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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 2510-5334CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Monday, December 15, 2025 Council Chambers & Hybrid 4:30 PM Agenda Item 25.PUBLIC HEARING/QUASI-JUDICIAL. 1680 Bryant Street [25PLN-00204]. Approval of a Record of Land Use Action to Reclassify the Historic Building Located at 1680 Bryant Street From a Category 2 Resource on the Local Historic Inventory to a Category 3 Resource. Staff Presentation, Applicant Presentation City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: ACTION ITEM Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: December 15, 2025 Report #:2510-5334 TITLE PUBLIC HEARING/QUASI-JUDICIAL. 1680 Bryant Street [25PLN-00204]. Approval of a Record of Land Use Action to Reclassify the Historic Building Located at 1680 Bryant Street From a Category 2 Resource on the Local Historic Inventory to a Category 3 Resource. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that City Council approve the Record of Land Use Action (Attachment B) reclassifying the building at 1680 Bryant Street from a Category 2 resource to a Category 3 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. Note: This recommendation differs from the Historic Resource Board’s recommendation to retain the Category 2 listing by a 3-1-1 vote. BACKGROUND The residence at 1680 Bryant Street was originally the northern half of a larger two-story home constructed in 1914 for the Haehl family, as detailed in Attachment C. The original structure featured an H-shaped configuration with a one-story connecting wing and included a detached garage on the site. Designed by Berkeley-based architect John Hudson Thomas, the residence exemplified the Prairie architectural style with Secessionist detailing. The unified structure was oriented toward Lowell Avenue and originally carried the address 275 Lowell Avenue. In 1946, the property was subdivided into two parcels, and the one-story connector between the two two-story volumes was demolished, resulting in two separate residences. Despite this demolition, the subject property was added to the local historic register in 1979, in association with 275 Lowell Avenue, as a Category 2 historic resource based on its architectural significance. The historic resource inventory form described the paired residences at 1680 Bryant Street and 275 Lowell Avenue as “a superb example, even in its mutilated state, of Thomas’ ability to fuse Prairie Style, Secessionist, Craftsman, and Pueblo Revival architectural expressions,” further noting the design as “a milestone…in the career of an important Bay Area designer, John Hudson Thomas.” In the decades following subdivision—and eighteen years after the property’s inclusion in the historic resources inventory—the associated structure at 275 Lowell Avenue was demolished and replaced with the current building on that site. As a result, the residence at 1680 Bryant Street is no longer contextually linked to the structure with which it was originally designed and evaluated. Historic Resources Board Review 1 At the hearing, a majority of the HRB cited concerns that a downgrade would exempt the property from historic review and demolition delay requirements per Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) Chapter 16.49. Some members noted that approving such a request would reduce protections for the property since only Categories 1 and 2, or structures within a historic district, are subject to review procedures in PAMC Chapter 16.49. One HRB member suggested that, while there are no project plans submitted for the property, once the owner comes forward with a proposal, the City should help find a solution that fits what they want while still maintaining the historic structure. It was further noted that offering more incentives to historic properties such as the Mills Act could help with local preservation efforts. The HRB voted 3-1-1 (Board member Eagleston-Cieslewicz dissenting and board member Pease absent) to recommend that the existing Category 2 designation remain. Eagleston-Cieslewicz noted that while not enthusiastic about the downgrade, it was technically necessary since the current structure is fragmented and has strayed too far from the original design. ANALYSIS Although the HRB voted to retain the property’s Category 2 designation, its rationale was based on concerns that the property would otherwise lose historic preservation protections, such as demolition delay requirements, and on a belief that incentives for historic properties are currently insufficient. However, this perspective and recommendation overlook the actual criteria required for a Category 2 designation. Category 2 resources must retain their original character, with only limited exterior modifications permitted. While this category allows certain exterior alterations, such as removal of the one-story connector between the subject property and 275 Lowell Avenue, it nonetheless requires that the property’s original character remain largely intact. When 275 Lowell Avenue was demolished in 1997, half of the original architectural composition that supported the property’s Category 2 status was removed, rendering the subject property no longer eligible for a Category 2 designation.2 1 Link to October 9, 2025 HRB staff report with consultant assessment and inventory form: https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=16687 2 Definitions for various historic resource categories is available online: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/paloalto/latest/paloalto_ca/0-0-0-74426 By contrast, staff’s recommended Category 3 designation more accurately reflects the current condition and historical context of the property. Category 3 is intended for buildings that serve as good local examples of an architectural style and that contribute to the character of a neighborhood through scale, materials, proportion, or related factors. This category also encompasses contributing buildings that have experienced extensive or permanent changes to their original design, such as inappropriate additions, removal of architectural details, or resurfacing of façades. These criteria align more closely with the property’s history and ensure that it remains listed on the City’s inventory. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Communities that preserve historic resources foster a strong sense of place, shared identity, and civic pride. Robust preservation efforts also contribute to economic development and environmental sustainability by encouraging rehabilitation and reducing construction waste. Although designated historic resources receive certain zoning and building code incentives, these benefits may be less meaningful to homeowners who have already made substantial improvements or who simply intend to maintain their properties. If the City wishes to strengthen protections or expand incentives for historic resources, the City Council may direct staff to explore such options. However, maintaining a resource in a designation category that does not align with the plain meaning of the City’s historic resource criteria is not a recommended approach to effective preservation policy. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT PUBLIC COMMENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Maintenance of historic designation of a property or reclassification of historic designation of a property is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act and CEQA Guidelines Section 21065 because it will not cause a direct change to the physical environment nor a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. ATTACHMENTS APPROVED BY: 95.0' 50.0' 5.0' 175.0'50.0' 125.0' 50.0' 125.0' 150.0' 76.0' 150.0' 76.0' .'50.0' 60.0' 150.0'150.0' 90.0' 150.0' 90.0' 10 110.0' 65.0' 175.0' 65.0' 175.0' 150.0' 150.0' 149.0' 106.0' 57.0' 44.0' 92.0' 50.0' 43.0' 44.0' 57.0' 94.0' 100.0' 150.0' 75.0' 150.0' 75.0' 100.0' 200.0' 90.0' 150.0' 120.0'150.0' 120.0' 150.0' 150.0' 80.0' 200.0' 600 1650 1680 315 301 1628 275 271 249 25 280 290 290A LOWELL AVENUE BRYANT STREET This map is a product of the City of Palo Alto GIS This document is a graphic representation only of best available sources. Legend Project Site 0' 57' Attachment A Location Map CITY OF PALO ALTO I NC O R P O R A TE D CALI FORNIA P a l o A l t o T h e C i t y o f APRI L 1 6 189 4 The City of Palo Alto assumes no responsibility for any errors ©1989 to 2016 City of Palo Alto sswitze, 2025-09-24 08:52:34 (\\cc-maps\Encompass\Admin\Personal\Planning.mdb) Page 1 of 2 APPROVAL NO. 2024-____ On November 17, 2025, the Council held a duly noticed public hearing and, after considering all of the evidence presented, approved the property owner’s request to reclassify the commercial building at 1680 Bryant Street, currently a Local Category 2 Historic Resource. The Council approved the staff recommendation to reclassify to a Category 3 Historic Resource on the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. In approving the application, the Council makes the following findings, determination, and declarations: SECTION 1. Background. A.On July 25, 2025, with the owner’s request and funding, staff obtained a historic resource evaluation from the City’s consultant, Page & Turnbull. The historic resource evaluation concluded that the property does not meet the criteria for a Category 2 resource but retains sufficient integrity and significance to be classified as a Category 3 resource under local criteria 2, 5, and 6. Criterion 2 (The structure or is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation): The residence is a locally rare example of the Prairie style, a design movement more commonly associated with the Midwest and rarely executed in Palo Alto. Its asymmetrical massing, low-pitched hipped roof with broad eaves, and applied Secessionist motifs speak to an architectural vocabulary that is unusual and sophisticated within the regional context. As such, the structure is particularly representative of a stylistic expression that is extremely rare at the local level. Criterion 5 (The architect or building was important): The building was designed by John Hudson Thomas, a notable Berkeley-based architect whose work played a formative role in shaping the eclectic architectural character of the Bay Area. Thomas is particularly known for his fusion of Prairie, Arts & Crafts, and Secessionist design vocabularies. Although most of his known works are concentrated in the East Bay, this residence is one of two known Thomas commissions in Palo Alto, underscoring its architectural significance and satisfying this criterion. Criterion 6 (The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship): Despite alterations, the residence at 1680 Bryant Street retains exceptional design features that reflect a high level of architectural detailing and craftsmanship. These include its massive front porch with shallow pointed-arch opening, geometric Secessionist ornamentation, corner piers with vertical battens, carved rafter tails, and inset four-square muntins in windows and doors. The use of these details, especially in conjunction with a restrained and well-executed material palette, reflect a level of design integrity that demonstrates Thomas’ outstanding attention to architectural details and craftsmanship. Page 2 of 2 B.On August 19, 2025, the property owner requested a reclassification of a two-story residential building designed by John Hudson Thomas in the Prairie style completed in 1914 from a ‘Major Building’ Category 2 resource to a ‘Contributing Building’ Category 3 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. C.On October 9, 2024, the HRB received a staff report (ID #2509-5221), conducted a public hearing, and recommended against the consultant’s evaluation and staff’s recommendation to reclassify the current local historic inventory Category 2 to Category 3. The HRB recommended with a 3-1-1 vote (one member voting no and one member absent) to keep the existing Category 2 status. SECTION 2. Environmental Review. The project is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it is not a project under CEQA Guidelines per Section 21065. SECTION 3. Designation Findings. A. The following criteria, as specified in Municipal Code Section 16.49.040 (b), shall be used as criteria for designating historic structures/sites to the historic inventory: 1.The structure or site is identified with the lives of historic people or with important events in the city, state or nation; 2.The structure or site is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation; 3.The structure or site is an example of a type of building which was once common, but is now rare; 4.The structure or site is connected with a business or use which was once common, but is now rare; 5.The architect or building was important; 6.The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship. The building at 1680 Bryant Steet met many of the above criteria when it was first listed on Palo Alto’s Historic Resource Inventory in 1978. While cumulative changes since the 1978 evaluation have affected some areas of integrity, 1680 Bryant Street retains sufficient integrity to convey its local significance under Criteria 2, 5, and 6 as a Category 3 resource. per Page & Turnbull’s conclusion. B. The definition of Category 3 in Municipal Code Section 16.49.020 (b) must be met to allow the structure’s category reclassification: Category 3 or 4 Definition: "Contributing building" means any building or group of buildings which are good local examples of architectural styles and which relate to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or permanent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate additions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden facades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco. Page 3 of 2 Page & Turnbull historic consultant supported the applicant’s request. The City’s consultant found the building at 1680 Bryant Street meets the Palo Alto Inventory Category 3 Definition. 1680 Bryant Street no longer meets the criteria for a Category 2 resource which requires retention of the original character with limited exterior modifications. Given that over half of the original structure was demolished in the 1990’s and the inventory form prepared in 1978 was not updated to reflect this, the residence more appropriately aligns with the Category 3 definition that applies to buildings that have undergone sustain or permanent changes and still convey a good architectural style. Retaining the Category 2 listing would not be consistent with the Municipal Code. SECTION 4. Category Change Approved. The City Council approves the property owner’s request for re- classification of 1680 Bryant Street to a Category 3 historic resource on the City’s Historic Resources Inventory. // // // // INTRODUCED AND PASSED: November 17, 2025 AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTENTIONS: ATTEST: APPROVED: _________________________ ____________________________ City Clerk Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: ___________________________ ____________________________ Assistant City Attorney City Manager ____________________________ Director of Planning and Development Services Sanborn Map Company Map Palo Alto, 1924 Sanborn Map Company Map Palo Alto, 1945 Palo Alto Property Information Map 1680 BRYANT STREET HISTORIC RESOURCE EVALUATION PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA [24402.05] PREPARED FOR CITY OF PALO ALTO JULY 25, 2024 Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL i July 25, 2025 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Summary of Findings ................................................................................................................................. 