New California wine museum learns from mistakes of the past
A planned 15,000sq ft (1,394sq m) wine museum in California is aiming to uncork in summer 2015 – but must first raise $3-4m (€2.17-2.9m, £1.8-2.4m) in order to launch.
The California Wine Museum would occupy the basement of a former AT&T telephone switching building in Santa Rosa, California. TLCD Architecture is behind the museum as well as renovation work on the building, which is scheduled to be completed by early 2015.
The museum, which would have 5,000sq ft (465sq m) of exhibition space, aims to show the history, artistry, science and technology behind the process of growing grapes and transforming them into a vintage.
However, potential investors in the project may be put off by the recent tale of a visitor attraction in the region that had similar aims. Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts in Napa, California closed in 2008 after only seven years. The project was heavily leveraged, and a target of 300,000 visitors a year ultimately proved to be too optimistic. Bankruptcy was the result.
The California Wine Museum is much smaller in scope and scale, with 50,000 visitors a year projected, and is a non-profit venture. It expects to generate revenue from a tasting room, memberships and naming rights to cover museum expenses.
As well as the 2,000sq ft (186sq m) tasting room, which would feature a rotating list of 40–60 wines on tap and 10-20 by the bottle, the museum would provide interactive demonstrations.
The visitor attraction would also include a 60-seat cinema, meeting rooms, a wine library and bookstore, and a commercial kitchen.
The museum has already raised $1m (€724,425, £598,906) from the gift of the museum space by Hugh Futrell Corp, the building’s redeveloper and general contractor. It is also hoping to raise $750,000 (€543,318, £449,179) to acquire 4,500 items from California’s viticultural and oenological history from antiques dealer John McCormick.
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Creating the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York involved meticulous planning. Its director Alice Greenwald tells us more