Palo Alto Stanford Heritage Attention researchers! The Guy Miller Archives, staffed by historians Steve Staiger and Darla Secor, is located in room K-7, Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road. No appointment is needed unless you cannot come during the scheduled hours, Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m. Telephone 650-329-2353 or email steve.staiger@cityofpaloalto.org, or darla.secor@cityofpaloalto.org
Another research tool is the collection of microfilmed local newspapers — the oldest is the 1870 .
Check out what's available at http://paloaltocitylibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/
Choose "Browse All". Currently, full-text digital scans are search-able by keyword, name, place, and publishing year for the following newspapers, but be aware that your search might not be very accurate since the key word dictionary is based on the OCR of the microfilmed text. Many words are not interpreted correctly:
(10/28/1896 – 1903)
(1901 – 1902)
(12/1/1905 – 12/28/1906, 1912 – 1914)
(3/5/1870 – 5/3/1871)
(1893 – )
Early important local people taken from a list in the Palo Alto Historical Association's files.
The Palo Alto Inventory of Historic Buildings was initiated in 1979 with the goal of identifying historic or unique buildings. There are four categories ranging from contributing to exceptional. Properties are listed alphabetically with year of construction. If a property is simply identified as "Professorville", that indicates that it is a supporting structure that is not on the Inventory, but is significant because of its location. As more information becomes available, it will be added. Please contact us if you have information to add to our listings.
2022 Historic Preservation Chapter. This is not an ordinance, but the most recent up to date resource available and does not cover all aspects of the ordinance. https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0-74404
June 1999 Historic Preservation Ordinance (abandoned) can be found at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/city-clerk/ordinances/ordinances-1909-to-present/ordinances-by-number/ord-4571.pdf
Link to the original 1984 Historic Preservation Ordinance
Palo Alto/Stanford Properties on the National Register of Historic Places
Palo Alto and Stanford University are home to a variety of properties listed on the National Register.
History Links
Researching Your Home by Historian, Steve Staiger
Palo Alto Historical Association website
Exploring the Archives: A selection of short videos on Palo Alto history. Palo Alto Historical Association:
The Terman Family — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Palo Alto Parks — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Palo Alto Floods — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Early Palo Alto Schools — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
John F. Parkinson — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Dr. Russell V. Lee — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Stanford Memorial Church — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Peter Coutts Tower — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Palo Alto Trolleys — Steve Staiger and Molly Cavers
HP Garage — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Palo Alto Art Center — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Tiles on Ramona Street — Tom Wyman and P.A. Moore
Palo Alto Post Office — Gail Woolley and P.A. Moore
Hostess House — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
Eichler Homes — Steve Staiger and Cherie McFadden
Lucie Stern — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
The History of El Palo Alto — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
The Town of Mayfield — Steve Staiger and P.A. Moore
The Palo Alto Weekly On–Line Edition
The Stanford Historical Society
Museum of American History 351 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto
Juana Briones Heritage Foundation, Palo Alto's oldest house
California Preservation Foundation
California Office of Historic Preservation
National Register of Historic Places
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Historic Preservation link on www.homeinsurance.org is a source of many other links to helpful and informative articles. Don't overlook this resource!
Other Preservation Organizations
As part of a June 2008 presentation, Tim Cannan, President of PreservationDirectory.com, at the Architectural Heritage Center's "Old House Fair" in Portland, Oregon, compiled a comprehensive resource guide for historic and cultural resource preservation. The title of the resource guide is Preservation Resources on the Web.
The comprehensive resource guide presents primary on-line resources in the field of historic and cultural resource preservation, with an emphasis on resources in Portland and the State of Oregon. Topics include researching your historic home; funding sources and tax credit programs available; utilizing your State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO); finding an undergrad/graduate program in historic preservation; historic real estate resources on-line; preservation event/conference directories; and much more. The presentation cover national resources in depth, so this will be of interest to preservationists and historic homeowners everywhere.
Preservation Action Council of San Jose
Victorian Preservation Association of Santa Clara Valley
San Francisco Architectural Heritage
The Eichler Network, dedicated to all things Eichler.
DoCoMoMo, celebrating and preserving the architecture of the mid twentieth century worldwide.
The Art Deco Society of California, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness and promoting preservation of the Art Deco era. In 1999 they presented preservation awards to two buildings in our area, the Lucie Stern Sea Scout Base and the Hoover Pavilion.
Since many of Palo Alto's historic buildings have beautiful ceramic tile, you may find the Tile Heritage Foundation of interest! Britain's National Trust and their American affiliate, the Royal Oak Foundation
Royal Oak Foundation membership also includes admission to properties owned by The National Trust for Scotland.