2 National Register of Historic Places ......................................................................................................... 4 California Register of Historical Resources ............................................................................................. 4 California Historical Resource Status Codes ........................................................................................... 4 Palo Alto Historic Inventory ....................................................................................................................... 5 Building Description ................................................................................................................................... 8 Site Features .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Surrounding Neighborhood .................................................................................................................... 25 Palo Alto History ....................................................................................................................................... 27 History of Seale Addition ......................................................................................................................... 29 Prairie Architectural Style ........................................................................................................................ 31 John Hudson Thomas, Architect ............................................................................................................. 32 Site Development ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Ownership History .................................................................................................................................... 44 California Register of Historical Resources ........................................................................................... 48 City of Palo Alto Historic Inventory ......................................................................................................... 50 Appendix A – Preparer Qualifications .................................................................................................... 60 Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 1 July 25, 2025 INTRODUCTION This Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) has been prepared at the request of the City of Palo Alto for the property at 1680 Bryant Street (APN 124-17-018) in the Seale Addition, or Old Palo Alto, neighborhood of Palo Alto (). The 11,400-square-foot parcel contains a two-story residence, built in 1914 and designed in the Prairie style by Berkeley-based architect John Hudson Thomas.1 The property also contains a one-story detached garage. The house was originally constructed to serve as the private residence of the Harry Haehl family and continues this use as a single-family residence at present. Figure 1. The location of the subject property is shaded red. Source: Office of the County Assessor of Santa According to the City of Palo Alto Property Information Map, 1680 Bryant Street is currently designated as a Category 2 historic resource, based on its past association with the neighboring property at 275 Lowell Avenue. 2 However, the two parcels were subdivided in 1946, and the portion 1 Research revealed that construction began in 1913, and the house was completed in 1914. Palo Alto Historical Society, Permit Card for 275 Lowell Avenue. City of Palo Alto City Directory, 1914, accessed online, www.ancestry.com. 2 City of Palo Alto Property Information Map (PIM). Accessed online, https://opengis.cityofpaloalto.org/parcelreports/. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 2 July 25, 2025 of the original 1914 residence located at 275 Lowell Avenue was demolished in 1997. Although 1680 Bryant Street retains its Category 2 status, approximately half of the original structure is missing, and it is no longer physically or historically connected to 275 Lowell Avenue or the building now on that site. More details on the construction chronology, parcel subdivision, and alterations that have occurred at 1680 Bryant Street are included in the section of this report. The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street does not appear to have previously been evaluated for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) as an individual property or as a contributor to an eligible district. This report focuses on the eligibility of the existing residence at 1680 Bryant Street. A final determination of significance for both the California Register and the Palo Alto Historic Inventory will apply to the residence at 1680 Bryant Street as a stand-alone building, independent of its prior association with the now-demolished historic residential resource occupying the parcel addressed as 275 Lowell Avenue. Methodology This report follows a standard outline used for Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) reports, and provides a summary of the current historic status, a building description, and historic context for the building at 1680 Bryant Street and the Seale Addition/Old Palo Alto neighborhood. Page & Turnbull prepared this report using research collected at various local repositories, including the Palo Alto Development Services and the Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA), as well as online sources including Palo Alto Stanford (PAST) Heritage, Ancestry.com, the California Digital Newspaper Collection, and Newspapers.com. Key primary sources consulted and cited in this report include Sanborn Map Company maps, Palo Alto building permit applications, city and county directories, and historical newspapers. Page & Turnbull staff conducted a site visit to 1680 Bryant Street on July 1, 2025. All photographs within this report were taken at that time, unless otherwise noted. Summary of Findings This HRE finds that although 1680 Bryant Street does not appear to qualify as an eligible individual historic resource for the California Register, the building is a rare local example of the Prairie style as designed by notable Berkeley-based architect John Hudson Thomas, and appears to retain adequate integrity to remain a historic resource on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. While the building is currently listed as a Category 2 (Major Building), the loss of the adjacent residence at 275 Lowell Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 3 July 25, 2025 Avenue has impacted the integrity of the original design and Page & Turnbull recommends that the building’s status is downgraded to a Category 3 (Contributing Building), as it is no longer able to meet the definition of a “Major Building” for the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. The building would remain a historic resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it is listed on a local historic register. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 4 July 25, 2025 EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS The following section examines the national, state, and local historic status currently assigned to the residence at 1680 Bryant Street. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (National Register) is the nation’s most comprehensive inventory of historic resources. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service and includes buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts that possess historic, architectural, engineering, archaeological, or cultural significance at the national, state, or local level. The subject property is not listed in the National Register of Historic Places individually, or as part of a registered historic district. California Register of Historical Resources The California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) is an inventory of significant architectural, archaeological, and historical resources in the State of California. Resources can be listed in the California Register through a number of methods. State Historical Landmarks and National Register-listed properties are automatically listed in the California Register. Properties can also be nominated to the California Register by local governments, private organizations, or citizens. The evaluative criteria used by the California Register for determining eligibility are closely based on those developed by the National Park Service for the National Register of Historic Places. The subject property is not listed in the California Register of Historical Resources individually, or as part of a registered historic district. California Historical Resource Status Codes Properties listed or under review by the State of California Office of Historic Preservation are listed within the Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD) and are assigned a California Historical Resource Status Code (Status Code) of “1” to “7” to establish their historical significance in relation to the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) or California Register of Historical Resources (California Register).3 Properties with a Status Code of “1” or “2” are either eligible for listing in the California Register or the National Register, or are already listed in one or both of the registers. Properties assigned Status Codes of “3” or “4” appear to be eligible for listing in either 3 California State Office of Historic Preservation, Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), Santa Clara County, updated September 2022. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 5 July 25, 2025 register, but normally require more research to support this rating. Properties assigned a Status Code of “5” have typically been determined to be locally significant or to have contextual importance. Properties with a Status Code of “6” are not eligible for listing in either register. Finally, a Status Code of “7” means that the resource has not been evaluated for the National Register or the California Register, or needs reevaluation. The subject property is not currently listed in the BERD database for Santa Clara County with a status code. This means the property has not been formally evaluated using California Historical Resource Status codes in a report submitted to an information center of the California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS) of the California Office of Historic Preservation. The most recent update to the BERD database was in September 2022. Palo Alto Historic Inventory The City of Palo Alto’s Historic Inventory lists noteworthy examples of the work of important individual designers and architectural eras and traditions as well as structures whose background is associated with important events in the history of the city, state, or nation. The inventory is organized under the following four categories:  Category 1: An “Exceptional Building” of pre-eminent national or state importance. These buildings are meritorious works of the best architects, outstanding examples of a specific architectural style, or illustrate stylistic development of architecture in the United States. These buildings have had either no exterior modifications or such minor ones that the overall appearance of the building is in its original character.  Category 2: A “Major Building” of regional importance. These buildings are meritorious works of the best architects, outstanding examples of an architectural style, or illustrate stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained.  Category 3 or 4: A “Contributing Building” which is a good local example of an architectural style and relates to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or permanent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate additions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden façades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 6 July 25, 2025 The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street is listed in association with 275 Lowell Avenue as a Category 2 historic resource for its architectural significance.4 The historic resource inventory form prepared in 1978 describes the building as “a superb example, even in its mutilated state, of Thomas’ ability to fuse Prairie Style, Secessionist, Craftsman, and Pueblo Revival architectural expressions” in addition its design being “a milestone…in the career of an important Bay Area designer, John Hudson Thomas.”5 Dames & Moore Survey Update, 1999-2001 Between 1997 and 2000, the historic preservation firm Dames & Moore conducted a comprehensive update to Palo Alto’s 1979 Historic Inventory, focusing on identifying additional properties eligible for listing in the National Register. 6 The effort began with a reconnaissance survey of approximately 6,600 properties built before 1947, resulting in two Study Priority lists: roughly 600 properties were classified as Study Priority 1 (potentially eligible under Criterion C for architecture), and about 2,700 as Study Priority 2 (not individually eligible under Criterion C but retaining high integrity). All Priority 1 and 2 properties were subsequently studied at the intensive level, with historical research conducted on owners, builders, architects, and broader context topics such as property types and architectural trends. In 1999, Dames & Moore issued an interim report identifying 291 properties as potentially eligible for both the National and California Registers, and 1,789 as potentially eligible for the California Register only. However, because the study prioritized National Register eligibility, preliminary California Register findings were not finalized. The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street was listed on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory in 1979 and thus was not studied in the Dames & Moore Survey Update. 4 Historic Environment Consultants, “Historical and Architectural Resources of the City of Palo Alto: Inventory and Report,” February 1979, 60. 5 City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: 275 Lowell-1680 Bryant Street (Haehl Residence), 1978, revised 1981 and 1985. 6 Dames & Moore, Michael Corbett, and Denise Bradley. “Final Survey Report – Palo Alto Historic Survey Update: August 1997- August 2000.” Prepared for the City of Palo Alto Planning Division, February 2001. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 7 July 25, 2025 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION The rectangular residential parcel addressed as 1680 Bryant Street is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Bryant Street and Lowell Avenue in the Seale Addition neighborhood of Palo Alto (). It contains a two-story residence and a one-story detached garage, both rectangular in footprint and facing Bryant Street. The buildings exhibit the Prairie style with Secessionist detailing. The wood-frame buildings feature rough-coat stucco cladding and generally symmetrical facades with typical windows being wood-frame divided-lite casement pairs, wood- frame single-lite casement pairs, and wood-frame fixed picture types. Many of the street-facing divided-lite windows and prominent glazed doors exhibit muntins arranged in an inset four-square pattern, evocative of the simple geometric details common of the Secessionist style (). Figure 2. Aerial view of 1680 Bryant Street with approximate property boundaries marked in dashed white. Source: Google Earth, 2022. