Palo Alto Area Real Estate Insider Blog

Joe Eichler valued sophistication and grace in his personal and professional style. He greatly admired men such as Fred Astaire and Joe DiMaggio for their mastery and elegance.  Eichler was also inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and sought to bring this simplicity and modernity to suburban America.  

One of the most notable characteristics of Eichler’s homes, the atrium, embodies Eichler’s artistic flair and melds a number of Eichler characteristics. See previous posts for more no Eichler Style.  Eichler’s E-11 models, such as 728 Gailen Ave. in Palo Alto, were the first to incorporate the atrium as it is now recognized.  According to Ned Eichler, it was architect Bob Anshen, of Anshen & Allen, who appreciated this ancient Roman design and refined it.  

In Roman structures, the atrium was where one received guests and thus was regarded as the most important room of the home. This open-air room often included extravagant decoration, such as mosaics, as well as a center pool to collect rainwater. While the atrium’s function has changed, it still remains the focal point of many Eichler homes.  

The E-11 floor plan was 'flipped' (shown here) at 728 Gailen Ave. at the request of the original owner. The atrium can be seen in the center of the plan.

The atrium at 728 Gailen Ave. provides a private outdoor space ideal for entertaining or as a childrens’ play space.  Fuchsia bougainvillea blossoms there and a vivid green philodendron add an exotic accent and bring the outdoors inside. The flat roof of 728 Gailen Ave. facilitates this blend as the bougainvillea climbs toward the sky, drawing the eye up and out of the enclosure to the mature trees beyond. The atrium thus becomes a space for relaxation, a foyer and a colorful centerpiece to the home.  

As Eichler worked with a number of architects, the styles of several designers influenced Eichler homes. Anshen, for instance, drew heavily from Wright’s designs. The clean lines of the low roof and supporting beams at 728 Gailen Ave. reflect a Japanese influence.  

The simple elegance of Eichlers such as 728 Gailen Ave. allows them to be tailored to suit the owners’ preferences and tastes.  The atrium can be adapted through landscaping to accentuate a style of décor, highlighting regional or period influences. This flexibility of design is consistent with Eichler’s vision of a home with multifunctional spaces, and is one reason why his homes continue to be highly desirable.

In 1950, Joseph Eichler’s company Eichler Homes embarked on a mission to bring modern architecture to suburban America. By 1974, Palo Alto featured a number of fine Eichler houses. Many of these Palo Alto properties have been preserved and continue to be wonderful family homes.

Intended to be part of inclusive and diverse communities, Eichler developments were designed to have homes consistent in appearance and sharing similar floor plans. Marked by defining features such as a single-story overlay, radiant heating, atrium and utilization of natural light, Eichlers blend indoors with outdoors and exude a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

Built in 1958, the 4-bedroom, 2-bath home at 728 Gailen Ave. in Meadow Park neighborhood is a picture-perfect example of a Palo Alto Eichler home, showcasing characteristics of Eichler style.

• ‘Moderate modernism’: Nestled on a cul-de-sac of Eichler houses, one might miss the demure façade of 728 Gailen Ave., were it not for the eye-catching contrast of a white door and trim on its deep sage exterior. The interior of the house is marked by a similar simplicity of line, imbued with pleasing details such as open wood beams spanning the great room and living room that make the space feel clean without feeling sterile.

• Blending indoors and outdoors: As is characteristic of many Palo Alto Eichlers, the front entry of 728 Gailen Ave. opens onto the atrium, an open-air courtyard encased by the house. Ideal for evening entertaining in the spring and summer (or even in California fall and winter), the atrium provides a private, intimate space while maintaining an outdoor atmosphere. Large glass windows were used in Eichler’s designs to allow natural light to illuminate the indoor space and make the interior appear even more spacious.

• Natural light: The technique of using floor-to-ceiling windows to provide light is an Eichler characteristic used freely in the Gailen Ave. home.  The atrium is surrounded on three sides by large glass panels, which, in conjunction with the great room/kitchen windows, fill the home with a warm luminance. Tall, narrow windows along the cul-de-sac admit light but preserve privacy.

• Multifunctionality of space: In keeping with Eichler’s ideal of utility in design, the 1,845-sq-ft floor plan of 728 Gailen Ave. is such that the bedrooms lie on one side of the house with living and dining rooms on the other, united by a shared great room and kitchen. The floorplan is dynamic in that rooms could be repurposed to fit the varying needs of its owners. For instance, the bedroom at the front of the Gailen Ave. home is ideal for repurposing as an office, as its location and sliding glass door make it accessible from the atrium. This might allow this room to be functionally separate from the rest of the home.

