Building community
By: Ethan Wescoatt
On the corner of Fifth and Main nestled against the glittering Napa River lies the Napa River Inn: a historic hotel that maintains cozy vintage luxury in the present day. From shopping center neighbors like Celadon, Sweetie Pies Bakery, and Napa General Store to the rest of town, there is no place that makes the festivities of Downtown Napa more accessible.
But the proud two-story structure occupied by the inn and neighboring storefronts has not always been a retail complex. From the tall silo at the building’s center to the weathered brick walls themselves, the Historic Napa Mill carries vestiges from a simpler time when Napa was a humble industrial town.
Before the tourism industry earned the city a ground-up makeover, before the valley’s viticulture became a sensation worldwide, before the word ‘Napa’ was a household name, Napa City was a place eager to establish itself. The Mediterranean climate made farming and viticulture the prime economic staple with gold and quicksilver mining endeavors following close behind. Carving its way through the valley and city center, the Napa River made for easy transportation and allowed shipping ventures to thrive.
One such venture belonged to Captain Albert Hatt: a shipman and businessman who supported his family with his steamship and enterprising eye. In January 1882, Hatt famously purchased a riverfront property from William Coombs, son of city-founder Nathan Coombs, for one dollar. Within two years, the Hatt Building was erected: a two-story warehouse to facilitate Hatt’s growing volume of goods. Beyond just a shipping warehouse, Hatt constructed an indoor skating rink on the building’s second story establishing the building as a place of commerce as well as a social hub. Hatt understood the constant evolution of Napa City, and he saw that his building reflected that. The family business ran smoothly under the leadership of the captain and his son, Albert Jr. until surmounting family tragedies and old age forced Albert Sr. to sell the warehouse in 1912.
Captain Hatt sold the building to the Kieg family, where Robert Edward Kieg bought out his other sibling’s shares and assumed the role of proprietor. Under Kieg’s stewardship, the Napa Milling and Warehouse Company flourished, where it produced and stored farming essentials for numerous allied businesses. For a brief time, the other Kieg siblings ran an egg candling business from the back portion of the mill. In the 1940’s, the family added the iconic silos to the building, radically improving the feed-making process. But like their predecessors, age and waning interest in the mill led the Kieg family to sell the family business.
After a period of uncertainty wherein the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hatt/Napa Mill Building was acquired by the Napa Mill Development Company in the 1980’s. In June 2000, the Napa River Inn opened its doors, followed swiftly by the A. Hatt Building and Sweetie Pies Bakery in August, The Napa General Store in June 2002, and Celadon in July 2022.
With the future of the historic building secure and the vision of Captain Hatt and the Kieg family realized, the Napa Mill continues to embody the ever-growing nature of the city and stands as a symbol of its versatile community.