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 8 July 25, 2025 Figure 3. Detail of the inset four-square pattern found in the muntins of many windows as referenced throughout the following description. This specific window is located on the second floor of the primary façade. Building Description The main residence at 1680 Bryant Street exhibits horizontal massing across its two stories with a projecting front porch bay at the primary/front entrance. While both floors are generally symmetrical with balanced openings, the second floor is recessed and off-center from the ground floor, creating a shallow balcony across the primary (north) façade and an uncovered deck area at the west end of the building (). A solid parapet clad in rough-coat stucco serves as the railing around the perimeter of these elevated outdoor areas, the corners of which feature raised piers accentuated by four evenly spaced vertical wood battens atop a cantilevered stucco-clad base in the form of a trapezoidal bracket (). The battens are mounted to the face of the corner piers and extend above the pier’s cap, the verticality of which contrasts with the heavy, grounded quality of the pier and enhancing the layered, planar quality of the building’s façade. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 9 July 25, 2025 Figure 4. Oblique view of primary façade, view west. Figure 5. Corner pier with vertical batten detailing on the northwest corner, looking southwest. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 10 July 25, 2025 The roof over the second-floor volume is hipped and clad in asphalt shingles with deep eaves, creating cover for the north balcony. The soffit here features painted wood paneling and paired carved rafter tails (). A flat-roofed dormer is located near the northeast corner of the roof, which features gridded vents on each of its three elevations (refer to . The east and west ends of the second-floor volume are flanked by chimneys clad in rough-coat stucco; the uppermost portion of each chimney above the roofline is embellished with vertical grooves (). Figure 6. Roof eave with exposed rafter tails along primary façade, looking east. Figure 7. West chimney detail, looking east. Though the building is oriented slightly off the cardinal directions, with the primary façade facing northeast, cardinal directions are used in this report for simplicity in describing the façades. Therefore, the primary façade will be referred to as the north façade, and so on. PRIMARY (NORTH) FAÇADE The primary façade faces a landscaped front yard with a concrete semicircular driveway edged with brick pavers, a concrete sidewalk parallel with the street curb, and a concrete walkway edged with brick pavers connecting the sidewalk and concrete stairs to the elevated front porch (). Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 11 July 25, 2025 Figure 8. Primary facade, looking southwest from Bryant Street. The primary façade is defined by a broad, horizontal massing and a strong sense of symmetry, anchored by a central, projecting entrance bay with a tiered top. The entry is framed by a substantial, wide and shallow pointed archway with deep reveals, creating a sheltered porch that extends forward from the main volume of the ground floor. An ornate wrought-iron lamp hangs from the center of the shallow pointed archway. This porch is supported by thick, rectilinear corner piers ornamented with simple geometric reliefs (). The primary entrance is slightly recessed in a segmental-arched opening, and is comprised of a wood-frame door with a single lite in textured glass and flanked by sidelites with textured glass (). Paired wood-frame casement windows are located within the porch and flanking the main entrance . Short, stuccoed sidewalls sit under each of these windows, serving as sidewalls to the wood entry stairs. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 12 July 25, 2025 Figure 9. Projecting porch volume and main entrance at center of primary facade, looking southwest. Figure 10. Detail of openings under front porch roof, looking Figure 11. Front door detail, looking Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 13 July 25, 2025 The primary façade’s fenestration is carefully ordered and varies between levels. On the ground floor, grouped windows lie on either side of the central entrance bay. Typical windows to the west (right) of the central entrance bay are wood-frame single-hung types with the upper sash featuring the inset four-square divided-lite pattern (). The windows are recessed within unadorned surrounds that accentuate the wall thickness and create subtle shadow lines. To the east (left) of the central entrance bay, typical windows are composed of wood-frame casements, placed as a grouping and as a single unit (). A trio of small pyramidal reliefs adorn the headers of the east window grouping and the center window on the west. On the second floor, windows are regularly spaced, with minimal trim, and are tucked just beneath the roofline, emphasizing the low, sheltering eaves (). Windows at this level consist of wood-frame divided-lite casements, some grouped and others as single units, and wood-frame picture windows with sidelites. Both types feature sections of muntins in the inset four-square pattern. Figure 12. Typical windows on primary façade west of the central entrance bay, looking south. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 14 July 25, 2025 Figure 13. Typical windows on primary façade east of the central entrance bay, looking southwest. Figure 14. Primary facade at setback second floor, looking southeast. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 15 July 25, 2025 EAST FAÇADE The east façade overlooks a landscaped side yard with a dense row of tall shrubs and trees along the property line at Lowell Avenue. The two-story façade is symmetrical in composition and features a central stuccoed chimney stack that extends above the low-pitched hip roof (). The floors are visually divided by a projecting belt course clad in smooth-coat stucco. At each floor, windows are symmetrically placed to either side of the chimney. The ground-floor glazed sections, comprised of wood-frame fixed picture windows with a transom and projecting wood sill, are angled between the corner piers and the projecting center chimney, creating shallow balconettes below each window at the second floor (). Second-floor windows are tripartite configurations with a central fixed wood-frame picture window flanked by operable casements with muntins with the typical inset four-square pattern. Typical decorative embellishments are found on this façade, including paired pyramidal reliefs centered near at the top edge of the balconettes as well as arranged in vertical rows flanking a recessed, square-arched panel of the projecting chimney stack at the ground floor (). The façade also exhibits the typical corner piers with vertical wood battens atop a trapezoidal bracket. Figure 15. East facade, looking northwest. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 16 July 25, 2025 Figure 16. Oblique view of southeast corner, looking west. Rear facade at left and east facade at right. Figure 17. Oblique view of northeast corner, looking southwest. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 17 July 25, 2025 REAR (SOUTH) FAÇADE The rear (south) façade overlooks a shallow backyard containing majority concrete paving with some mature trees along the rear property line. The façade is visually divided into three sections with the center projecting bay. The east (right) section features paired wood-frame casement windows with fixed sidelites exhibiting the four-square muntin pattern. This window is topped with a trio of pyramidal reliefs and has a projecting wood sill. The second floor of this section is set back ( ). The ground floor of the projecting center bay features a tripartite-configured window on its east elevation (central fixed window with flanking divided lite casements), a large span of glass block on its south elevation, and a wood-frame divided-lite French door with four-square muntins on its west elevation (). There are no openings on the second floor of the projecting center bay. The west (left) section includes three pairs of wood-frame casement windows with projecting wood sills across the ground floor. The windows are slightly recessed and topped with pyramidal reliefs. The majority of the second floor at the west section is set back, creating a shallow balconette (which connects to the uncovered deck area described earlier). There is a paired wood- framed casement window in the small projecting section of the façade (at right) and a wood-frame fixed one-over-one window with channel glass projecting from within the projecting section at the left, separated by a recessed wall (). Figure 18. East end of rear facade, looking north. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 18 July 25, 2025 Figure 19. Central non-historic portion of rear facade, looking northeast. Figure 20. West end of rear facade, looking east. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 19 July 25, 2025 Figure 21. Southwest corner of rear facade, looking northeast. Arrow indicating the projecting window bay. Figure 22. Second-floor window at southwest corner of rear facade, WEST FAÇADE The west façade overlooks a concrete patio area with some landscaping. A wood gate with a grid of square cutouts and mounted to square columns. is located between the west façade’s north corner and the detached garage’s southwest corner to enclose the patio area. The ground floor of the west façade features a projecting volume on its north end with a flat roof, which serves as the uncovered deck area described earlier. A wood-frame fixed picture window featuring the typical inset four-square pattern is located on the ground floor to the south of the projecting volume. A similar window lies at the center of the projecting volume’s south elevation, while the west elevation features a centrally placed wood door and a pair of divided-lite casement windows with projecting wood sill to the north (left) of the door (). The door is accessible via wooden bilateral stairs with simple wood railings to a wood stoop covered by a wood arbor topped with clear roof panels. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 20 July 25, 2025 Figure 23. West facade of ground floor, looking east. The west façade at the second floor is deeply set back and features a chimney near its center. There is a wood-frame fixed picture window with projecting wood sill to the left (north) of the chimney and a sliding glass door with sidelites to the right (south) of the chimney (). Each door panel features the typical inset four-square pattern. A wood box-grid overhang with clear roof panels projects from the top of the door to the parapet edge of the deck area. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 21 July 25, 2025 Figure 24. West facade of setback second story, looking south. Site Features A detached one-story garage building is sited to the northwest of the primary residence, also facing Bryant Street (). The garage is rectangular in footprint with a flat roof behind a simple parapet. Like the primary residence, corner piers project from the facades and rise above the top of the parapet. The top of each corner pier features the repeating decorative trio of pyramidal reliefs at each side. Its facades are symmetrical and clad in rough-coat stucco to match the residence. Its primary (north) façade features a two-car-width metal garage door topped with a trio of pyramidal reliefs (). Its east façade features two paired wood-frame divided-lite casement windows with muntins arranged in the typical inset four-square pattern and with projecting wood sills. Another trio of pyramidal reliefs adorns the center of this elevation (. The rear (south) façade of the detached garage features another two-car-width wood-panel garage door, which is capped with a wood arbor and clear roof panels ). The west façade is not accessible given its proximity to the property line. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 22 July 25, 2025 Figure 25. Primary facades of the residence (left) and detached garage (right), looking southwest. Figure 26. North facade of detached garage, looking southwest from Bryant Street. Figure 27. East facade of detached garage, looking Figure 28. Rear (south) facade of detached garage, Figure 29. Detached garage roof, looking north from Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 23 July 25, 2025 As previously mentioned, a wood gate with a grid of square cutouts runs between the residence’s west façade and the detached garage’s east façade to enclose a side patio (). A concrete walkway leads from this gate to the semicircular driveway edged with and sectioned by brick pavers (). A straight driveway edged with brick pavers provides access to the garage from Bryant Street. The remainder of the front yard is grass with mature shrubs along the foundations of both the residence and detached garage. The straight concrete walkway that connects the Bryant Street sidewalk to the front entrance bay is lined with mature rose bushes. Mature trees line both Bryant Street and Lowell Avenue, with the eastern side yard of the property featuring more ornamental vegetation. The narrow backyard has concrete paving with a wood-board privacy fence along the south property boundary. A short stucco retaining wall with center steps runs from the southwest corner of the residence to the rear wood fence (). The north section of the wall exhibits a pair of pyramidal reliefs. Figure 30. Wood gate between front yard and side patio, looking southwest from the driveway. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 24 July 25, 2025 Figure 31. Sidewalk, driveway, and walkway on west side of front yard, looking southwest from Bryant Street. Figure 32. West end of backyard, looking south. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 25 July 25, 2025 Surrounding Neighborhood The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street is set within the established residential neighborhood of Seale Addition, also known as Old Palo Alto. Situated on a corner lot, the property lies within a regular street grid, outfitted with sidewalks and street trees, surrounded by other large homes (). Neighboring properties typically exhibit two-story homes in a variety of styles that appear to be constructed between the 1910s and present-day. Common architectural styles include Craftsman, Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Colonial Revival, and contemporary New Traditional (). In some instances, original one-story homes have been expanded with second-story additions. Many properties feature detached garages alongside the primary residence and walled/fenced front yards, with homes generally setback at similar distances from the street. Figure 33. Traffic-restriction islands across Bryant Street on the east side of its intersection with Lowell Avenue, looking north. Figure 34. Residence under construction at 290 Lowell Avenue, looking south. Figure 35. 301 Lowell Avenue, looking northeast. Figure 36. 1650 Bryant Street, looking south. Subject Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 26 July 25, 2025 Figure 37. 265 Coleridge Street, looking west. Figure 38. 1600 Bryant Street, looking south. