark's double-wall fieldstone construction. It also reflects vernacular European building traditions brought by the French and Italian settlers of the Napa Valley. It is named for its use as a French Steam Laundry in the early 1900s.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000728, listed April 19, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6640 Washington St., Yountville |
|---|---|
| County | Napa County |
| Listed | April 19, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000728 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1900 |
| Architect / builder | Alexander (Gus) Clark |
| Architectural style | Vernacular architecture of the kind common to provincial towns in Spain and France |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in excellent condition, with renovation as a restaurant underway at the time of nomination; used as a residence by a series of owners since 1936. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 38.40440, -122.36500 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000728.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2364717
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.