Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-08-13 Historic Resources Board Agenda PacketHISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD Regular Meeting Thursday, August 13, 2026 Council Chambers & Hybrid 8:30 AM   Historic Resources Board meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate from home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in person. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 76, live on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen Media Center https://midpenmedia.org. Board member names, biographies, and archived agendas are available at https://bitly.com/paloaltoHRB. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/96800197512) Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone: 1(669)900-6833   PUBLIC COMMENTS General Public Comment for items not on the agenda will be accepted for up to three minutes or an amount of time determined by the Chair. In-person comments will be heard at the beginning of the agenda and remote comments will be heard at the end of the agenda. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance to hrb@PaloAlto.gov and will be provided to the Board and available for inspection on the City’s website three days before the meeting. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subject line. Spokespersons that are representing a group of five or more people who are identified as present at the meeting at the time of the spokesperson's presentation will be allowed up to fifteen (15) minutes at the discretion of the Chair, provided that the non-speaking members agree not to speak individually. The Chair may limit Public Comments to thirty (30) minutes for all combined speakers. The Chair may reduce the allowed time to speak on Study Sessions and Actions Items to two (2) minutes or less to accommodate a larger number of speakers. PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email to hrb@PaloAlto.gov at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not accepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting.  1 Regular Meeting August 13, 2026 CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL   AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Board majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management.   IN-PERSON PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. 1-3 minutes depending on number of speakers. In-person comments will be heard at the beginning of the agenda and remote comments will be heard at the end of the agenda. CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS   1.Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments ACTION ITEMS Public Comment is Permitted. Applicants/Appellant Teams: Ten (10) minutes, plus ten (10) minutes rebuttal. All others: Three (3) minutes per speaker. 2.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 1431 Waverley Street [25PLN-00064]: Request for a Major Historic Review and Minor-Staff Level Architectural Review for the Demolition of an Existing Greenhouse and Accessory Structures on an Existing Category 2 Historic Resource. Rehabilitation Work Includes Construction of a New Greenhouse, and New One-Story Horticultural Complex with a Workshop, Offices, Nursery, and a Community Room for Educational Programs. CEQA Status: Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) and 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction). Zoning District: (PF) Public Facility. 3.Review and Submit the Historic Resources Board’s (HRB) Draft Annual Report and Work Plan to the City Council for Approval. CEQA Status: Not a Project. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker. 4.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of June 11, 2026 BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s).    2 Regular Meeting August 13, 2026 VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. 1-3 minutes depending on number of speakers. In-person comments will be heard at the beginning of the agenda and remote comments will be heard at the end of the agenda. ADJOURNMENT   OTHER INFORMATION The materials below are provided for informational purposes, not for action or discussion during this meeting’s agenda. Written public comments may be submitted in advance and will be provided to the Commission and available for public inspection on the City’s website three days before the meeting.   A.Public Comment    3 Regular Meeting August 13, 2026 PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1.Written public comments may be submitted by email to hrb@PaloAlto.gov. 2.Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, click on the link below to access a Zoom-based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. ◦You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in- browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30, Firefox 27, Microsoft Edge 12, Safari 7. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. ◦You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. ◦When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. ◦When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3.Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions above. 4.Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Board. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone:1-669-900-6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329-2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@PaloAlto.gov. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service.  4 Regular Meeting August 13, 2026 Item No. 1. Page 1 of 1 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: August 13, 2026 Report #: 2608-6610 TITLE Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review and comment as appropriate. BACKGROUND Attached is the HRB meeting schedule and attendance record for the calendar year. This is provided for informational purposes. If individual Boardmembers anticipate being absent from a future meeting, it is requested that it be brought to staff’s attention when considering this item.    No action is required by the HRB for this item.  ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: 2026 HRB Meeting Schedule & Assignments AUTHOR/TITLE: HRB Liaison1 & Contact Information   Steven Switzer, Senior Historic Planner     (650) 329-2321   Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov 1 Emails can be sent directly to the HRB at the following email: HRB@PaloAlto.gov Item 1 Item 1 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 5     Historic Resources Board 2026 Meeting Schedule & Assignments 1 1 8 3 7 2026 Meeting Schedule Meeting Dates Time Location Status Planned Absences 1/8/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 2/12/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Rohman 3/12/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Rohman 4/9/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Willis, Pease (term ended) 5/14/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Cancelled 6/11/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 7/9/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Cancelled 8/13/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Rohman 9/10/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 10/8/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 11/12/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 12/10/2025 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Item 1 Attachment A - 2026 HRB Meeting Schedule & Assignments     Packet Pg. 6     Item No. 2. Page 1 of 7 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: August 13, 2026 Report #: 2607-6595 TITLE PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 1431 Waverley Street [25PLN-00064]: Request for a Major Historic Review and Minor-Staff Level Architectural Review for the Demolition of an Existing Greenhouse and Accessory Structures on an Existing Category 2 Historic Resource. Rehabilitation Work Includes Construction of a New Greenhouse, and New One-Story Horticultural Complex with a Workshop, Offices, Nursery, and a Community Room for Educational Programs. CEQA Status: Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) and 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction). Zoning District: (PF) Public Facility. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Resources Board (HRB) discuss and provide a recommendation to the Director of Planning and Development Services on project’s conformity with the Secretary of the Interior’s (SOI) Standards for Rehabilitation. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On January 30, 2023, the City’s consultant, Page & Turnbull, prepared a Historic Resource Evaluation (Attachment B). Following this, the applicant submitted a rehabilitation project on March 12, 2025. On May 29, 2026, the applicant submitted a revised project and plans. The HRB is requested to review the application and provide a recommendation to the Director of Planning and Development Services on the project’s conformity to the SOI Standards for Rehabilitation. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The following project description is based on the project plans submitted on May 29, 2026 (Attachment C). The scope of work includes the removal of the existing greenhouse, lath house, potting shed, and horticultural office/storage building located along the northern property boundary. The project proposes construction of a new greenhouse relocated closer to the parking lot to improve solar access and functionality, as well as a new one-story horticultural complex that consolidates existing programming and support functions. The new building will include office space, a community room for public programs and client use, and workshop Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 7     Item No. 2. Page 2 of 7 space. Proposed exterior materials include wood siding, metal panel siding, aluminum windows, metal roofing, wooden trellises, and wooden fencing. The proposed improvements are intended to support the continued horticultural and community use of the property while maintaining the historic character and spatial organization of the site. BACKGROUND ANALYSIS Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 8     Item No. 2. Page 3 of 7 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS 1 A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: Although originally developed as a private residence, the property has long served both residential and community-oriented functions and has operated as a public garden managed by a nonprofit horticultural organization since the 1980s. The proposed project retains this established use while replacing aging support facilities with new one-story buildings that are compatible in scale and massing with the historic property. The monitor roof design provides additional natural light to the community space without substantially altering the site's defining characteristics, materials, features, or spatial relationships. As proposed, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 1. 2 The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project retains the property's defining historic character by preserving its primary character-defining resources, including the main house, carriage house, and formal garden setting. While several contributing ancillary structures will be removed and replaced, the new greenhouse and horticultural complex are located along the property perimeter in a manner that maintains the historic spatial organization and visual prominence of the estate's most significant historic features. The relocation of the greenhouse improves its functional use without substantially altering the property's overall historic character. As proposed, the project does not diminish the property's ability to convey its historic significance and is consistent with the intent of Standard 2. 3 Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed greenhouse and horticultural complex are contemporary additions that do not introduce conjectural historic features or attempt to replicate earlier buildings in a manner that would create a false sense of historical development. The project preserves the property's evolution as a horticultural estate while allowing for continued use through compatible new construction. As proposed, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 3. Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 9     Item No. 2. Page 4 of 7 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS 4 Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐N/A Explanation: The project removes several mid- twentieth-century ancillary structures that contribute to the property's historic significance through their spatial organization. However, these structures are secondary to the property's primary character-defining resources, including the main house, carriage house, and formal gardens. As discussed under Rehabilitation Standard 2, the proposed changes to these ancillary features are carefully designed to retain the property's historic spatial organization and overall character. Proposed changes are limited to removing and replacing support buildings with compatible new facilities that do not diminish the property's ability to convey its historic significance. Therefore, as proposed, the project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 4. 