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 27 July 25, 2025 HISTORIC CONTEXT Palo Alto History The earliest known settlement of the Palo Alto area was by the Ohlone people. The region was colonized in 1769 as part of Alta California. The Spanish and Mexican governments carved the area into large ranchos which contained portions of land that became Palo Alto including Rancho Corte Madera, Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas, Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito, and Rancho Riconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito.7 These land grants were honored in the cession of California to the United States, but parcels were subdivided and sold throughout the nineteenth century. The current city of Palo Alto contains the former township of Mayfield, which was located just southwest of Alma Street, and was established in 1855 . Starting in 1876, the railroad magnate and California politician Leland Stanford began to purchase land in the area for his country estate, and in 1882 he purchased an additional 1,000 acres adjacent to Mayfield for his horse farm.8 Stanford’s vast holdings became known as the Palo Alto Stock Farm. On March 9, 1885, Stanford University was founded on land of the Palo Alto Stock Farm through an endowment act by the California Assembly and Senate. Originally looking to connect Stanford University as a part of the already established town of Mayfield, Stanford asked residents of Mayfield to make the town a temperance town. Their refusal in 1886 caused Stanford to found the town of Palo Alto with aid from his friend, Timothy Hopkins of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Hopkins purchased and subdivided 740 acres of private land, that was known initially as University Park (or the Hopkins Tract).9 This land was bounded by the San Francisquito Creek to the north and the railroad tracks and Stanford University campus to the south. A new train stop was created along University Avenue and the new town flourished in its close connection with the university. University Park, under its new name of Palo Alto, was incorporated in 1894. In its early years, Palo Alto was a temperance town where no alcohol could be served. The residents were mostly middle and working class, with a pocket of University professors clustered in the neighborhood deemed Professorville. The development of a local streetcar in 1906, and the interurban railway to San Jose in 1910, facilitated access to jobs outside the city and to the 7 Ward Winslow and Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto: A Centennial History (Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993), 12-17. 8 Winslow and Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto: A Centennial History, 35. 9 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030 (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017), 16. Accessed online, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 28 July 25, 2025 University, encouraging more people to move to Palo Alto.10 In July 1925, Mayfield was officially annexed and consolidated into the city of Palo Alto.11 Like the rest of the nation, Palo Alto suffered through the Great Depression in the 1930s and did not grow substantially. World War II brought an influx of military personnel and their families to the Peninsula; accordingly, Palo Alto saw rapid growth following the war as many families who had been stationed on the Peninsula by the military, or who worked in associated industries, chose to stay. Palo Alto’s population more than doubled from 16,774 in 1940 to 52,287 in 1960.12 Figure 39. Detail of “Official Map of Santa Clara, California” by Herrmann Brothers, 1890. Palo Alto’s city center greatly expanded in the late 1940s and 1950s, gathering parcels that would house new offices and light industrial uses and lead the city away from its “college town” reputation. Palo Alto annexed a vast area of mostly undeveloped land between 1959 and 1968. This area, west of the Foothill Expressway, has remained protected open space. Small annexations continued into the 1970s, contributing to the discontinuous footprint of the city today. Palo Alto remains closely tied to Stanford University; it is the largest employer in the city. The technology industry dominates 10 Dames & Moore, “Palo Alto Historic Survey Update,” 1-4. 11 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 16. 12 “City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County,” Bay Area Census. Accessed online, http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/PaloAlto50.htm. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 29 July 25, 2025 other sectors of business, as is the case with most cities within Silicon Valley. Palo Alto consciously maintains its high proportion of open space to development and the suburban feeling and scale of its architecture.13 History of Seale Addition The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street is located in Palo Alto’s Seale Addition neighborhood, often referred to as “Old Palo Alto.” The following historic context of the Seale Addition is excerpted from Dames & Moore’s Final Survey Report: Palo Alto Historical Survey Update: That part of Palo Alto known as the Seale Addition consists of several subdivisions of the old Seale Ranch in an area bound by Embarcadero Road, Middlefield Road, Oregon Avenue, and Alma Street, excluding several blocks in the west and southwest parts of this area . The first and largest of these subdivisions, in 1898, occupied only a portion of the ranch. This was followed by subdivisions of additional ranch land and by re-subdivisions of portions of the original subdivision. The 1949 Map of the City of Palo Alto, prepared by the City Engineer, showed these several Seale Ranch subdivisions with ambiguous boundaries. Some of the subdivisions were separately labeled, including Seale Ranch Subdivision No. 8, indicating the number of subdivisions that took place. Altogether, the Seale Addition was referred to as “South Palo Alto” until after World War II when the newly developed area across Oregon Expressway, which was located further south, came to be called South Palo Alto. […] When the Seale Addition was first laid out, it was outside the Palo Alto city limits on unincorporated county land. The area was annexed to Palo Alto in 1917 followed by improvements in utilities and services including a streetcar line on Waverley Street. [Historian-Writer] Roland Davis has described the progress of development in the Seale Addition as follows: “43 houses were built from 1898 to 1911 and 52 houses were built from 1912 to 1923, followed by more rapid development in the 1920s.” Substantial development continued in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, at which time the area was completely built up. The result of this pattern of development is a neighborhood that consists of a mix of houses of different decades and different styles. It may be that in the future, the entire neighborhood will appear eligible for the NRHP. For now, an area at the center of the neighborhood that contains a predominance of houses built between 1900 and 1940, deserves study as a potential 13 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 11-20. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 30 July 25, 2025 historic district. Portions of this neighborhood have particularly rich concentrations of well-designed houses. Among these are the 200 to 600 blocks of Coleridge and the cross blocks of Bryant, Waverley, and Emerson streets, and the blocks of Cowper and Waverley streets between Seale and California avenues. These areas are characterized by Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean, Monterey, and Period Revival style houses for upper middle-class residents. The Seale Addition represents an expansion of the earlier neighborhood across Embarcadero Road called Professorville in its physical character. However, the population of this neighborhood was different than Professorville—by the time development of the Seale Addition was well underway, Stanford University had begun to provide housing for faculty on campus land, so that Stanford professors never constituted a large group in this neighborhood. The Seale Addition is also the earliest important example of several Palo Alto subdivisions with development restrictions designed to create an elite residential area.14 Figure 40. The Seale Tract in “South Palo Alto,” in an advertising for developable land, looking west,1905. Note the street grid has changed since 1905. The dashed line approximates the border of the Seale Addition. The black arrow marks the approximate location of 1680 Bryant Street. Source: Stanford University Special Collections. Edited by Page & Turnbull. 14 Dames & Moore, Final Survey Report: Palo Alto Historical Survey Update, 4-29 and 4-30. See also, Paula Boghosian and John Beach, Historical and Architectural Resources of the City of Palo Alto: Inventory and Report, Prepared by Historic Environment Consultants for the City of Palo Alto, 1979; J.F. Byxbee, Palo Alto City Engineer, Map of the City of Palo Alto, 1949. Roland C. Davis, A Summary History of the Early Development of Palo Alto’s “Seale Addition”: An Account of How the First “South Palo Alto” Became Part of the Present “Old Palo Alto,” Prepared for the Palo Alto Historic Building Survey. July 1998. Overland Monthly, Advertisement, September 1904. Ward Winslow and the Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto: A Centennial History, Palo Alto: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993. Alma Street Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 31 July 25, 2025 Prairie Architectural Style The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street was designed in the Prairie style, an unusual design choice for California residential architecture. Rooted in the American Midwest and most famously associated with architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Prairie-style architecture emerged in the early twentieth century as a distinctly modern and regionally attuned design movement . Another Minneapolis firm, Purcell & Elmslie, became strongly associated with the Prairie style and helped to increase its popularity . Dominant from the 1900s to the 1920s, the Prairie style is defined by its strong horizontal lines, low-pitched hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, and integration with the surrounding landscape. The Prairie style sought to reflect the expansiveness of the American grassland and to reject the rigid historical revivalism that dominated Victorian architecture. The origins of the style are found primarily in Chicago during the 1900s, but it quickly became an early prototype for suburban houses in the Midwest, due to the vast amounts of land available during this time period and the horizontal emphasis of these homes, which was intended to complement the vast grassland landscape. As one of the only distinctly American building styles, the Prairie style quickly took hold in the development of the American home. Frank Llyod Wright’s first “Prairie style” house was constructed in 1893, but the style did not become more widely recognized and adopted until circa 1900. Figure 41. Ward-Willits House, by Frank Lloyd Figure 42. Bradley Bungalow, by Purcell & Elmslie, The Prairie style often relies on rectilinear volumes and massive geometry, and its treatment of the primary façade with its intersecting rooflines and centrally placed chimney establish the weight that is generally given to the primary façade. Oftentimes, the primary entrance of Prairie style buildings is inconspicuous and placed asymmetrically. Characteristic features include ribbon windows (usually wood sash and multi-lite types), restrained ornamentation often drawn from geometric or nature- Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 32 July 25, 2025 inspired motifs, and open, flowing interior plans centered around a hearth. Exteriors typically emphasize unity and simplicity of form, with careful attention to material contrasts, such as stucco surfaces paired with wood trim or brick. While the Prairie-style design of the subject property at 1680 Bryant Street is unusual for its location in California, it features the quintessential elements of the aesthetic, including: • Two-story height • Horizontal and asymmetrical massing • Hipped roofline with broad eaves • Stucco cladding with wood-trimmed openings • Multi-lite wood sash windows • Substantial front porch volume. The 1979 Palo Alto Historical and Architectural Resources Inventory and Report also lists the following as character-defining features of the local interpretation of the Prairie style: • Ribbon windows with wooden casements • Massive and rectangular piers supporting roofs of porches or verandahs • Low, often hipped, roofs with projecting eaves • Distinctly horizontal flare to eave ends • Suppressed, heavy-set chimneys • Low terraces.15 John Hudson Thomas, Architect John Hudson Thomas (1878-1945) was a prolific and eclectic architect whose work significantly shaped the residential architecture of the San Francisco Bay Area in the early twentieth century. Born in Ward, Nevada, in 1878, Thomas was raised in the Bay Area and educated at Yale University (1901) and the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Architecture (1904), where he studied under Bernard Maybeck and John Galen Howard, two seminal figures in California architecture.16 After briefly working in Howard’s office, Thomas partnered with George T. Plowman from 1907 to 15 Historic Environment Consultants, “Historical and Architectural Resources of the City of Palo Alto: Inventory and Report,” February 1979, 41-42. 16 National Register of Historic Places, Loring House, Berkeley, CA, prepared by Anne B. Bloomfield (1989), 8.2–8.3. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 33 July 25, 2025 1910, designing at least 50 residential projects in the Arts & Crafts style, before launching an independent practice based in Berkeley.17 Thomas’ career was marked by a rapid and imaginative evolution of architectural styles. He is perhaps best known for his role in the first generation of the Bay Region Tradition, an architectural movement that emphasized craftsmanship, local materials, and a romantic integration with the landscape.18 This innovative design philosophy was also associated with luminaries like Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan. Thomas’ practice, spanning over three decades, included designs across a spectrum of styles, including Craftsman, Mission Revival, Tudor, and Pueblo Revival, but it was his selective and creative use of the Prairie School aesthetic that stands out for its originality and significance in the Bay Area context. Among his finest examples of Prairie School architecture is the Ernest L. Loring House (1914) at 1730 Spruce Street in Berkeley, widely regarded as the truest and earliest expression of the Prairie School in that city.19 The Loring House exhibits hallmark features of the style: a cross-shaped plan, horizontal massing, broad overhanging eaves, a flat roof that appears to float, and ribbon windows that emphasize horizontality and light ().20 Its interiors showcase redwood trim and white plaster walls, punctuated by Secessionist motifs in glasswork and paneling.21 Although deeply rooted in Usonian principles, drawing comparisons to Wright’s "Fireproof House for $5,000" and his Waller apartments, Thomas' adaptation is wholly original, reflecting both his responsiveness to the site and his personal artistic vocabulary.22 17 NRPH, Loring House, 8.2–8.3. National Register of Historic Places, Locke House, Oakland, CA, prepared by Margo M. Noble (1988), 8.2. UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, “John Hudson Thomas (1876-1945). Accessed online, https://ced.berkeley.edu/collections/thomas-john-hudson. 18 David Gebhard, “Introduction: The Bay Area Tradition,” in Bay Area Houses, ed. Sally B. Woodbridge (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976), 3–22. 19 NRHP, Loring House, 8.1. 20 NRHP, Loring House, 8.1. 