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Birge M. Clark

It seldom happens that a single architect is so influential that his work actually provides a major component of the image of a city. There are, however, at least three California towns where this has happened: in San Diego with the work of Irving Gill; in Watsonville with the work of W. H. Weeks; and in Palo Alto with the work of Birge Clark.

While Clark designed some structures in the Tudor or Medieval Revival styles, his work is primarily in the Spanish Colonial Revival mode, or, as he prefers to call it, the Early California Style. There is in his work a fondness for large expanses of wall, carefully irregular fenestration, and embellishments of colored tiles and wrought iron. (Short tile video)

Clark's father, A. B. Clark, was an early Stanford faculty member and although his primary field was art rather than architecture, he was the designer of many fine early Palo Alto residences. Thus his son, Birge Clark, was exposed to architectural concerns at an early age and together they designed the Lou Henry Hoover House.

Clark's long practice has been almost solely conducted in Palo Alto, and was varied enough to include single aind multiple family residences, commercial structures and prominent institutional buildings. Thus, his hand is to be traced in every range of building in the community, and is responsible for the remarkable visual coherence of post-1920's Palo Alto.

Source: Historical and Architectural Resources of the City of Palo Alto, 1979.

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Birge Clark and the U.S. Post Office Corner Stone

Photo from the Archives of the Palo Alto Historical Association

Video interview with Gail Woolley about Birge Clark

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Local Works by Birge Clark

Commercial  l  Palo Alto Residences  l  Stanford Residences

Commercial Buildings

• 539 Alma Street
  
• 440 - 450 Bryant Street
  
• 522 - 524 - 526 Bryant Street
  
• 164 California Avenue
  
• 392 California Avenue
  
• 419 - 421 California Avenue
  
• 425 - 433 California Avenue
  
• 480 East Meadow JLS Middle School (Wilbur Jr. High)
  
• 200- 230 Emerson Street
  
• 439 Emerson Street
  
• Florence Street and University Avenue (Masonic Hall)
  
• 146 Forest Avenue
  
• 116 - 122 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 200 - 230 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 239 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 261- 267 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 380 Hamilton Avenue (United States Post Office) — short video
  
• 151 Homer Avenue
  
• 300 Homer Avenue (Palo Alto Medical Clinic, future home of Palo Alto History Museum)
  
• Homer Avenue and High Street (Pontiac garage)
  
• 1305 Middlefield Road, also be sure to see a short Lucie Stern Community Center Video
  
• 533 - 535 Ramona Street
  
• 628 - 630 Ramona Street
  
• 668 Ramona Street Palo Alto Art Club
  
• 102 The Circle
  
• 125 University Avenue
  
• 180 - 190 University Avenue
  
• 235 University Avenue
  
• 250 University Avenue
  
• 261- 265 - 267 University Avenue
  
• 323 University Avenue
  
• 340 University Avenue
  
• 400 - 424 University Avenue
  
• 423 - 425 - 427- 429 - 433 - 437 University Avenue
  
• 436 - 440 University Avenue
• 460 - 476 University Avenue
  
• 488 University Avenue
  
• 526 - 530 - 534 Waverley Street
  

Commercial  l  Palo Alto Residences  l  Stanford Residences

Palo Alto Residences

• 505 - 507 Addison Avenue
  
• 2040 Amherst Street
  
• 2060 Amherst Street
  
• 2215, 2225 Amherst Street
  
• 1837, 1851, 1865 Bryant Street (311 Seale Avenue)
  
• 1991 Bryant Street
  
• 1480 Byron Street
  
• 526 Center
  
• 370 Channing Avenue
  
• 232 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 455 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 470 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 512 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 526 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 544 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 570 Coleridge Avenue
  
