Partially concealed from view by two large late-1800s magnolia
trees is Napa’s stately and elegant 1870s Williams Smith house.

This classic Second Empire style residence and National Register
of Historic Places property was lovingly returned to its former
glory by the caring hand and meticulous eye of the late Doris
Dawson.

Today, this First street residence stands as grandly as it did
when new. However, most passers-by are unaware of all that went
into rehabilitating this 3,500-square-foot house.

Its renaissance began in 1977 when Doris Dawson ended her search
for a Victorian at its curbside. “My heart skipped a beat when we
drove up to the house. It was so beautiful,” she said during a 1995
Napa Valley Register interview.

Before buying the house for $115,000 in 1978, her husband
Elbert, “Bert,” placed a condition upon purchasing it: that he
would not be asked to work on the house. She agreed, being unaware
of the magnitude of the rehabilitation.

Dawson admitted she was a “babe in the woods” and so “innocent,”
she told the Register later. She was slow to start the daunting and
immense project. First, she educated herself by reading everything
she could and then began to network to find knowledgeable and
dedicated preservation experts.

The work needing to be done included: returning the building to
a single-family residence; upgrading the electrical, plumbing and
mechanical systems; repairing and/or replacing the damaged and/or
missing exterior and interior architectural features, and so much
more.

The property was a treasure trove of its original architectural
elements. The basement, for instance, held the main staircase’s
mahogany newelpost while the yard contained a fence picket that
were reproduced for the side and back fences.

The results of Dawson’s labor and endeavors include the fully
restored exterior, painted with a period appropriate color palette
and replica wrought iron front fence and gate that complement the
original curbside hitching post and a restored, classically
inspired Second Empire front porch portico. Another interesting
exterior feature are the streetside palm trees. They were planted
in 1895 as part of an effort Smith and 11 neighbors spearheaded to
rename First Street Palm Drive.

Just inside, the Smith house front doors reveals even more of
what Dawson accomplished with her three decades of toil. The first
vision is the sweeping front staircase with its rebuilt and
original newelpost, banister and balustrades. The grand parlor to
the east of the entry hall has been returned to its original size
and richly appointed with its original Carrera marble fireplace and
cast iron grate, rounded bay window with an Art Nouveau inset and
inlaid wood floor. The ceiling moldings, medallion, chandeliers and
Bradbury Bradbury wallpaper were added by Dawson.

Across the hall is a sitting room with another marble fireplace.
The dining room has the only original gas, now electric, lighting
fixture in the house and a bay window with a Art Nouveau inset.

The adjoining kitchen, maintaining much of its original layout,
offers custom built redwood cabinets and modern appliances mixed
with historic appointments, such as a butler’s pantry and
pass-through. The connecting sun room includes a bathroom.

From the kitchen, the back stairs lead to the 1880 second floor
addition of a fourth bedroom and redwood tongue and groove paneled
bathroom outfitted with a clawfoot tub.

The bedrooms from 1875 are accessed by two steps-up. The two
smaller, west-facing bedrooms have vistas of the garden below. The
master bedroom across the hall is spacious with a large walk-in
closet. All of the bedrooms have wood floors, understated details,
walls that taper with the contour of the mansard roofline and
transom windows above their doors.

The transformation of the Williams Smith house required more
than years of hard work, it required capital. By 1995, the Dawsons
had spent about $300,000 on the rehabilitation. And, there was
still more work to be done.

For example, a year earlier, Doris began to pursue her goal of
protecting the house from future inappropriate alterations and
preserve it for generations to come through historic preservation
designations. So she hired a professional historic preservation
consultant and historian — the writer of this article — to conduct
the necessary research and prepare the National Register of
Historic Places nomination.

The Williams Smith house was officially listed on the National
Register on June 30, 1995. To afford even greater safeguards, the
house was listed as a Napa City Landmark in December 1995.

The research revealed Williams Smith, a Massachusetts native,
arrived in Napa around 1850 at the approximate age of 18, following
a stint in the California gold fields. He first worked as a
“tinner,” tinsmith, before partnering with C. Cheeseborough to own
and operate one of Napa’s first hardware stores. Eventually, Smith
played an important role in the creation and success of both the
Napa Building  and Loan Association as well as the Napa Gas
Company.

Smith’s Napa residency was split into two periods, 1850-1867 and
1870 until his 1901 death. During the first period, he was married
and widowed twice. First to Susan W. who died May 7, 1859, age 32,
and about two months after giving birth to their son Arthur W. on
March 18, 1859. He died on Sept. 9, 1866, shortly after Smith’s
second wife, Frances A., died on July 19, 1866 at age 24. She left
Smith and their approximately 2-year-old daughter Susan,
“Susie.”

Smith and Susie left Napa for Massachusetts in 1867. While
there, he married Harriet Jones in 1870. They all returned to Napa
shortly thereafter. Then on Oct. 15, 1871 Alex W. was born to
Harriet and Smith.

At about this time, Smith searched for a suitable lot for a
family home. He purchased the First Street lot from the first owner
of the property and its existing dwelling. That building was either
moved or razed to make way for the Second Empire style residence,
the Williams Smith house, constructed circa 1875.

At that time, Second Empire was considered a very modern style
with its iconic mansard roof, dormer windows and classically
inspired Italianate features. A rare local architectural style, the
Williams Smith house has only a few contemporaries: the Goodman
Mansion, McClelland-Priest, Palmer and Francis houses.

Shortly after its completion, the Smith family moved in. Then in
1880, Smith had the second floor addition built to provide space
for his mother-in-law, Rebecca Jones, who lived there until her
death in 1895.

Sadly, death also paid the Smith household a visit on June 12,
1887 to claim 15-year-old Alex. He died from diphtheria.

On a happier note, Susie Smith married Charles C. Hatchett on
Sept. 4, 1890 at her father’s home.

The 73-year-old Smith passed away on Dec. 9, 1901 at his home
from to heart problems. “His place is vacant and his voice to
public affairs is missing…,” said the Napa Daily Journal.

Harriet lived in the house until her death in 1928. Susie sold
it to the Marinos in 1929. Between Harriet and the Marinos,
numerous alterations were made to the house, including: subdividing
the east parlor, adding the first floor bathroom, converting the
house into two apartments and removing the wrought iron fence to
contribute to the war effort metal drives.

Following the purchase of the property, the Dawsons lived in the
house and with all the rehabilitation upheaval from 1978 and until
their respective deaths. With the passing of Doris Dawson last
year, their grown children recently placed the house on the market
for $1,375,000. For details contact the listing real estate agents,
Bill and Bernie Wilson, at billandbernie.com or 486-8415.

While rehabilitating the Williams Smith house, Doris kept a
journal. One of her first entries read, “I felt as if I had at last
come home; because of the serenity I experienced upon entering it
the first time.”

And a final entry said, “It was fulfilling to me to restore a
thing or object. I accomplished my goal of preserving the house
through my lifetime.”