21 NRHP, Loring House, 7.1. 22 NRHP, Loring House, 7.1. Frank Lloyd Wright, “A Fireproof House for $5000,” Ladies’ Home Journal, April 1907, 24. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 34 July 25, 2025 Figure 43. Primary facade of Loring House, 1989. Source: Figure 44. Secondary facade of Loring Another significant and National Register-listed design, the Locke House (1911) in Oakland, further illustrates Thomas’ synthesis of Prairie School elements with other stylistic influences. Built shortly after Thomas dissolved his partnership with Plowman, the house features a solid, roughcast stucco exterior, parapet gables, and geometric window designs reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright, yet it also incorporates Craftsman and Mission Revival motifs ().23 The Locke House’s inventive massing, integration of interior windows, and commitment to total design unify what might otherwise be disparate architectural elements.24 Figure 45. Primary facade of Locke House, 1989. Figure 46. Secondary facade of Locke House, 1989. Source: National Park Service. 23 NRHP, Locke House, 7–8. 24 NRHP, Locke House, 7.2. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 35 July 25, 2025 Throughout his most productive years (1910–1920), Thomas was celebrated for his eclecticism and fearless experimentation. His architecture often reflected the influence of avant-garde European movements, particularly the Viennese Secession, whose motifs appear in several of his buildings as decorative panels and muntin patterns.25 As one scholar noted, Thomas operated like a nineteenth- century eclectic: absorbing diverse influences and recombining them into a personal style that was at once intellectual and sensuous.26 Nowhere is this more evident than in his unique integration of Secessionist detailing within the Prairie style, as seen at 1680 Bryant Street. Inspired by the Vienna Secession’s emphasis on abstract geometry, flat decorative panels, and a total work of art ethos, Thomas translated these elements into his California residential designs through leaded glass, carved wood, and rhythmic surface ornament. Rather than mimic the organic curves of Art Nouveau, he favored the Secession’s symmetrical motifs (grids, chevrons, and stylized florals) arranged with modern restraint. 27 This synthesis of European avant-garde aesthetics and West Coast sensibilities is also apparent in his design for the Loring House (1914), where repeated geometric patterns prefigure developments like Frank Lloyd Wright’s textile blocks. 28 In these works, Thomas demonstrated a cosmopolitan design language grounded in both international innovation and regional craftsmanship. In addition to the Loring House and 1680 Bryant Street, the year 1914 alone illustrates the breadth of his creative range, with designs that also include the rustic Roswell House with its shakes and boulders, the Pueblo-influenced Park House, and the ornamentally rich Secessionist-style Peters House. Yet none of these works rigidly adheres to a single architectural vocabulary. As architectural historian John Beach observed of the 1913 Bell-Wintermute House, “Of all the Bay Area designers of the teens, only Thomas, with his unique sense of synthesis and eclectic design, could have used such potentially discordant elements to create such a powerful and coherent design.”29 Following World War I, Thomas's style evolved once again, gravitating toward single-source historicist expressions. This later phase is exemplified by the 1928 Hume House, a romanticized miniature Spanish medieval castle, as well as by a series of dollhouse-scale Tudor Revival residences, including his own home and several speculative houses in Kensington. Despite being somewhat overlooked in mainstream architectural histories of the time, Thomas’ legacy has since been reevaluated, with scholars and preservationists acknowledging his masterful contributions to the East Bay’s built environment. His designs, characterized by their innovation, 25 NRHP, Loring House, 8.1; 8.3. Thomas Gordon Smith, John Hudson Thomas and the Progressive Spirit in Architecture, 1910– 1920 (M.A. thesis, UC Berkeley, 1975), 26–28. 26 John Beach, “The Bay Area Tradition, 1890–1918,” in Bay Area Houses, ed. Woodbridge, 87–95. 27 David Gebhard, Bay Area Houses, ed. Sally Woodbridge (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976), 87–88. 28 National Register of Historic Places, Loring House (Berkeley, CA), nomination by Anne B. Bloomfield (1989), 8.1–8.2. 29 NRHP, Loring House, 8.2. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 36 July 25, 2025 craftsmanship, and nuanced stylistic fusion, helped define the architectural tone of Berkeley, Oakland, and beyond in the early twentieth century.30 The City of Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission has locally designated nine significant architectural examples of Thomas’ work, including: • Captain Maury House (1317 Shattuck Avenue, 1870) – Landmark • Kluegel House (2667 Le Conte Avenue, 1911) – Landmark • John Hopkins Spring Estate (1960 San Antonio Avenue, 1912) – Landmark • Loring House (1730 Spruce Street, 1914) – Landmark • Heron Building (2136 University Avenue, 1915) – Landmark • Anita Jeffress Hill House (2944 Elmwood Court, 1920) – Structure of Merit • Daggett House (1427 Hawthorne Terrace, 1924) – Landmark • La Loma Steps (1500 LeRoy Avenue, 1924) in conjunction with Julia Morgan – Feature • Samuel and Portia Hume House (2900 Buena Vista Way, 1928) – Landmark ().31 30 Smith, Progressive Spirit in Architecture, iv–vii; Gebhard et al., The Guide to Architecture in San Francisco and Northern California (Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith, 1985), 250–251, 528. 31 City of Berkeley, “List of Designated City Landmarks, Structures of Merik & Historic Districts,” updated January 2023. Accessed online, https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/List-of-Designated-Landmarks.pdf. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 37 July 25, 2025 Other honorable mentions in Berkeley include: • Chisholm House (2821 Ashby Avenue, 1907) • Randall House (2733 Benvenue Avenue, 1909) • Dangan House (41 Oakvale Avenue, 1911) • Pratt-Verper House (959 Indian Rock Avenue, 1911) • Pratt-Thomas House (800 Shattuck Avenue, 1911) • Kay House (892 Arlington Avenue, 1912) • Bell-Wintermute House or “The Rocks” (227 Tunnel Road, 1913) • Kruse House (564 Santa Clara Avenue, 1914) • Park House (3115 Claremont Avenue, 1914) • Sellander House (35 Oakvale Avenue, 1914) • Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley (1001 Heinz Avenue, 1915) • Blum House (1505 Hawthorne Terrace, 1926).32 By the 1930s, Thomas had begun designing for a more affluent and established clientele, undertaking larger, more complex, and higher-budget residential commissions. While the scale and formality of these projects increased, Thomas’ sensitivity to site remained a defining characteristic of his work. His architectural approach continued to prioritize orientation to the landscape, integration with the surrounding environment, and the framing of key views. Notably, even within these refined and sophisticated commissions, he retained a distinctly personal and idiosyncratic design language. Purposefully unconventional elements, such as decorative friezes, unexpected finishes, unusual material juxtapositions, intricately carved woodwork, and intimate, spatially eccentric features like nooks and recesses, persisted as markers of his architectural identity, signaling both his eclectic inspirations and his ongoing commitment to individuality in design.33 Thomas continued to work from his home in Kensington until his death in 1945, with his later designs increasingly favoring historical revival styles, including Spanish and Tudor influences.34 With over 35 years of practice, Thomas’ geographical range is known to extend in California from Lake Tahoe to Santa Barbara, but most were concentrated in the East Bay cities of Berkeley and Oakland. His body of work remains a testament to a uniquely Californian interpretation of national and international design currents, adapted with a sensitivity to site, material, and the region’s progressive spirit. 32 Scribd, “John Hudson Thomas Self-Guided Tour,” 1979. Accessed online, https://www.scribd.com/doc/13654028/John- Hudson-Thomas-Self-Guided-Tour-1979-of-7-Berkeley-House. 33 Hewn and Hammered, “John Hudson Thomas.” Accessed online, https://web.archive.org/web/20160317092112/http://www.hewnandhammered.com/hewn_and_hammered/2007/08/john- hudson-tho.html#/. 34 NRHP, Loring House, 8.2. Gebhard et al., Guide to Architecture, 261. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 38 July 25, 2025 SITE HISTORY Site Development The current residence at 1680 Bryant Street, was originally part of a much larger parcel that was approximately one acre on the southwest corner of the intersection of Bryant Street and Lowell Avenue. This parcel contained a two-story, wood-frame residence with an H-shaped configuration that was constructed in 1914 for the Haehl family and designed by architect John Hudson Thomas (. The original builder is unknown. A detached one-story garage facing Bryant Street was also constructed in 1914 and the north façade also included a hip-roof porte cochere. 35 The residence that exists today at 1680 Bryant Street consists of the north half of the original H-shaped residence. As the original primary façade was oriented to Lowell Avenue, the property was originally addressed as 275 Lowell Avenue; however, for the sake of clarity the original H-plan volume will be referred to as “275 Lowell Avenue/1680 Bryant Street,” and each building after their separation will be referred to by their specific address: “1680 Bryant Street” or “275 Lowell Avenue.” The house was described in the January 1920 edition of The Building Review as follows: Echoes of the prairies come with Mr. Haehl’s house on Lowell Street, which, though transplanted, seems to thrive and harmonize with its setting of lawn and ivy --- thanks perhaps, to the continued horizontal lines ().36 Figure 48. Sanborn Map Company fire insurance map of Palo Alto, December 1924, Volume 1, Page 9. The subject property is outlined in red. Source: San Francisco Public Library, Fire Insurance Maps Online. 35 City of Palo Alto, Assessment #4177A, ca. 1945. 36 Harris Allen, “The Evolution of a College Town,” The Building Review, Volume XIX, Number 5, May 1921, 84-85. Accessed online, https://usmodernist.org/PCA/PCA-19-20.pdf. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 39 July 25, 2025 Figure 49. Haehl Residence, looking southwest from Lowell Avenue, 1921. Source: The Building Review, Volume XIX, Number 5, May 1921. While research did not uncover the original building permit, architectural drawings, or early narratives of the home, it appears it may have been designed as a “dual-family residence,” like Thomas’ 1911-era Kluegel House in Berkeley, in which the owner occupied one unit and the other housed relatives, household staff, or was rented to generate income.37 In the case of 275 Lowell Avenue/1680 Bryant Street, the dual two-story volumes had a side-by-side layout, appearing as a wide single-family home connected with a one-story hyphen. It appears that the primary entrance to both volumes was at the one-story central hyphen. This horizontal configuration was further emphasized by the low, planar massing of its Prairie architectural style (). 37 City of Berkeley, “Laura Belle Marsh Kluegel House.” Accessed online, https://berkeleyheritage.com/berkeley_landmarks/kluegel/kluegel_application.html. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 40 July 25, 2025 Figure 50. Original primary (east) facade of the subject property, looking southwest from the intersection of Bryant Street and Lowell Avenue, 1926. Source: Palo Alto Historical Association. Figure 51. Aerial photograph with approximate boundaries of the subject property outlined in red, 1930. Source: Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Flight C-1025, Frame Z-146, June 1930. Courtesy of UCSB Library Geospatial Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 41 July 25, 2025 In 1936, a “studio addition” (presumably a freestanding building) was constructed at an unknown location on the parcel.38 A “residence addition” at an unknown location was made in 1937 and another in 1947.39 According to the December 1945 Sanborn Company fire insurance map and confirmed in a July 1946 Daily Palo Alto Times article, the one-story hyphen between the two-story volumes was demolished, creating the two separate single-family residences at 275 Lowell Avenue (not extant) and 1680 Bryant Street (the subject building). Also by this time, the porte cochere had been removed from the north façade and two additional freestanding buildings had been constructed on the property, one of which may have been the “studio addition” from 1936 ( ). Figure 52. Sanborn Map Company fire insurance map of Palo Alto, December 1945. Volume 1, Page 9. The approximate boundaries of the original parcel are outlined in red, while dashed black lines show the approximate location of the current parcel of 1680 Bryant Street. Source: San Francisco Public Library, Fire 38 Peninsula Times Tribune, “Building Permits,” December 18, 1936. 39 Peninsula Times Tribune, “Building Permits,” January 26, 1937. Peninsula Times Tribune, ““Five building permits issued,” September 10, 1947. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 42 July 25, 2025 Along with the demolition of the one-story hyphen, the original parcel was subdivided, corresponding with the division of the main residence. At unknown dates, the original parcel was further subdivided to create the L-shaped parcel at 271 Lowell Avenue and the narrow rectangular parcel at 1650 Bryant Street (). Figure 53. Palo Alto Property Information Map with the current boundaries of the subject property parcel outlined in turquoise and the original parcel boundaries dashed in black. Source: City of Palo Alto PIM. The available permit history for 1680 Bryant Street outlines the roof being replaced in 1997 and again in 2017. However, additional alterations were identified through visual inspection during the site visit. These alterations include a tall span of glass block near the center of the rear façade (presumably infilling the location of the original hyphen), some replacement windows and/or replaced window glazing, a replacement door on the west façade, the construction of a wood arbor at the ground floor of the west façade, a roof wood box-grid roof extension at the second floor of the west façade, and installation of fencing and select paved outdoor areas. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 43 July 25, 2025 Finally, it must be noted that the original south volume of the 1914 residence at 275 Lowell Avenue, was demolished in 1997 for the purpose of constructing a new residence, which was built in 1998.40 Given this contextual loss, 1680 Bryant Street has not been associated with the neighboring parcel since the demolition of this building in 1997. CONSTRUCTION CHRONOLOGY The following table provides a timeline of construction activity at 1680 Bryant Street, based on building permit applications on file with the Palo Alto Development Services and building notifications posted in local newspapers. Cancelled and expired permits are not included. TABLE 1. PERMIT HISTORY FOR 1680 BRYANT STREET. May 20, 1936 Unknown Frank J. Frost Unknown unknown), designed by Aro & Okerman.41 January 26, 1937 Unknown C.L. Frost Aro & Okerman $500.”42 Location unknown. December 1945- 1946 43 Unknown Mrs. Frank J. Frost Unknown “A one-story connecting wing was bulldozed in the mid-20th century creating two separate houses.” September 1947 Unknown W.S. and R.B. Allen Unknown “Residence addition”44 November 25, 1997 97-3248 Kurt Francis Shelton Roofing Co. garage roof. July 18, 2017 17000-01673 Investments LLC GRC Roofing Inc. and apply composite shingle. 