Antiques & the Arts Weekly

NAPA VALLEY, CALIF. — Growing up in New England, former finance guru Derek Webb loved the small farms all around him and the history that they represented. After the crash of 2008, he decided to give in to his passion for history and the countryside and devote himself full time to restoring Nineteenth Century ranches. To that end, Webb purchased Triple S Ranch outside Calistoga in the Napa Valley, and Spring Ranch on the Mendocino Coast. Both ranches were essentially in ruins but “the bones” were in place. In his quest to restore them, Webb scoured the world, searching for period-appropriate artifacts and architectural salvage and collected materials from all over the United States, Europe, South America, India and beyond. Webb also updated the ranches with Twenty-First Century amenities, striking a balance between preservation and modernity, ensuring guests could journey to the past in comfort and luxury. Webb now rents both properties for private events.

“My goal was to create an environment at my ranches where people felt a sense of place,” says Webb. “Humans lived agrarian existences until around 1900 and I wanted to celebrate the way they lived. “Both ranches were at the center of their communities through the decades. I felt it was my job to return them to their former prominence, while allowing guests to have an interlude filled with authenticity and history.”