5 Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The project preserves the property's primary character-defining features, including the main residence, carriage house, formal gardens, and other significant landscape elements that embody the property's historic design and craftsmanship. The proposed work is limited to the replacement of ancillary support buildings and does not alter distinctive architectural features, historic finishes, or construction techniques that characterize the historic property. Therefore, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 5. 6 Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The project does not propose the replacement of deteriorated distinctive historic features. The primary historic resources, including the main residence, carriage house, and formal gardens, will be retained and preserved. The proposed work is limited to the removal and replacement of ancillary support buildings and does not involve the replacement of character-defining historic features. Therefore, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 6. 7 Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The project does not propose chemical or abrasive treatments to historic materials or Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 10     Item No. 2. Page 5 of 7 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. features. The proposed work is limited to the removal of ancillary support buildings and construction of new facilities, with no surface cleaning or treatment of the primary historic resources. Therefore, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 7. 8 Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project involves limited ground disturbance associated with the construction of new ancillary buildings. If previously unidentified archaeological resources are encountered during construction, work in the vicinity of the discovery will cease and appropriate resource protection and treatment measures will be implemented in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. Therefore, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 8. 9 New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The project does not destroy historic materials that characterize the property, as the primary historic resources, including the main residence, carriage house, and formal gardens, will be retained and preserved. The proposed removal of ancillary garden and support structures is limited to non-primary resources and does not adversely affect the property's ability to convey its historic significance. The new greenhouse and horticultural complex are designed as compatible contemporary additions that are differentiated from the historic buildings while respecting the property's historic context. The one-story massing, scale, and placement of the new structures maintain the established spatial relationships of the site and preserve the visual prominence of the main residence and carriage house. The proposed monitor roof design provides functional daylighting for the community space while remaining compatible with the character of the garden setting. Therefore, the proposed project maintains the historic integrity of the property and is consistent with the intent of Rehabilitation Standard 9. 10 New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 11     Item No. 2. Page 6 of 7 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. Explanation: The proposed greenhouse and horticultural complex are located within the area historically occupied by ancillary garden and support structures and are designed to maintain the property's gardens. The new construction is visually and functionally compatible with the historic property while remaining distinct from the primary historic resources, including the main residence, carriage house, and formal gardens. The placement and design of the new buildings allow the property's significant historic features and relationships to remain intact if the additions were removed in the future. Therefore, the project is consistent with the intent of Standard 10. As the above analysis demonstrates, the proposed project as designed is consistent with all 10 of the Standards for Rehabilitation. The project would not adversely impact the historic character, significance, or integrity of 1431 Waverley Street, and the property would continue to convey its historic significance. Therefore, the property would remain eligible as a Category 2 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory, and the project is consistent with the SOI Standards for Rehabilitation. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT All associated staff costs associated with processing this application are recovered through applicant-paid fees established in the Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Municipal Fee Schedule. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT The Palo Alto Municipal Code requires notice of this public hearing be published in a local paper at least ten days in advance of the public hearing. Notice of a public hearing for this project was published in the Daily Post on July 31, 2026, which is 13 days in advance of the meeting. Public Comments As of the writing of this report, no project-related, public comments were received. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The subject project has been assessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City. Specifically, the project is categorically exempt from the provision of CEQA in accordance with the Class 3 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) exemption (CEQA Guidelines Section 15303) because the scope of work is limited to the construction of new, small facilities or structures. In addition, Class 2 (Replacement or Reconstruction) exemption (CEQA Guidelines Section 15302) applies since the existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 12     Item No. 2. Page 7 of 7 structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS ATTACHMENTS AUTHOR/TITLE: Steven Switzer, Senior Historic Planner     (650) 329-2321   Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 13     24 24 24 24 24 24 Gamble Garden Center Lawn Bowling Green 70.3' 105.3' 132.6' 35.1' 112.5'112.5' 65.0' 50.0' 60.0' 150.0' 60.0' 150.0'60.0' 150.0' 60.0' 150.0' 150.0' 100.0' 177.0' 176.8'83.6' 150.1' 125.0' 210.0' 175.1' 56.0' 14.5' 94.0' 50.0' 85.0' 50.0' 85.0' 162.6' 100.1' 109.7' 85.0' 159.7' 106.0' 103.7' 90.0' 94.0' 14.5' 56.0' .1' 103.7' 88.3' 207.0' 60.4' 117.8' 95.4' 90.0' 129.0' 88.7' 13.7' 100.0' 100.0' 200.0' 200.0' 220.9' 140.1' 79.1' 59.9' 300.0' 87.5' 135.0' 135.0' 87.5' 135.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 200.0' 200.0' 50.0' 200.