40 City of Palo Alto, Development Services, Permit #97000-00135, January 16, 1997. City of Palo Alto, Development Services, Permit #97002825B, February 18, 1998. 41 Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978. Peninsula Times Tribune, “Building Permits,” May 20, 1936. 42 Peninsula Times Tribune, “Building Permits,” January 26, 1937. 43 Daily Palo Alto Times, “Mrs. Frost divides large house and sells half,” July 18, 1946. 44 Peninsula Times Tribune, “Five building permits issued,” September 10, 1947. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 44 July 25, 2025 Ownership History The following table provides a summary of the ownership history of 1680 Bryant Street, beginning with the year of construction, compiled from building permit applications and plans from the Palo Alto Development Services, newspaper articles, city directories, and other public records available through Ancestry.com. It must be clarified that Eugenia Frost maintained ownership of the south volume addressed as 275 Lowell Avenue after she demolished the one-story hyphen that connected the original dual-volume residence. She lived at 275 Lowell Avenue until at least 1950, before relocating to Santa Barbara by 1954.45 She sold the north volume, the subject property addressed as 1680 Bryant Street, to the Allen family in 1946. Therefore, the following table references the residence as a whole referred to as 275 Lowell Avenue/1680 Bryant Street until 1946 and then the north volume as the freestanding extant building at present, addressed as 1680 Bryant Street, from 1946 onwards. TABLE 2. OWNERSHIP HISTORY FOR 1680 BRYANT STREET. 275 Lowell Avenue/1680 Bryant Street 1914-1936 - Hilton H., son - Harry L., Jr., son - Veva Jane, daughter - Winifred Caldwell, companion - Yee Tom, servant 46 Harry: Mining and Civil Engineer47 275 Lowell Avenue/1680 Bryant Street 1936-1946 48 Treasurer of Standard Oil of New York, Vice- President of Guaranty Trust Co.49 45 United States Federal Census, 1950. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. Santa Barbara City Directory, 1954. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. 46 United States Federal Census, 1920. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. 47 Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978. 48 Daily Palo Alto Times, “Mrs. Frost divides large house and sells half,” July 18, 1946. 49 Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 45 July 25, 2025 1680 Bryant Street 1946-1954 - Peter, son - Marsha T., daughter - Susy Nakiama, helper Stanley: Import/Export Firm50 1954-1966 51 National Labor Bureau52 1680 Bryant Street 1968-at least 197653 - David B., son Clayton: Attorney at Elliott, Robertson & Rost 54 1978 Unknown 1680 Bryant Street 1997 Unknown 1680 Bryant Street 2017 Unknown SELECT OWNER AND OCCUPANT BIOGRAPHIES Harry and May Haehl (Owners & Occupants, 1914-1936) Harvey “Harry” Lewis Haehl (1876-1949) and his wife Addie May (Burrel) (1877-1962) were the first owners and occupants of the home at 1680 Bryant Street. They had two sons, Hilton H. (1908-1917) and Harry L., Jr. (1912-unknown), and a daughter Veva Jane (1912-2000). Hilton was hit and killed by a streetcar in Palo Alto in 1917.57 A native of Cloverdale, California, Haehl attended Stanford University, graduating in 1901 with a B.A. in Geology and Mining.58 After which time, he moved to San Francisco for employment with the Bay 50 United States Federal Census, 1950. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. 51 Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978. 52 Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, “Palo Alto Historic Buildings Inventory: 1680 Bryant Street.” Accessed online, https://www.pastheritage.org/inv/invB/Bryant/Bryant1680.html. 53 Palo Alto City Directory, 1976. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. 54 Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, “Palo Alto Historic Buildings Inventory: 1680 Bryant Street.” Accessed online, https://www.pastheritage.org/inv/invB/Bryant/Bryant1680.html. 55 City of Palo Alto Development Services, Permit #97-3248, November 25, 1997. 56 City of Palo Alto Development Services, Permit #17000-01673, July 18, 2017. 57 Daily Palo Alto Times, “Accident Fatal to Hilton Haehl,” January 24, 1917. 58 Palo Alto Times, “Stanford University-Class of 1901,” May 31, 1901. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 46 July 25, 2025 City Water Company and returned to Palo Alto in 1906 upon his marriage to San Jose-native Addie May Burrell.59 Addie May Burrel went by her middle name “May.” Haehl was one of the lead engineers overseeing the design of the Carquinez Bridge and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.60 He also served on the board of directors of the Kings River Water Association and as a consulting engineer on “other boards throughout the San Joaquin Valley, including the Kern County Land Company, its subsidiaries and for the United States Bureau of Reclamation.”61 He was a trustee of the Palo Alto Union High School Board and a member of several other civic organizations. After moving from the house at 275 Lowell Avenue/1680 Bryant Street in 1936, the Haehls remained in Palo Alto until their deaths in 1949 and 1962, respectively. Frank and Jean Frost (Owners & Occupants, 1936-1950) Frank Jefferson Frost (November 22, 1877-April 14, 1939) was a distinguished amateur musician, philanthropist, and retired industrial executive whose legacy spanned the arts, education, and historic preservation. Born in Missouri, Frost earned his engineering degree from the University of Missouri and began his career as a mining engineer in Colorado and Montana.62 He later rose to prominent positions in the financial and industrial sectors, serving as treasurer of the Standard Oil Company of New York and as vice president of the Guaranty Trust Company. Upon retirement, Frost moved to Ojai, California, where he played a formative role in the region’s cultural life. He founded the Ojai Valley School and co-sponsored the Ojai Music Festival with Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge in 1924. His contributions to American music continued in Washington, D.C., where he founded both the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington String Quartet. After the death of his first wife, Margaret Richardson Pratt, in 1919, with whom he had one son, Morris Pratt (1916-1990), Frost married Eugenia “Jean” Reynaud Morris (1899-1987) of Westchester, New York in 1927, after her graduation from Vassar College.63 The Frosts moved to Palo Alto in 1935 with their five children Emily Eugenia “Nemi” (1928-2014), Frank Jr. (dates unknown), Robert T.M. “Robin” (1930-2020), Anne Reynaud (1932-1976), and Mary Morris (dates unknown). After their purchase of the former Haehl Residence at 275 Lowell Avenue, Frost ordered the construction of a music studio on a portion of the property (location unknown) that became a hub of community life. 59 Peninsula Times Tribune, Personals, May 21, 1906, 6. 60 The Building Review, “Carquinez Bridge Aid to Industrial Development of Northern California,” Volume XXIII, Number 1, January 1923, 11. Accessed online, https://usmodernist.org/PCA/PCA-23-24.pdf. 61 The Fresno Bee, “Harry L. Haehl, Kings River Engineer, Dies in Palo Alto,” January 29, 1949. 62 Peninsula Times Tribune, “Death Takes Frank Frost, Generous Patron of Music,” April 15, 1939. 63 Brooklyn Eagle, “Frank Jefferson Frost Weds Manhattan Girl In Berkeley, Ca,” February 2, 1927. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 47 July 25, 2025 A passionate supporter of the arts, Frost was a director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Bohemian Club. He also practiced amateur lithography. Frost died suddenly of a heart attack on April 14, 1939 at the age of 62, after attending a concert by the San Francisco Symphony. Jean and their younger children stayed in the house until at least 1950, according to the Palo Alto City Directory. After which time, Jean, Frank Jr., and Robin relocated to Santa Barbara, while Nemi removed to San Francisco to attend the California School of Fine Arts and establish herself as a prominent painter.64 64 Ancestry.com, Profile for Emily Eugenia Frost. Accessed online, https://www.ancestry.com/family- tree/person/tree/77883341/person/272407813295/facts. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 48 July 25, 2025 EVALUATION California Register of Historical Resources The California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) is an inventory of significant architectural, archaeological, and historical resources in the State of California. Resources can be listed in the California Register through a number of methods. State Historical Landmarks and National Register-listed properties are automatically listed in the California Register. Properties can also be nominated to the California Register by local governments, private organizations, or citizens. The evaluative criteria used by the California Register for determining eligibility are closely based on those developed by the National Park Service for the National Register of Historic Places. In order for a property to be eligible for listing in the California Register, it must be found significant under one or more of the following criteria. • Criterion 1 (Events): Resources that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. • Criterion 2 (Persons): Resources that are associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history. • Criterion 3 (Architecture): Resources that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values. • Criterion 4 (Information Potential): Resources or sites that have yielded or have the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.65 The following section examines the eligibility of 1680 Bryant Street for individual listing in the California Register. CRITERION 1 (EVENTS) The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street does not appear to be significantly associated with events that have made a demonstrable contribution to broad patterns of local, California, or national history. While the property lies within the historically significant Seale Addition (or Old Palo 65 California Office of Historic Preservation, Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 7: How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register of Historical Resources (Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing, September 4, 2001), 11. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 49 July 25, 2025 Alto), no compelling evidence connects the residence itself to formative developments or transformative events in Palo Alto’s social, political, or cultural life. The property’s broader neighborhood context and association with regional suburban expansion are not unique and do not elevate the property to meet Criterion 1 (Events). CRITERION 2 (PERSONS) The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street does not appear to be significant under Criterion 2 for its association with persons. While the original and other early owners held notable regional roles, such as Harry Haehl as a Bay Area civil engineer and Frank Frost as a philanthropist of the arts, neither individual has made historically significant contributions at a level sufficient to confer eligibility to their residence. Their primary achievements were not rooted in or directly associated with this property, and there is no clear indication that the residence served as the locus of any historically defining activity in their lives. Therefore, 1680 Bryant Street does not meet the eligibility requirements of Criterion 2 (Persons). CRITERION 3 (ARCHITECTURE) Originally conceived as a rare and accomplished Prairie-style design by notable Bay Area architect John Hudson Thomas, the residence at 1680 Bryant Street features Secessionist detailing and an innovative dual-family configuration. In its original state, the building represented a significant milestone in Thomas’ career and reflected broader architectural responses to the Bay Area’s rapid urbanization during the 1910s, when dual-family residences offered an elegant solution for increasing middle-class housing density while maintaining neighborhood character. 66 As noted in a 1978 DPR form, the house was considered “a superb example, even in its mutilated state, of Thomas’ ability to fuse Prairie Style, Secessionist, Craftsman, and Pueblo Revival architectural expressions.”67 However, the property has since undergone substantial physical alterations that have further compromised its integrity. The most consequential of these changes includes the demolition of the building’s south volume (at 275 Lowell Avenue) in 1997, following the earlier removal of the connecting corridor between both halves of the original residence in 1946. These and other subsequent modifications have significantly eroded the architectural coherence of Thomas’s original composition. While the extant north volume retains several notable Prairie-style features— such as its two-story horizontal massing, prominent front porch bay, and inset four-square muntins on windows and doors—it no longer fully conveys the artistic intent or design integrity required for listing in the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture). 66 Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978. 67 Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 50 July 25, 2025 CRITERION 4 (INFORMATION POTENTIAL) The “potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of California” typically relates to archeological resources, rather than built resources. When California Register Criterion 4 (Information Potential) does relate to built resources, it is relevant for cases when the building itself is the principal source of important construction-related information. The property does not appear to be eligible under Criterion 4 as a principal source of important construction-related information. Page & Turnbull’s evaluation of this property was limited to age-eligible resources above ground and did not involve survey or evaluation of the subject property for the purposes of archaeological information. SUMMARY OF CALIFORNIA REGISTER ELIGIBILITY The property at 1680 Bryant Street does not meet any of the criteria for individual listing on the California Register. City of Palo Alto Historic Inventory The Palo Alto Historic Inventory is the official list of sites, structures, and districts designated by the City Council as possessing significant historical and/or architectural value. Originally adopted in 1979, the following Criteria for Designation is used to designate historic structures, sites, and districts to the historic inventory: 1. The structure or site is identified with the lives of historic people or with important events in the city, state or nation; 2. The structure or is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation; 3. The structure or site is an example of a type of building which was once common, but is now rare; 4. The structure or site is connected with a business or use which was once common, but is now rare; 5. The architect or building was important; 6. The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship.68 68 City of Palo Alto, Planning & Development Department, “Historic Registers: Legacies at All Levels.” Accessed online, https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Historic-Preservation/Historic-Registers. