"When our country was two hundred years old - the Marshall House was one hundred years old," stated Harriet Watson, the previous owner of one of Santa Rosa’s oldest homes. The house was built in 1876 by James Marshall, a Californian pioneer. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries the home was noted as a gathering place of prominent Santa Rosans. The Marshall House was maintained by the family until it was purchased by Harriet in 1963. Since she was a friend of the family, all of the original fixtures remained in the house - including ceramic fireplaces, stained glass, crystal chandeliers, embossed paneling from France, parquet floors and ornately carved wood pieces.
The present owners of the building and restaurant, CA’BIANCA, are Marco Diana, an entrepreneur from Northern Italy who recently ran a restaurant in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and was on the management team of Spectrum Foods; and his wife, Karin Hoehne from Munich, Germany who also owns Diamond Corner, a deli/bakery in San Francisco’s Noe Valley. The name CA’BIANCA means "white house" in a northern Italian dialect. Together they have completely renovated the mansion both structurally and aesthetically restoring the historic home to its new-found beauty. Many of the original chandeliers hang from the ceilings while Italian marble tiles line the bathroom floors and fixtures. They have added a bar area where one can find a large selection of Italian and Californian wines and spirits. The cuisine is a blend of many regions of Italy, from Milano in the north to Sicilia in the south. Fresh bread and pasta is prepared daily. Marco and Karin welcome you to their restaurant. |
