After closing in 2022, the historic Villa restaurant — long a backdrop for prom dates, anniversaries and birthday dinners — sat empty for three years, slowly deteriorating as real estate developers eyed the site.
The sprawling building, with its vaulted ceilings and sweeping views of Annadel State Park, seemed destined for demolition. Then a trio of Mill Valley restaurateurs saw promise in the 64-year-old complex, even in its advanced state of disrepair.
After a year of planning and another of painstaking reconstruction, The Junction is slated to open in May as a family-friendly gathering place for craft beer, upscale pizza and cocktails, along with the same sweeping views that made the hilltop a favorite for generations of Sonoma County diners…