{"id":548754,"date":"2026-09-07T20:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T20:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newjerseyheadlines.com\/news\/story\/548754\/celeste-whites-historic-preservation-work-across-napa-and-santa-barbara.html"},"modified":"2026-09-07T20:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T20:48:22","slug":"celeste-whites-historic-preservation-work-across-napa-and-santa-barbara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/story\/548754\/celeste-whites-historic-preservation-work-across-napa-and-santa-barbara.html","title":{"rendered":"Celeste White\u2019s Historic Preservation Work Across Napa and Santa Barbara"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Celeste<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

ST. HELENA, Califonia – September 7, 2026 – <\/strong>Celeste White’s preservation work across Napa Valley and Santa Barbara encompasses four projects connecting land conservation, historic architecture, education, faith, and community service. The efforts include a permanent conservation agreement protecting 1,025 acres in Chiles Valley, the adaptive reuse of a Santa Barbara building, the restoration of Yountville Community Church, and the renewal of the Joseph Ballinger Chiles house in St. Helena.<\/p>\n

Celeste White’s land conservation work in Napa Valley<\/a> includes her role in helping her father, E.A. Keith, complete a permanent conservation agreement with the Land Trust of Napa County in 2001. The agreement protected 1,025 acres associated with the Bar 49 Ranch, including oak woodland habitat, approximately 100 acres of planted vineyard, and the Catacula Lake Winery property. It allowed the land to remain privately owned and agriculturally productive while permanently restricting future development. The property encompasses part of Rancho Catacula, which local histories describe as the ninth and final Mexican land grant in Napa Valley. Joseph Ballinger Chiles received the original grant in 1844.<\/p>\n

In Santa Barbara, White and her husband, Dr. Robert White, made a substantial gift to Westmont College in 2021 that enabled the purchase of a four-story building at 29 West Anapamu Street. The gift, made in honor of E. Keith, was described as the second-largest single donation in Westmont’s history at the time. Following renovation, Westmont Downtown | Keith Center supports the Grotenhuis Nursing program, the Center for Technology, Creativity and Moral Imagination, a post-baccalaureate Certificate in Theological Leadership, and community-facing programs.<\/p>\n

White and Dr. White also undertook a multiyear, multimillion-dollar restoration of Yountville Community Church, founded in 1874 and recognized as Napa Valley’s oldest continuously operating church congregation. The chapel was rededicated in 2021, and the congregation marked its 150th anniversary in 2025. Their historic preservation and community stewardship<\/a> work also includes the renewal of the Joseph Ballinger Chiles house at 1343 Spring Street in St. Helena. Built in 1874-75 and listed on the city’s local register of historic properties, the building is being renewed as St. Helena Community Church. The project is intended to support worship, education, counseling, children’s activities, food programs, and other forms of community service.<\/p>\n

Together, the four projects reflect an approach to preservation that protects the history and character of significant places while supporting continued community use. From open-space conservation to educational facilities and houses of worship, the work connects stewardship with renewed purpose.<\/p>\n

About Celeste White<\/strong><\/p>\n

Celeste White’s preservation work spans Napa Valley and Santa Barbara. Her projects include helping secure permanent conservation protections for 1,025 acres in Chiles Valley, supporting the adaptive reuse of Westmont Downtown | Keith Center, restoring Yountville Community Church, and renewing the Joseph Ballinger Chiles house in St. Helena.<\/p>\n

More information is available through Celeste White’s official website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/span>
Company Name:<\/strong> Celeste White
Contact Person:<\/strong> Media Relations
Email:<\/strong> Send Email<\/a>
Country:<\/strong> United States
Website:<\/strong> https:\/\/celestewhite.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ST. HELENA, Califonia – September 7, 2026 – Celeste White’s preservation work across Napa Valley and Santa Barbara encompasses four projects connecting land conservation, historic architecture, education, faith, and community service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548754"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=548754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548754\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.northcarolinaheadlines.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}