Minutes away from the heart of Sonoma, but obscured from bustling town life by trees and grapevines, is La Veranda. The property functions as both a family home, and rental space for special events and photo and video shoots.

Long before the estate was built, this region was home to indigenous tribes of Sonoma Valley. This land was originally inhabited by the Miwok people, and later taken over by the Mexican government as part of the Rancho Huichica. Today, much of this land is part of the Sangiacomo family vineyard and winery.

The house was built in 1886 by William W. McElroy, and followed a type of Italian Renaissance inspired architecture that swept across Europe and North America during the nineteenth century. McElroy, originally from Connecticut, moved to Sonoma Valley in the early 1860s. He was a skilled fruit farmer with a special knack for growing grapes, and was employed as the cellarmaster at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma.

After the passing of William McElroy in 1940, Texans Colonel Alfonte and his wife bought the home. Their grandchildren often visited and played with the Wedekind kids next door. The two families became close, and when the Alfontes decided to sell in 1960, Frank and Lorraine Wedekind purchased the home. The five-member family moved from their small bungalow to the much larger home. (Janet, who was in fourth grade at the time, remembers only having to fill her wagon with her belongings and pull it a short distance to move to her new abode.)

For the first time in over eighty years, renovations were made. The screened-in porches were opened up, a work shop was built for Frank, rooms were painted, and the kitchen was upgraded to include a large picture window looking to the garden. A genuine London street light stands near the driveway of La Veranda, a gift to Frank and Lorraine from Lorraine’s parents. The family also redid the gardens around the home in 1964, making use of their knowledge of plant cultivation (they opened Wedekind’s Garden Center in 1956, which remained run by the family until 1990).

Joanne and Janet Wedekind sold the property to Kristi Amoroso and Robert Booth in September of 2018 following the passing of their mother Lorraine. Kristi and Robert continue to love and share the home in the same manner as did their predecessors.