COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Ar, Napa CA

Category & Type :

Artists and Culture

Location :

500 First Street , Napa CA

http://www.copia.org Call 888-512-6742 Use Promo Code: 378281 For Additional Discounts!

About COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Ar...

COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts was a cultural museum and education center dedicated to the discovery, understanding, and celebration of wine, food and the arts in American culture. COPIA was located in the Napa Valley in the town of Napa, California. The center celebrated its grand opening on November 18, 2001[1] and closed its doors on November 21, 2008.

In 1988, vintner Robert Mondavi, his wife Margrit Biever Mondavi, and other leaders in the wine community began to explore the idea of establishing a small institution in the Napa County to educate, promote, and celebrate American excellence and achievements in the culinary, winemaking, and visual arts arenas.

Partner organizations – the University of California at Davis, the Cornell University School of Restaurant and Hotel Administration, and the American Institute of Wine & Food – joined forces to develop the idea into a major not-for-profit cultural institution. In 1993, Robert Mondavi acquired the land for COPIA for $1.2 million, followed by a lead gift of $20 million.^[2] James Polshek was hired by the foundation as the architect for the building in October 1994. Subsequently, the "Founding Seventy," key supporters from Napa Valley and the surrounding Bay Area, made substantial donations. Initial financing totaled $50 million which was leveraged against $78 million in bond debt financing prior to opening in 2001. Construction of the facility triggered a significant growth in development of a gourmet marketplace, hotels and restaurants in downtown Napa.