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 51 July 25, 2025 Although 1680 Bryant Street is currently included in the local inventory, the following analysis assesses its continued eligibility in light of significant changes, including the demolition of the associated building at 275 Lowell Avenue, with which it was originally listed, and the cumulative alterations to the subject property since its construction in 1914. The residence at 1680 Bryant Street was originally commissioned by Harry Haehl, a civil engineer associated with major infrastructure projects in California, including the Carquinez Bridge and water management systems in the San Joaquin Valley. It was later owned by Frank J. Frost, a prominent industrial executive and patron of the arts who played a founding role in institutions such as the National Symphony Orchestra and the Ojai Music Festival. While both men held positions of local and regional prominence, their associations with this property, though noteworthy, are not individually significant enough to meet this criterion at the local level. The residence is a locally rare example of the Prairie style, a design movement more commonly associated with the Midwest and rarely executed in Palo Alto. Its asymmetrical massing, low-pitched hipped roof with broad eaves, and applied Secessionist motifs speak to an architectural vocabulary that is unusual and sophisticated within the regional context. As such, the structure is particularly representative of a stylistic expression that is extremely rare at the local level. 1680 Bryant Street does meet the requirements of Criterion 2. Potentially designed as a dual-family residence, the house as originally designed may have reflected a transitional housing type that offered middle-class families of the early twentieth century a dignified and adaptable residential model in a suburban context. This building form, two conjoined homes with a discreet shared hyphen, is now uncommon in Palo Alto and more broadly. However, surviving north volume no longer functions in this way and therefore, is no longer able to illustrate this unusual approach to the design of a dual residence. Therefore, 1680 Bryant Street does not meet the requirements of Criterion 3. The property has been consistently used as a private residence and does not appear to have been associated with a business or other use. Criterion 4 does not apply to 1680 Bryant Street. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 52 July 25, 2025 The building was designed by John Hudson Thomas, a notable Berkeley-based architect whose work played a formative role in shaping the eclectic architectural character of the Bay Area. Thomas is particularly known for his fusion of Prairie, Arts & Crafts, and Secessionist design vocabularies. Although most of his known works are concentrated in the East Bay, this residence is one of two known Thomas commissions in Palo Alto, underscoring its architectural significance and satisfying this criterion. Therefore, 1680 Bryant Street does meet the requirements of Criterion 5. Despite alterations, the residence at 1680 Bryant Street retains exceptional design features that reflect a high level of architectural detailing and craftsmanship. These include its massive front porch with shallow pointed-arch opening, geometric Secessionist ornamentation, corner piers with vertical battens, carved rafter tails, and inset four-square muntins in windows and doors. The use of these details, especially in conjunction with a restrained and well-executed material palette, reflect a level of design integrity that demonstrates Thomas’ outstanding attention to architectural details and craftsmanship. Therefore, 1680 Bryant Street does meet the requirements of Criterion 6. SUMMARY OF PALO ALTO INVENTORY ELIGIBILITY AND HISTORIC CATEGORY The original evaluation of 1680 Bryant Street, documented in 1979 DPR 523 forms, identified its significance as associated with 275 Lowell Avenue for their joint original design with a fusion of “Prairie Style, Secessionist, Craftsman, and Pueblo Revival architectural expressions” and as a work by noted architect John Hudson Thomas. At the time of that evaluation, the documentation related to both 1680 Bryant Street and 275 Lowell Avenue, as two freestanding but clearly related volumes that when viewed together could still convey the original design intention of Thomas. Although physically separated, the two structures could be understood as having once been a single residence. It was for this reason that both buildings were identified as a Category 2 “Major Building” and were listed on the local inventory. The demolition and replacement of the original south volume of the residence at 275 Lowell Avenue significantly impacts the historic integrity of Thomas’ original design, and 1680 Bryant Street on its own, is unable to convey the full impact of the original sprawling Prairie design. However, 1680 Bryant Street retains a high degree of local architectural significance. It continues to convey local significance through its stylistic rarity, integrity of design elements, and association with a notable architect. 1680 Bryant Street continues to meet local Criteria 2, 5, and 6, and continues to be a historic resource eligible for the Palo Alto Historic Inventory, independent of its former association with 275 Lowell Avenue. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 53 July 25, 2025 1680 Bryant was listed in 1979 on the Palo Alto Inventory as a Category 2 property in association with the original (non-extant) building at 275 Lowell Avenue. Due to the demolition of 275 Lowell Avenue, the subject property is not able to meet the criteria for Category 2 listing, which includes the stipulation that “A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained.” As the demolition of half of the original building cannot be considered a minor alteration, 1680 Bryant Street appears to be more closely aligned with the definition of a Category 3 (Contributing) building “which is a good local example of an architectural style and relates to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or permanent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate additions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden façades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco.” Although 1680 Bryant Street is a superb example of Thomas’ work melding Prairie and Secessionist architecture, the loss of its other half is an extensive and permanent change. Page & Turnbull recommends that the property is relisted on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory as a Category 3 resource. INTEGRITY In order to qualify for listing in any local, state, or national historic register, a property or landscape must possess significance under at least one evaluative criterion as described above and retain integrity. Integrity is defined by the California Office of Historic Preservation as “the authenticity of an historical resource’s physical identity evidenced by the survival of characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of significance,” or more simply defined by the National Park Service as “the ability of a property to convey its significance.” In order to evaluate whether the subject property retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance, Page & Turnbull used established integrity standards outlined by the National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Seven variables, or aspects, that define integrity are used to evaluate a resource’s integrity—location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. A property must possess most, or all, of these aspects in order to retain overall integrity. If a property does not retain integrity, it can no longer convey its significance and is therefore not eligible for listing in local, state, or national registers. The seven aspects that define integrity are defined as follows: Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred; Setting addresses the physical environment of the historic property inclusive of the landscape and spatial relationships of the building(s); Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 54 July 25, 2025 Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of the property; Materials refer to the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form the historic property; Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory; Feeling is the property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time; and Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and the historic property. The subject property at 1680 Bryant Street maintains integrity of location, remaining on its original site, and of setting, as the surrounding residential neighborhood and context has changed minimally. Its design and materials have been notably compromised due to the separation and later demolition of the building at 275 Lowell Avenue (which was formerly part of the original 1914 residence). Despite this loss of design and materials, 1680 Bryant Street remains highly expressive of Prairie and Secessionist stylings and of Thomas’ signature design idioms. Workmanship remains intact at the subject property, as many character-defining features of the Prairie style with Secessionist detailing remain intact, specifically its massing, original windows and doors, corner piers with vertical battens, and other simple geometric embellishments. The feeling of the property as a unified early-twentieth-century residential design is somewhat reduced, given the loss of approximately half the original structure; however, the building reads as a single-family residence, as originally intended. Similarly, the building retains a strong association with the work of Thomas and as a unique and rare example of Prairie design with Secessionist details. While cumulative changes have impacted the integrity of 1680 Bryant Street to a degree, it retains sufficient integrity of location, setting, workmanship, feeling, and association to express its local significance under Criteria 2, 5, and 6 as a Category 3 resource. CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES For a property to be eligible for national, state, and/or local historic designation, the essential physical features (or character-defining features) that enable the property to convey its historic identity and reason for significance must be evident. These distinctive character-defining features are the physical traits that commonly recur in property types and/or architectural styles, or that Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 55 July 25, 2025 convey an association with significant persons or patterns of events. Characteristics can be expressed in terms such as form, proportion, structure, plan, style, materials, and spatial relationships. To be eligible, a property must clearly contain enough of those characteristics, and these features must also retain a sufficient degree of integrity. The residence at 1680 Bryant Street retains sufficient character-defining features of the Prairie style and as a design by noted architect John Hudson Thomas, to be eligible as a Category 3 resource. These features include, but are not limited to: • Two-story height • Low, horizontal and asymmetrical massing • Low-pitch hipped roof with broad eaves and exposed, carved rafter tails • Chimneys with simple geometric embellishments • Stucco cladding with recessed and wood-trimmed openings • Multi-lite wood sash and paired casement windows o Muntins with an inset four-square pattern at the outer rail are seen in both sash and casement units as well as at a rear French door and a second-floor sliding glass door. • Substantial front porch volume with a deeply recessed entrance o Shallow pointed-arch opening o Supporting piers exhibit simple geometric embellishments and reliefs • Massive, rectangular corner piers with vertical wood battens atop stuccoed trapezoidal brackets • Grouped pyramidal reliefs, usually centered over openings • Semicircular driveway • Wood gate with cutout square design • Garage constructed in a matching style with stucco cladding, projecting corner piers, original windows, and grouped pyramidal relief decoration. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 56 July 25, 2025 CONCLUSION Based on historical evidence and field evaluation, while 1680 Bryant Street does not appear eligible for individual listing in the California Register of Historical Resources under any criteria, the property does appear to retain adequate integrity and significance to remain listed on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. The residence continues to retain an adequate level of local significance as a rare and superb local example of Prairie-style design with Secessionist stylistic elements designed by noted regional architect John Hudson Thomas. While the building does not meet the criteria for a Category 2 building due to the demolition of the adjacent building at 275 Lowell Avenue, this evaluation supports the reclassification of 1680 Bryant Street as a Category 3 resource on the City of Palo Alto Historic Inventory. This would reflect its continued significance as an important architectural work, although at a lower level of overall historic integrity related to the loss of its original other half. As a listed historic resource on a local historic inventory, 1680 Bryant Street would be considered a historical resource for the purposes of CEQA. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 57 July 25, 2025 REFERENCES Published Works & Reports Beach, John. “The Bay Area Tradition, 1890–1918.” In Bay Area Houses, edited by Sally B. Woodbridge, 23–98. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. California Office of Historic Preservation. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 7: How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register of Historical Resources. Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing, September 4, 2001. California Office of Historic Preservation. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 8: User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing. November 2004. City of Berkeley. “List of Designated City Landmarks, Structures of Merik & Historic Districts,” updated January 2023. Accessed online, https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022- 04/List-of-Designated-Landmarks.pdf. Dames & Moore, Michael Corbett, and Denise Bradley. “Final Survey Report – Palo Alto Historic Survey Update: August 1997-August 2000.” Prepared for the City of Palo Alto Planning Division, February 2001. Gebhard, David. Bay Area Houses. Edited by Sally B. Woodbridge. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. Gebhard, David, David Bricker, and Lauren Bricker. A Catalogue of the Architectural Drawing Collection: The University Art Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara. Vol. II. Santa Barbara: University of California, 1983. Gebhard, David, Roger Montgomery, Robert Winter, John Woodbridge, Sally Woodbridge, and Eric Sandweiss. The Guide to Architecture in San Francisco and Northern California. Salt Lake City: Gibbs M. Smith Inc., Peregrine Smith, 1985. Historic Environment Consultants. “Historical and Architectural Resources of the City of Palo Alto: Inventory and Report,” February 1979. Mallgrave, Harry Francis. Modern Architectural Theory: A Historical Survey, 1673–1968. