Hundreds of acres of Pope Valley land tied to the long-dormant Aetna Springs resort are set to hit the auction block Friday, October 30, 2026, after the property's owner reportedly fell behind on a $31.9 million loan. The trustee sale is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at a fountain near the Napa County Courthouse, with Aetna Springs Owner LLC facing the loss of the land through foreclosure.
The looming auction was first reported by The Napa Valley Register, which detailed how Aetna Springs Owner LLC was reported to owe $31.9 million on the loan as of June 11, and was required to catch up on payments or risk losing the property. Fidelity National Title Co. is serving as trustee overseeing the sale, which will go to the highest bidder. The legal notice carries a stark caveat common to foreclosure sales: bidders are purchasing a lien, not the property outright, and the winning bidder is not automatically entitled to free-and-clear ownership.
Perhaps just as notable as the auction itself is what remains unclear about it. According to the newspaper's review of the notice, it does not clearly establish whether the historic Aetna Springs resort parcel is actually included in the sale. The cover sheet omits the resort's parcel number entirely, while an inside sheet lists that parcel number but excepts part of the property from the sale. The notice itself also states that announced auctions often do not happen, leaving open the possibility that the October 30 sale could be postponed or called off.
A $35 Million Purchase Gone Sideways
Aetna Springs Owner LLC bought the Pope Valley property in 2023 for $35 million, according to the Register, as part of a broader push to revive the storied but crumbling resort. Weller Development was involved in those plans for a resort revival, which centered on bringing Six Senses Napa to the site. The project called for a resort with 95 guest rooms and 16 residential estates planned on the western edge of a 3,000-acre estate, featuring vineyards, a mineral spring and access to Lake Juliana.
Weller Development described Six Senses Napa in 2023 as an ultra-luxury establishment with amenities aimed at wine country enthusiasts, and the resort was planned to open sometime in 2026. That timeline has clearly slipped, and the Register reports that Weller Development could not be reached to explain why the project did not move forward as planned.
Contractors and an Architecture Firm Say They're Owed Millions
The stalled project has already spilled into Napa County Superior Court. Olson Kundig alleges that Aetna Springs Owner LLC owes it $1.9 million for architectural work rendered, while Centric Building Inc. alleges in court filings that the owners owe it $494,000. A trial in the matter was originally scheduled to begin Nov. 2 but has since been delayed until a date to be announced.
A Resort With Roots Back to 1877
Aetna Springs is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Register and confirmed by the California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation, underscoring what's at stake for preservationists watching the sale. The resort traces back to Chancellor Hartson, who founded it in Pope Valley in 1877, drawn to an underground spring with 106-degree water and surface springs running at 98 degrees. San Francisco advertising executive Len Owens bought Aetna Springs for $35,000 in 1891 and expanded it significantly, building a hotel, remodeling cottages and the bottle works, and constructing a dining hall.
The resort eventually closed in 1972 and fell into disrepair in the decades since, landing on Napa Landmark's list of Ten Threatened Treasures. County officials approved restoring 28 historic structures and building a 12,000-square-foot lodge back in 2012, a plan that predated the current ownership but reflected long-standing ambitions to bring the site back to life. The 2023 Six Senses announcement similarly promised that the structures would be preserved and adapted to suit the next chapter in the property's story, though that vision now hangs in the balance as the foreclosure proceeds.
