Palo Alto Historic Homes

By Alex Wilbur DeLeon

Growing up in Palo Alto, I have always admired the distinct architectural styles of homes throughout the various neighborhoods. In my younger days, I grew up in Community Center in a French-inspired 1940s home. I later moved to Professorville and lived in a historic Craftsman, and finally to a Barron Park 1980s Adobeinspired home.

Established in 1894, the city of Palo Alto’s rich and storied history is reflected in our architecture. Traveling through Palo Alto, you will notice the distinguishable difference between each neighborhood as the city was essentially built from North to South. For instance, many wonder why Barron Park is so unique and bucolic in contrast to the rest of the city. This is because it was actually annexed to Palo Alto as late as 1975! Comparing neighborhood architectural styles, you will notice a particular distinction among Crescent Park’s Spanish Colonial Revival Birge Clark-designed homes, Professorville’s Craftsman and Queen Anne Victorian style homes, and neighborhoods like Midtown and South Palo Alto, which were originally predominantly post-war built tract housing including tracts built by Joseph Eichler.

Historic Categories

In order to preserve our history, the City of Palo Alto has established categories for historic homes, which are labeled as Category 1 through 4 in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory list. A description of these categories along with a property inventory list can be found on the Palo Alto Stanford Heritage website (www. pastheritage.org). Category 1 and Category 2 homes, per the definition provided by Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, are considered to be “Exceptional Buildings” and “Major Buildings” respectively, meaning that they hold national, statewide, or regional significance. These homes are often designed by famous architects, or were occupied by well-known persons, and they are a good representation of national, state or regional architecture and have typically retained their original character with slight modifications.

Perhaps the most famous example of a Category 1 home in Palo Alto would be 367 Addison Avenue in Professorville, which is where Hewlett Packard was founded. This home is also on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

As an example of a Category 2 home, we currently have 1550 Cowper Street on the market. This beautiful historic revival architecture was designed by Pedro de Lemos, a very famous local architect.

1550 Cowper Street, Palo Alto

Category 3 and Category 4 homes are considered “Contributing Buildings” as they demonstrate a good example of the architectural style of a neighborhood; however, these homes have occasionally undergone extensive modifications relative to their original design. Many examples of Category 3 and Category 4 homes can be found throughout Professorville.

It should be noted that homes built by famous architects such as Julia Morgan, Birge Clark, Pedro de Lemos, Charles Hodges, Gustav Laumeister, Marcus Stedman, as well as many others, are often categorized as historic.

Historic Districts

Beyond historical homes which are categorized, there are also districts and neighborhoods with historic preservation guidelines including the Professorville Historic District and neighborhoods with Eichlerdesigned residences. Professorville, which gets its moniker from initially housing many Stanford University professors, has some of the earliest and most striking architecture that is historically significant in Palo Alto. The City of Palo Alto has design guidelines for both Professorville and for Eichler-built homes in neighborhoods, such as Fairmeadow and Greenmeadow.

What does “eligible for NRHP and/or CRHR in 1998” Mean?

NRHP stands for the National Register of Historic Places while CRHR stands for California Register of Historical Resources. In 1998, Palo Alto Stanford Heritage assisted in expanding Palo Alto’s historic homes inventory list, but due to lack of funding, they were unable to complete the project. For those thinking of rebuilding an older home that is listed as potentially historic, your home may need to undergo a Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) before it can be rebuilt.

Can Changes be Made to Historic Properties?

According to the City of Palo Alto’s Historic Resource Project Review: “historic preservation is not meant to prevent change, but rather to guide it.”

If you own or are interested in a historic home, you should determine under which category or historic district the property may exist. For a historic Category 1 home for instance, you may not be able to make any alterations to the façade of the home. However, for a Category 4 residence, there is much more leniency in terms of what you can do to the property as these homes have often been altered previously. According to the Historical Resource Project handout, there are typically restrictions on what can be done to the outside of a historic home and alterations will need review. The historic review process does not typically take interior work or landscaping into account unless the home is within Professorville.

The preservation of our historic homes and neighborhoods has created the unique character of Palo Alto as we know it today. However, it is important to understand the circumstances under which modifications can be made to historic properties. Should you decide to modify a historic residence, you will have to have your project reviewed by the City's Historic Resources Board or evaluated by a historic preservation consultant. The positive side of historic homes is the City tries to work with owners and be accommodating of their requests as the City believes the preservation of our historic homes adds to the unique beauty of Palo Alto.