COPIA

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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, United States. It opened November 2001[1] and closed its doors November 2008.

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[edit] Summary

COPIA was a non-profit discovery center whose mission was to explore, celebrate and share the many pleasures and benefits of wine, its relationship to food and its significance to our culture. Located in Napa Valley, COPIA offered visitors wine and food tasting programs, exhibitions, organic edible gardens, films, concerts, fine and casual dining, and shopping. Proceeds from ticket sales, membership and donations attempted to support COPIA's educational programs and exhibitions, but were not sufficient.

[edit] History

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 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 1996, Robert Mondavi acquired the land for COPIA, followed by a lead gift of $20 million. Subsequently, the "Founding Seventy," key supporters from Napa Valley and the surrounding Bay Area made substantial donations. COPIA received national and international support, and opened its doors to the public in 2001.

In September 2008 COPIA CEO Garry McGuire announced that 24 of 85 employees were being laid off and the days of operation would be reduced from 7 to 3 per week.[2] Attendance figures never reached original or updated projections causing the facility to operate annually in the red since opening. McGuire announced that the property would be sold due to unsustainable debt.[3]

COPIA "temporarily" closed in late November 2008 with approximately $80 million in debt, and then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 1. The federal bankruptcy court blocked a $2 million emergency loan with priority in security leaving COPIA with no funds to resume operations. Consequently, the organization announced it was closing its doors for good.[4] Following the 2008 closing of COPIA, a group of investors, developers, advocates and vintners named The Coalition to Preserve Copia was formed to explore a plan to preserve the building and grounds[5] Part of the group's plan includes forming a Mello-Roos district with participation of local hotel properties to finance bonds to purchase the property.[6] In May 2009 local developer George Altamura spoke about his interest in purchasing the property.[7]The property was put up for sale in October 2009.[8]

[edit] Facilities

COPIA included 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2) of gallery space for exhibitions of art, culinary history and science; a 260 raked-seat theater for films and lectures; a rare-books library; classrooms with audio-visual capabilities; a 74-seat demonstration kitchen forum; a gourmet dining room named for honorary trustee Julia Child, which featured a dramatic open finishing kitchen; a tasting table with an expansive selection of wines from across the United States; a 700-seat outdoor concert terrace; a café; a museum gift shop; and three and one-half acres of landscaped organic edible gardens for hands-on learning about soils, farming and viticulture. There was also ample parking in the south (161) and north (180) parking lots for a total 341 parking spaces.

The Design Architect of the original COPIA project was Polshek Partnership Architects; Architect of Record was Fong & Chan. The Landscape Architect was Peter Walker & Partners. Auerbach Consultants provided theatre consulting and COPIA's interior and architectural lighting design.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Severson, Kim (2001-11-15). "The table is SET: Napa's ambitious Copia, celebrating food, wine and the visual arts, opens this weekend". SF Chronicle: p. D-1. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/11/15/DD149171.DTL. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 
  2. ^ Huffman, Jennifer (2008-09-27). "Copia Lays Off Staff, Cutting Days Open". Napa Valley Register. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/09/27/news/local/doc48dd590c335f5954759041.txt. Retrieved 2008-09-27. 
  3. ^ Courtney, Kevin (2008-11-14). "Copia looks to sell, but stay". Napa Valley Register. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/11/14/news/local/doc491c9f92109cf687587296.txt. Retrieved 2008-11-14. 
  4. ^ Moskin, Julia (2008-12-23). "Napa Culinary Center, in Debt, Forced to Close". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/dining/24copia.html. Retrieved 2009-01-04. 
  5. ^ Huffman, Jennifer (2009-04-25). "Salmon, Price explore the revitalization of wine center site". Napa Valley Register. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/04/25/news/local/doc49f29a557891c610063113.txt. Retrieved 2009-06-10. 
  6. ^ Huffman, Jennifer (2009-06-07). "Hotel users may be key to revival of Copia". Napa Valley Register. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/06/07/news/local/doc4a2b56aa11487046862735.txt. Retrieved 2009-06-10. 
  7. ^ Huffman, Jennifer (2009-05-30). "Altamura interested in Copia". Napa Valley Register. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/05/30/news/local/doc4a20c670e2bd3247955901.txt. Retrieved 2009-06-10. 
  8. ^ Huffman, Jennifer (2009-10-03). "Copia officially up for sale". Napa Valley Register. http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/10/03/news/local/doc4ac6e4e871053877239374.txt. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 38°18′10″N 122°16′50″W / 38.302735°N 122.280664°W / 38.302735; -122.280664

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