A signature piece of Healdsburg history became a record-setting piece of real estate when the River Belle Inn on Front Street sold to luxury hospitality developer Vertice for $7.25 million, effective last month.
The price is reported as $659,091 “per key,” according to the San Francisco Business Times. Per key is a representation of how many units are available for rental; in this case, 11. However that’s a bit misleading: Though it is only permitted for 11 rentals, there are a total of 15 rooms, several of which can be combined into suites. There are also 18 bathrooms and 11 fireplaces, a common living room, dining room and family room.
It finally closed on Sept. 27 after months of negotiation, including a period where it was in escrow for another buyer. It was listed in February for just shy of $8 million.
Vertice has become a force in Healdsburg over the last few years. They also own the upscale dining and inn Single Thread Farms (131 North St.), which includes five guestrooms on site. A larger but less exclusive restaurant, Little Saint (25 North St.), opened in 2021 at the site of the former SHED. Its chief executive officer is Tony Greenberg.
The creative leads behind both restaurants are Kyle Connaughton and Katina Connaughton, who serve on the leadership team of Vertice as chief culinary officer and chief agricultural officer, respectively.
Prior to Single Thread, Greenberg was a real estate developer in New York as vice president of development and finance for Hudson Yards Development Corp, a 28-acre series of projects in the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan.
The teams’ third property is Remsen Manor, described on verticehospitality.com as “a luxury transformational travel and urban wellness destination for seekers of personal growth and shared meaning,” in Brooklyn Heights.
“I remember when it opened in 2016 around the same time as we opened Single Thread,” said Greenberg of the River Belle Inn in a press release. “We’ve grown together in Healdsburg and we’ve shared many guests throughout the years.”
‘Painted lady’
Similarly, the River Belle Inn is described as a “luxury boutique hotel in downtown Healdsburg,” though this is a relatively recent incarnation. The house, at 68 Front St., was the long-time residence of Isabelle Simi Haigh, who took over operations of the family winery when she was just 18, following the death of her two older brothers. For many years, she was a familiar face at the signature wine-barrel tasting room (since removed) at Simi on North Healdsburg Avenue.
The Victorian home was built in the 1870s, but remodeled early in the 20th century with the Queen Anne style wraparound porch. Isabelle Haigh and her husband, Fred Haigh, married in 1908, and moved into the Front Street house, from where they continued to run the winery and other businesses. Haigh passed away in 1954; his widow lived there until her demise in 1981, at the age of 95.
She willed the house to the family who had assisted her in her final years, Al and Betty Greco, and they lived there until the turn of the century but failed to take care of the home. Once referred to locally as a “painted lady” because of its similarity to the far more colorful San Francisco houses, the house slowly lost its luster and fell into disrepair, its lavender trim faded to a dusty rose.
New life for an old home
The house was sold for about $750,000 to Thomas P. Bangs in 2011, who recognized its potential and extensively remodeled, refurbished and added on to the structure, with help from a $2.617 million material refinance and renovation loan from the Small Business Administration.
Though the front-facing portion of the house remains essentially the same, the signature colonnade porch itself almost doubled in size, now running along the length of the expanded main building.
The original footprint of the two-story home was significantly expanded, with rooms and a third floor added to the back of the building on the east side to overlook the Russian River. The building was also raised seven feet to install a new foundation. The ghost of the River Belle herself, Isabelle Simi, must have a hard time haunting the increased floor plan.
It began its new life as a luxury bed and breakfast, opening in 2016, with Tom Bangs and his family operating as hosts.
“Tom, Mitzi and Cathy have been wonderful hosts and stewards of the property, and we look forward to continuing their legacy,” said Greenberg in a statement. “The entire current staff will continue to run the property and will join our team at Vertice Hospitality.”
The Bangs family is no longer in residence in Healdsburg, or California. Brianna Davis has been named the new manager of the property.
Rooms range from $450 and up, among the most expensive in Healdsburg. As a bed and breakfast, it offers daily breakfasts to its guests, though at this point there are no stated plans to incorporate the kitchens at Single Thread or Little Saint.
The River Belle sale listing was handled by Dave Roberts and Mary Kelley of Healdsburg Sotheby’s, while Eric Drew of the same office represented the buyer.
“Single Thread has only five rooms, and the 11 rooms at River Belle Inn allows them to provide more hospitality for their clients,” said Kelley. “They are truly about making sure that their visitors have a great experience. This is a good thing for Healdsburg.”