• 619 Cowper Street
  
• 1247 Cowper Street
  
• 1928 Cowper Street
  
• 1950 Cowper Street
  
• 1990 Cowper Street
  
• 2020 Cowper Street
  
• 2200 Cowper Street
  
• 557 East Crescent Drive
  
• 1400 Edgewood Drive
  
• 1401 Edgewood Drive
  
• 1431 Edgewood Drive
  
• 1440 Edgewood Drive
  
• 1474 Edgewood Drive
  
• 1480 Edgewood Drive
  
• 1490 Edgewood Drive
  
• 590 Embarcadero Road
  
• 758 Everett Avenue
  
• 27210 Fremont Road
  
• 1766 Fulton Street
  
• 1830 Fulton Street
  
• 619 Guinda Street
  
• 238 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 955 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 1120 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 1220 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 1457 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 1491 Hamilton Avenue
  
• 111 Island Drive
  
• 155 Island Drive
  
• Guest house at rear of residence at 360 Kellogg Avenue
  
• 325-375 Kingsley (10 residences)
  
• 335 Lowell Avenue
  
• 556 Lowell Avenue
  
• 569 Lowell Avenue
  
• 420 Maple Street (National Register)
  
• 1322 Martin Avenue
  
• 640 Middlefield Road
  
• 1400 Middlefield Road
• 1410 Middlefield Road
• 1420 Middlefield Road
• 1430 Middlefield Road
• 1440 Middlefield Road
  
• 425 Nevada Street
  
• 580 Newell Road
  
• 1990 Newell Road
  
• 760 Northampton Drive
  
• 960 Old Trace Road
  
• Page Mill Road
  
• 1066 Palo Alto Avenue
  
• 300 Santa Rita Avenue
  
• 311 Seale Avenue (see 1837 Bryant Street)
  
• 559 Seale Avenue
  
• 730 Southampton Drive
  
• 883 Southampton Drive
  
• 1941 Tasso Street
  
• 595 Tennyson Avenue
  
• 701 Tennyson Avenue
  
• 1150 University Avenue
  
• 1570 University Avenue
  
• 1755 University Avenue
  
• 1010 Waverley Street
  
• 2121 Waverley Street
  
• 1455 Webster Street
  
• 1525 Webster Street
  
• 1565 Webster Street
  
• 1651 Webster Street
  
• 1711 Webster Street
  
• 1975 Webster Street
  
• 51 West Crescent Drive
  
• 520 West Crescent Drive
  

Commercial  l  Palo Alto Residences  l  Stanford Residences

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Stanford Residences

• 665 Alvarado Row, Stanford (1927)
  
• 611 Coronado, Stanford (1930)
  
• 735 Dolores, Stanford (1928)
  
• 747 Dolores, Stanford (1924)
  
• 710 Frenchman's Road, Stanford (1925)
  
• 441 Gerona Road, Stanford (1927)
  
• 515 Gerona Road, Stanford (1941)
  
• 548 Gerona Road, Stanford (1928)
  
• 607 Gerona Road, Stanford (1926)
  
• 574 Junipero Serra, Stanford (1928)
  
• 648 Junipero Serra, Stanford (1930)
  
• 535 Los Arboles, Stanford (1939)
  
• 541 Los Arboles, Stanford (1936)
  
• 607 Mayfield, Stanford (1924)
  
• 615 Mayfield, Stanford (1924)
  
• 619 Mayfield, Stanford (1924)
  
• 623 Miranda, Stanford (1920)
  
• 634 Miranda, Stanford (1922)
  
• 672 Miranda, Stanford (1925)
  
• 669 Miranda, Stanford (1920)
  
• 679 Miranda, Stanford (1922)
  
• 684 Miranda, Stanford (1924)
  
• 691 Miranda, Stanford (1922)
  
• 622 Salvatierra, Stanford (1924)
  
• 638 Salvatierra, Stanford (1924)
  
• 691 Salvatierra, Stanford (1927)
  
• 657 Santa Ynez, Stanford (1924)
  
• 671 Santa Ynez, Stanford (1924)
  
• 770 Santa Ynez, Stanford (1926)
  
• 228 Searsville Road, Stanford (1940)
  
• 238 Searsville Road, Stanford (n.d.)
  

Commercial  l  Palo Alto Residences  l  Stanford Residences

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