For those interested in gardens, while traveling in the UK you may want to visit the The Museum of Garden History
Resources for Your Old House and Garden
If you're looking for recycled building materials, check Whole House Building Supply, the only architectural salvage source in the mid-peninsula. Call them at (650) 852-9460 to hear about the current week's demolition sales.
For Arts & Crafts Wallpaper, try Bradbury and Bradbury.
Classic Illumination Studio in Berkeley restores and sells historic lighting.
Rejuvenation.com sells light fixture reproductions from every period, plus repro hardware, plus some neat humor.
Arroyo Craftsman features Arts & Crafts inspired lighting designs. Locally, Stanford Electric stocks their line.
Victorian Preservation Association (VPA) has a great source list!
The Eichler Network, dedicated to supporting the lifestyle of the 11,000 Northern Californians who own Eichler homes.
J. J. Burrows & Company historical-design merchants (Check out their Events Page!)
Old House Gardens, a source for antique bulbs!
Places to visit
Museum of American Heritage (MOAH): a museum of American invention. Admission is free. They're always looking for volunteers. 351 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto
Filoli: A local National Trust property
Elizabeth F. Gamble House, 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto
Rengstorff House in Mountain View's Shoreline Park, 3070 North Shoreline Boulevard, built in 1867
Dunsmuir House and Garden, 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, built in 1899
Library Books
Many preservation books are available in the Palo Alto libraries. The Rinconada Library might still have some of the books that were purchased with a PAST Heritage grant on history, architecture, preservation and restoration of homes. And don't forget to check the links to modern architectural books through on the Eichler page. See Advocacy page for the link!
The books listed below were donated to the Palo Alto Public Libraries by PAST Heritage. If they are not available at the library any more, they may still be available through other sources.
The Ultimate Frank Lloyd Wright, (CD-Rom), Microsoft.
Anscombe, Isabelle, Arts and Crafts Style, Phaidon Press Ltd., 1996.
Bowman, Leslie Greene, American Arts and Crafts: Virtue in Design, Bulfinch, 1990.
Calloway, Steven, Elements of Style: a Practical Encyclopedia of Interior Architectural Details from 1485 to the Present, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Dickinson, Duo, Expressive Details: Materials, Selection, Use, McGraw Hill, 1996.
Dowell, Clifton, Out on the Porch: An Evocation in Words and Pictures, Algonquin, 1992.
Ford, Kristina; James Lopach, Dennis O'Donnell, Planning Small Town America, Planners Press, 1990.
Gere, Charlotte, Nineteenth–Century Decoration: The Art of the Interior, Abrams, 1989.
Golany, Gideon, Ethics and Urban Design, J. Wiley, 1995.
Gross, Steve, Old Houses, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996.
Guild, Robin, The Victorian House Book, Rizzoli, 1992.
Hoskins, Lesley, ed., The Papered Wall: History, Pattern, Technique, Abrams, 1994.
Jones, Bernie, Neighborhood Planning, Planners Press, 1990.
Massey, James C., House Styles in America: The Old-House Journal Guide to the Architecture of American Houses, Penguin, 1996.
McAlester, Virginia, A Field Guide to American Houses, Knopf, 1984.
Middleton, Andrew, Rugs and Carpets: Techniques, Traditions and Designs, Mitchell Beazley, 1996.
Miller, Judith, Miller's Art Nouveau and Art Deco: A Buyer's Guide, Millers, 1995.
Miller, Judith, Period Fireplaces: A practical Guide to Period-Style Decorating, Reed Books, 1995.
Miller, Judith, Period Kitchens: A Practical Guide to Period-Style Decorating, Antique Collectors Club, 1995.
Moss, Roger W., Lighting for Historic Buildings: A Guide to Selecting Reproductions, Preservation Press, 1989.
Nylander, Jane C., Fabrics for Historic Buildings: A Guide to Selecting Reproduction Fabrics, Preservation Press, 1990.
Poore, Patricia, The Old–House Journal Guide to Restoration, E.P. Dutton, 1992.
Smith, Bruce, The Beautiful Necessity: Decorating with Arts and Crafts, Gibbs Smith, 1996.
Sucher, David, City Comforts, City Comforts Press, 1995.
Van Rosensteil, Helene, Floor Coverings for Historic Buildings, Preservation Press, 1988.
Vogelsong, Diana, ed., Landscape Architecture Sourcebook: A Guide to Resources on the History and Practice of Landscape Architecture, Omnigraphics, 1996.
Wayne, Kathryn, Architecture Sourcebook: A Guide to Resources on the History and Practice of Architecture, Omnigraphics, 1996.
Zingman-Leith, Elan, The Secret Life of Victorian Houses, Elliott & Clark, 1993.
E-mail us at either webmaster@pastheritage.org or president@pastheritage.org.
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