• Privacy: Eichler homes find a wonderful balance between openness and privacy. Although large windows and glass appear throughout the homes, Eichler was attentive to the need for privacy, demonstrated in his designs. Active living spaces are arranged toward the rear of the home. The atrium also serves as a buffer between the front entry and the rest of the interior.

In addition to these characteristics, 728 Gailen Ave. is further distinguished by its large lot; the house sits on a cul-de-sac abutting other cul-de-sacs, creating a wedge-shaped lot. The floor plan of the house was ‘flipped’ at the request of the original (and only) owner to maximize use of the space. As a result, the home enjoys a spacious, contiguous backyard and side garden with space enough to add a pool, sport court or home addition.

Although located on a low-traffic cul-de-sac in a tranquil neighborhood, 728 Gailen Ave. is by no means isolated. It is within walking distance of Charleston Shopping Center, which features a Peet’s Coffee and Tea and Piazza’s Fine Foods. Mitchell Park and Library and schools such as Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School are also easily accessible.

This post is intended to give you a little taste of this wonderful Eichler home in Palo Alto. Following posts in the series will delve further into Eichler’s design influences; the Meadow Park neighborhood and community; and what makes an Eichler house a home.

I went to the Mountain View CA AT&T store today at 9:25 in order to get in line to pre-order an iphone. I was the 9th person in line. It took over one hour from the time the store opened until I was allowed to come into the store and start the ordering process. About 45 minutes into the process, when we had completed the paperwork, and the AT&T representative pushed the “purchase” button on the screen, the cart mysteriously ”emptied” just as the AT&T representative wanted to finish the process. Apparently there were so many AT&T stores ordering the phones that most of the representatives reported this problem. 15 minutes later after re-filling out all of the information, the order did go through.

People in line reported that it was impossible to get through on the website, and the AT&T representatives indicated that the queue for calling AT&T was over 1000 people long.

This was the day the Mountain View Store was having their air conditioning fixed, so employees went out an purchased fans in order to keep customers cool.

They also handed out glasses of water to people in line, and provided seating for those who were tired form standing in line for so long.

Although I had visited the store a week ago, they neglected to tell me that the primary person on the account HAD to be present and a part of the ordering process. I called my husband and he came down while I was still in line.

 People in line were very civilized.

Palo Alto CA has outstanding home appreciation rates compared to other communities, even in the generally excellent cities of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is by far my favorite city to for purchasing and listing homes for sale. Why? A few years after my clients have purchased their homes, they always comment something like, “We would never be able to afford this home now.” Home Sellers comment “Even I didn’t think my home was worth so much in so little time…” For more detailed statistical information on Palo Alto area home prices go to the Home Appreciation section of this website. All cities in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County have their own statistical reports. However, Palo Alto also has the most expensive property PRICES per square foot and per square foot of lot size. Palo Alto’s square foot prices for both homes and lots frequently exceed those in the very exclusive community of Atherton CA. In other words, Palo Alto is astonishingly expensive, and just a few miles away in San Carlos and Belmont, the prices are far more reasonable. (more…)

I interviewed four successful Real Estate flippers in the last month, and was surprised at how they all operate based on more or less the same “Real Estate Flipping Rules“. These flippers were working in the Greater Palo Alto communities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale and San Jose California, and typically completed their projects in 4-12 weeks. All had at least two “value added” skill sets including the following: Real Estate license and marketing expertise, contractor’s license, ability to make repairs and do simple tasks such as paint or tile the property, staging skills, furniture and accessories, and in some cases, a mortgage broker license. One person was the designated “interior designer”, and spent considerable time and effort in selecting and sourcing attractive materials at reasonable prices. All partnerships involved value added skill sets, and no partnerships had a partner that just brought money to the table. Successful flipper partnerships split costs, risks and value added skill sets. All flippers staged their properties, most with their own staging furniture and accessories. (more…)

A pristine Eichler Home for sale came onto the market in Palo Atlo’s Greenmeadow neighborhood this week. MLS # 772403. The 1648 Sq ft home of 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is located at 4072 Scripps Avenue is on a large (by Palo Alto Real Estate standards) 7045 sq ft lot (per co. assessor) in Palo Alto’s Greenmeadow neighborhood. (more…)

This second installment on the Vantage of Palo Alto “green” community will focus on some of the interior features, issues, and increased expenses new home buyers should be aware of when purchasing a home in a new home community in Palo Alto CA and Santa Clara County CA. (more…)

I visited Vantage of Palo Alto which is touted as the most progressive “Green” Townhome Community, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was quite impressed. Vantage is located at 928 East Meadow Drive in south Palo Alto, on the former campus of Loral Space Systems and the Stanford Graduate School of Psychology. (more…)