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. McNamara, Andrew, and Ann Stephen. “Modernism in the Southern Hemisphere.” Fabrications 12, no. 1 (2002). National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1995. Olbrich, Joseph Maria. Die Architektur der Secession. Darmstadt: Alexander Koch, 1904. Smith, Thomas Gordon. John Hudson Thomas and the Progressive Spirit in Architecture, 1910–1920. Master’s thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1975. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 58 July 25, 2025 Winslow, Ward and Palo Alto Historical Association. Palo Alto: A Centennial History (Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993). Witt-Dörring, Christian. Josef Hoffmann: Interiors 1902–1913. New York: Neue Galerie, 2006. Newspapers & Periodicals Brooklyn Eagle. “Frank Jefferson Frost Weds Manhattan Girl In Berkeley, Ca,” February 2, 1927. Daily Palo Alto Times. “Accident Fatal to Hilton Haehl,” January 24, 1917. ———. “Mrs. Frost divides large house and sells half,” July 18, 1946. Harris Allen, “The Evolution of a College Town,” The Building Review, Volume XIX, Number 5, May 1921, 84-85. Accessed online, https://usmodernist.org/PCA/PCA-19-20.pdf. Palo Alto Times. “Stanford University-Class of 1901,” May 31, 1901. Peninsula Times Tribune. Personals, May 21, 1906. ———. “Building Permits,” December 18, 1936. ———. “Building Permits,” January 26, 1937. ———. “Death Takes Frank Frost, Generous Patron of Music,” April 15, 1939. ———. “Five building permits issued,” September 10, 1947. The Building Review, “Carquinez Bridge Aid to Industrial Development of Northern California,” Volume XXIII, Number 1, January 1923, 11. Accessed online, https://usmodernist.org/PCA/PCA-23- 24.pdf. The Fresno Bee. “Harry L. Haehl, Kings River Engineer, Dies in Palo Alto,” January 29, 1949. Wright, Frank Lloyd. “A Fireproof House for $5000.” Ladies’ Home Journal, April 1907. Public Records Bay Area Census. “City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County.” Accessed online, http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/PaloAlto50.htm. California State Office of Historic Preservation, Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), Santa Clara County, updated September 2022. City of Berkeley, “Laura Belle Marsh Kluegel House.” Accessed online, https://berkeleyheritage.com/berkeley_landmarks/kluegel/kluegel_application.html. City of Palo Alto. Comprehensive Plan 2030 (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017). Accessed online, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. City of Palo Alto Property Information Map (PIM). Accessed online, https://opengis.cityofpaloalto.org/parcelreports/. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 59 July 25, 2025 City of Palo Alto, Development Services. Permit records for 1680 Bryant Street and 275 Lowell Avenue, multiple dates. Historic Resource Board and Palo Alto Historical Association, DPR 523 Form: Haehl Residence/275 Lowell-1680 Bryant, 1978, revised 1981 and 1985. National Register of Historic Places. Loring House (Berkeley, CA). Nomination prepared by Anne B. Bloomfield. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1989. ———. Locke House (Oakland, CA). Nomination prepared by Margo M. Noble. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1988. Internet Sources City of Palo Alto, Planning & Development Department. “Historic Registers: Lagacies at All Levels.” Accessed online, https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development- Services/Historic-Preservation/Historic-Registers. Hewn and Hammered. “John Hudson Thomas.” Accessed online, https://web.archive.org/web/20160317092112/http://www.hewnandhammered.com/hewn_a nd_hammered/2007/08/john-hudson-tho.html#/. Pacific Coast Architecture Database, “John Hudson Thomas (Architect).” Accessed online, https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/808/. Palo Alto City Directory, multiple years. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, “Palo Alto Historic Buildings Inventory: 1680 Bryant Street.” Accessed online, https://www.pastheritage.org/inv/invB/Bryant/Bryant1680.html. Scribd. “John Hudson Thomas Self-Guided Tour,” 1979. Accessed online, https://www.scribd.com/doc/13654028/John-Hudson-Thomas-Self-Guided-Tour-1979-of-7- Berkeley-House. United States Federal Census, multiple years. Accessed online, www.ancestry.com. Historic Resources Evaluation (HRE) 1680 Bryant Street [24402.05] Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 60 July 25, 2025 APPENDICES Appendix A – Preparer Qualifications This Historic Resource Evaluation was prepared by Page & Turnbull of San Francisco, California. Page & Turnbull staff responsible for this report include: Christina Dikas, Principal-in-charge; Barrett Reiter, Cultural Resources Planner, project manager; and Maggie Nicholson, Cultural Resources Planner, primary author, all of whom meet or exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Historic Architecture, Architectural History, or History. 1680 BRYANT STREET Category 2 to Category 3 Reclassification December 15, 2025 www.PaloAlto.gov Presenter: Steven Switzer, Senior Planner •Zone District: R-1 (Single-Family) •Old Palo Alto Neighborhood 1680 BRYANT STREET LOCATION Low e l l A v e Brya n t S t 2 PROJECT OVERVIEW Reclassification from a Category 2 to a Category 3 on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. July 25, 2025 Page & Turnbull prepared a Historic Resource Evaluation October 9, 2025 Historic Resources Board (HRB) Meeting December 15,2025 City Council Meeting Sanborn Map Company Map of Palo Alto, 1924 Sanborn Map Company Map of Palo Alto, 1945 1680 BRYANT STREET CONSTRUCTION CHRONOLOGY Sanborn Map Company Map of Palo Alto, 1945 1680 BRYANT STREET CONSTRUCTION CHRONOLOGY Sanborn Map Company Map of Palo Alto, 1945 •Added as Category 2 in 1978 •Eligible for listing under: •Criterion 2 (Prairie Architectural Style) •Criterion 5 (Architect John Hudson Thomas) •Criterion 6 (Design Elements) 1680 BRYANT STREET HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE HRB RECOMMENDATION The HRB voted 3-1-1 to recommend that the existing Category 2 designation remain . Rationale based on following concerns: •The property would lose historic preservation protections (demolition delay) •Current historic incentives are insufficient KEY CONSIDERATIONS •Historic Resource Evaluation Determination •Construction Chronology / Significant Alterations •Category 2 and 3 Definitions CEQA Not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act and CEQA Guidelines Section 21065. STAFF RECOMMENDATION City Council approve the Record of Land Use Action (Attachment B) reclassifying the building at 1680 Bryant Street from a Category 2 resource to a Category 3 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. Note: This recommendation differs from the HRB’s recommendation to retain the Category 2 listing by a 3 -1-1 vote. Staff is aligning with Historic Resource Evaluation Determination. Steven Switzer Senior Historic Planner Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov 650-329-2321 CATEGORY 2 DEFINITION Category 2: "Major building" means any building or group of buildings of major regional importance, meritorious works of the best architects or an outstanding example of an architectural style or the stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained. CATEGORY 3 DEFINITION Category 3 or 4: "Contributing building" means any building or group of buildings which are good local examples of architectural styles and which relate to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or permanent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate additions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden facades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco. 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 1680 Bryant Street Reclassification 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 1680 Bryant Street - Reclassification • Strong central entry, awning and walkway. • “H” shaped dual residence • Twin composition • Large hemi- hexagonal porte cochere • Entry facing Lowell Ave Built in 1914, this image from 1930 shows the original design with the front of the dual home facing Lowell Ave. Image contrast edited by Stanton Architecture for legibility 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 • Entire southern wing demolished • Main entry demolished • Connection between wings demolished • Large porte-cochere on Bryant Street demolished • Original intent of the pair of buildings is lost • Shape changed from “H” to a rectangle • New property line prevents an entry facing Lowell Ave The former architectural intent and composition of plan and elevation have been eliminated. Demolition Extents - Former Dual Residence Demolished DemolishedRemaining Lowell Avenue Br y a n t S t r e e t Demolished Porte-Cochere Original Garage Demolished Main Entry, Path, Entry, and Awning Demolished Remaining Demolished Structure Remaining Structure Permanent changes made to the former design 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Property Lines - Former vs Existing • Former property had a large side and rear yard • Existing lot is approximately 1/4 of the original size • Former entry faced Lowell Avenue • Existing entry faces Bryant Street • Former single lot is now four lots with an easement Historic Property and Former Property Lines per 1924 Sanborn Fire Map Existing (2025) Remaining Property and Property Lines on Google Earth Aerial 1680 Bryant Street Bryant Street Bryant Street Lo w e l l A v e n u e Lo w e l l A v e n u e Permanent changes made to the former property’s size and orientation 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 • Paired building composition • Pronounced entry on Lowell Avenue • Large porte-cochere along Bryant Street • Single building • No entry along Lowell Avenue • No porte-cochere along Bryant Street Street Corner Comparison Bryant Street and Lowell Avenue, 1926. Source: Palo Alto Historical Association; Image contrast edited by Stanton Architecture for legibility Google street view March 2023, showing permanent changes from the former design 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Porte-Cochere Removed from Secondary Facade • Former porte-cochere was demolished • On the right is the garage with the Category 2 designation Extensive and permanent changes made to facade along Bryant Street. Existing (2024) Street View Along Bryant Street Former porte- cochere was demolished Most of existing garage violates set- back requirements 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 • Former west wing, Lowell Ave entry, and awning were demolished • Former “H”-shaped composition is gone • Prominent porte-cochere was demolished • Existing building has no entry along Lowell Ave • Existing Lowell Ave frontage is approx 1/3 of the former intended length The former architectural intent and composition along Lowell Ave has been eliminated and permanently changed. Lowell Avenue Facade Modifications Image taken in 1930 for comparison; red boxes highlight demolished portions Image taken in 2025 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 • No buildable areas without eliminating backyard • New property lines cause existing structure to violate setback requirements • New 2nd floor addition violates setback requirements The remaining building is severely constrained on the site due to permanent changes made to the former building & property boundaries, Category 2 buildable area limitations, and zoning setbacks. Property Setbacks and Constraints 2 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 The former interior footprint was more than twice the size of the current footprint; the intent of the original programming has been permanently reduced to less than 1/2. Permanent Change to Former Building Program Corridor from current main en- trance to kitchen Room currently used as a bedroom, without a closet Basement, showing the remains of a demolished former inte- rior staircase leading to the basement Here are examples of constrained interior conditions resulting from reducing the former building footprint by more than half Existing Kitchen 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Hazardous Existing Condition - Example • Category 2 restrictions prohibit roof or exterior modifications • Building’s hazardous conditions are left unaddressed Occupiable roof has only 5’-6” of clearance, creating a safety risk. 5’-6” Floor to Ceiling Height 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 • Front facade, per Palo Alto Planning, has no entrance • Former “H”-shape front massing is gone Front Facade - No Entry Possible Front facade of the building per Planning No entry or ability to add an entry to what is considered the “front” of the house Location of inappropriate addition 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 • Inappropriate glass block wall constructed over setback line • 2nd floor bathroom addition violates setback requirements • Glass block undermines the integrity of the historic building Inappropriate Additions to the Existing Building Non-original glass block wall and Level 2 bathroom addition above New inappropriate bathroom addition on Level 2 New inappropriate glass block wall Setback line, approx location 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Historic Preservation Definitions, “Historic Categories” Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 16.49: Historic Preservation Definitions, “Historic Categories” Category 2 - Major Building Category 3 or 4 - Contributing Building Definition: • “Major building” means any building or group of buildings of major regional importance, meritorious works of the best architects, or an outstanding example of an architectural style or the stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained. Current Building Condition: • 60% of the former structure was demolished • The former site was split into four lots • The “H” plan shape has been eliminated along with the main entry and porte-cochere • Inappropriate glass block infills the demolished portion of the rear connection • A second floor addition was constructed above the glass block • The original character of the architect’s dual-residence” design has not been retained • The existing structure in its altered form does not qualify as a Category 2 building Definition: • “Contributing building” means any building or group of buildings which are good local examples of Architectural styles, and which relate to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or perma- nent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate ad- ditions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden facades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco. Current Building Condition: • Since the remaining structure has had extensive and permanent changes made to the original design, the highest designation it can achieve is Category 3. 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Since the remaining structure has had extensive and permanent changes made to the original design, which include inappropriate additions, the highest designation it can achieve is Category 3. Existing Building Condition Demolished DemolishedRemaining Lowell Avenue Br y a n t S t r e e t Demolished Porte-Cochere Original Garage Demolished Main Entry, Path, Entry, and Awning Demolished Remaining Demolished Structure Remaining Structure Permanent changes made to the former design 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Property Setbacks and Constraints 2 Extensive and permanent changes have been made to the former building, its property boundaries, and its entry orientation. The highest designation it can achieve is Category 3. 1680 Bryant Street | December 15, 2025 Thank you.