| The Palo Alto History Project |
| A Tennyson Avenue Tour Tennyson Avenue |
| A Tennyson Avenue Tour: A Medley of Architecture The tree-lined streets of Old Palo Alto are quiet and residential, the perfect place for a contemplative stroll. They are also a kind of comprehensive encyclopedia of American domestic architecture. Take a walk down Tennyson Avenue or any of the other neighborhood promenades in the Old Palo Alto quadrant and you’ll find yourself peacefully stepping back into decades of architectural expressions. A victim of misidentification, Old Palo Alto was actually established some 20 years after the "oldest Palo Alto"--- that is the Downtown and Professorville areas. Located between Alma and Middlefield, the Oregon Expressway and Embarcadero, the shady and prosperous neighborhood dates to about 1910. Old Palo Alto was originally called the Seale Tract after two Irish-born San Franciscans, Thomas and Henry Seale, who owned the land in those years. Unlike the neighborhoods of Greenmeadow or Palo Verde, tract housing was never built in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood. Each home was built according to the whims of its owner---many of whom were well-to- do San Franciscans who lived in Palo Alto during the cold summer months up north. The medley of architectural style creates an interesting look when viewing the neighborhood collectively. It can have a kind of hodgepodge feel, such as when a Streamline Moderne dwelling may neighbor a majestic Colonial mansion. But to the house aficionado or amateur architecture historian, Old Palo Alto is like a museum. One is likely to find the full range of architectural stylings from Mediterranean, Tudor and California bungalow to Victorian, Moorish, Spanish Colonial and Post-Modern designs. As resident and former mayor Liz Kniss told the Weekly "I can't think of any of the houses in my neighborhood that are the same as the one next door." Tennyson Avenue is located in the heart of Old Palo Alto. Just 6 blocks long, one can find the full range of architecture style---some are quintessential architectural prototypes others are odd mutts, blending designs in new and original ways. But to be sure, a walk down Tennyson is a walk though architecture history We begin the tour on the Eastern side of Tennyson Avenue near Middlefield Road. One soon finds the house at 703 Tennyson. This typical English house has the signature projecting and flared eaves which defines its roof. The detached garage, or "auto barn," as it was sometimes called in the early 1900s, was an enhancement that many houses of the period supplied for the newly popular driving machines. The stucco exterior, slate shingles and steep pitched roof are also expressive of a classic English House. Moving down the street to 535 Tennyson, one finds a typical example of modernist architecture. Unflinchingly boxy, the flat roof, plate glass windows and attached garage are all part of its modern style. International modernism and its "less is more" philosophy took hold in the United States during the post-war years as architects looked for cheaper, more cost-effective ways to build. As is the case at 535 Tennyson, Internationalism shuns ornamental "superfluousness" and swears allegiance to volumetric forms. Next we come to 420 Tennyson, a house which features Palo Alto's most popular home and civic style, Spanish Revival. Popular with Birge Clark, Palo Alto's hometown architect, this home resembles the look of the Lucie Stern Community Center, the old Police Station on Bryant Street and the Downtown Post Office. Here we see the red clay mission tiles, stucco masonry, and wrought-iron gates that are typical of Spanish Revival. At 350 Tennyson, one comes to a home built in the Colonial Revival style. The structure features a pitched roof, hipped roof dormers, 12 over 12 double-hung sash windows, and a front-entry portico. The American flag and Easter bunny decoration give it a charming look. Just a few houses down the street is the monumental house at 310 Tennyson. Constructed in the Greek Revival style, like the Squire House on University Avenue, 310 Tennyson has all the pomp and circumstance of a federal building. The gated home features familiar Greek enhancements such as a tympanum, pediment and ionic portico and is, of course, pristine white. 270 Tennyson should be a familiar to anyone living in Palo Alto. It is in the modernist style of '50s developer and planner Joseph Eichler. With its pitched roof and flat overhangs, Eichlers have a slightly outmoded, almost funky look. Reviled in the '80s and '90s, Eichlers have come back in recent years and again have a devoted following again. Finally, near the end of Tennyson we come to a home that has the look of tomorrow. Still being built and sporting a decidedly post-modern look, this house seems to borrow from all over the architectural map. Perhaps it makes a fitting conclusion for our Tennyson Street Tour, one architectural walk that is nothing if not diverse. -Matt Bowling |
| An example of an odd side-by-side contrast of architectural styles on Tennyson Avenue. |
| A look down shady Tennyson Avenue |
| The map below shows Old Palo Alto |
| Former mayor Liz Kniss is a resident and supporter of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood |
| The most common architectural style in Palo Alto is Spanish Revival. Many varieties of the style can be found on Tennyson Avenue. |