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 164.0' 17.0' 36.0' 118.0' 200.0' 135.0' 70.0' 182.0' 36.0' 17.0' 54.0' 97.1' 70.0' 130.0' 70.0' 97.1'110.0' 165.0' 103.7' 88.0' 54.8' 92.2' 83.5' 61.5' 88.7' 21.1' 101.0'83.6' 117.7' 36.2' 101.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 360.3' 294.8' 204.0' 250.0' 100.0' 200.0' 460.0' 88.0' 360.3' 250.0' 190.2' 57.0' 43.0'49.5'49.5' 525 1425 1415 440 425 1390 1400 473427 1327 330 342 1450 360 1400 1329 1331 1511 1525 474 1431 1527 369 364 410 440 444 1450A CHURCHILL AVENUE WAV E R L E Y S T R E E T WAVERLEY STREET KELLOGG AVENUE EMBARCADERO ROAD EMBARCADERO ROAD PFKellogg Park Lawn Bowling Green Gamble Garden 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' 104' Attachment A Location Map 1431 Waverley Street CITY OF PALO ALTO I NCO 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, 2026-08-03 13:30:48 (\\cc-maps\Encompass\Admin\Personal\Planning.mdb) Item 2 Attachment A - Location Map     Packet Pg. 14     ELIZABETH F. GAMBLE GARDEN HISTORIC RESOURCE EVALUATION PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA [16252A.81] PREPARED FOR CITY OF PALO ALTO January 30, 2022 FINAL Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 15     Cover Image Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 16     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 II. EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS ............................................................................................................. 3 III. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 6 Main House (1902) ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Carriage House (1902) .............................................................................................................................. 28 Tea House & Patio (1948) ......................................................................................................................... 32 Greenhouse ................................................................................................................................................ 36 Lathhouse and Potting Shed .................................................................................................................... 38 Restroom Building ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Horticultural Office & Storage Building .................................................................................................. 41 Site Features ............................................................................................................................................... 43 Surrounding Neighborhood ..................................................................................................................... 56 IV. HISTORIC CONTEXT ....................................................................................................................... 57 Early Palo Alto History ............................................................................................................................... 57 Old Palo Alto’s Seale Addition Neighborhood ....................................................................................... 59 Colonial Revival Architectural Style ......................................................................................................... 61 V. SITE HISTORY .................................................................................................................................. 63 Site Development ...................................................................................................................................... 63 Construction Chronology ......................................................................................................................... 65 Ownership and Occupant History ........................................................................................................... 74 Architects, Builders, and Landscape Designers..................................................................................... 79 VI. EVALUATION .................................................................................................................................. 86 California Register of Historical Resources ............................................................................................ 86 Palo Alto Historic Inventory ...................................................................................................................... 89 Integrity ....................................................................................................................................................... 89 Character-Defining Features .................................................................................................................... 93 VII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 96 VIII. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 97 IX. APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................. 101 Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 17     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 1 January 30, 2023 I. INTRODUCTION This Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) has been prepared at the request of the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden for the 2.45-acre historic home site and gardens located at 1431 Waverley Street (APN 124- 07-040) in the City of Palo Alto, California.1 The subject property consists of the two-story with basement and attic Gamble family residence (1902), surrounding gardens (ca. 1908), both formal and informal, and other associated landscape features.2 Ancillary buildings include a two-story carriage house (1902); a greenhouse, lathhouse, and potting shed (original construction dates unknown); a one-story tea house (1948); a one-story restroom building (1987); and a one-story horticultural office and storage building (1987). The property was used as a private residence until 1981. While it retains many of these residential attributes, the property today is owned by the City of Palo Alto and leased to the non-profit organization Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, which maintains the buildings and grounds for public enjoyment and horticultural education. METHODOLOGY This report follows the standard outline for a Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) report, and provides a summary of the current historic status, a building description, and historic context for the property at 1431 Waverley Street and the development of the Seale Addition neighborhood. Page & Turnbull prepared this report using research collected at various local repositories, including the City of Palo Alto Office of the Assessor-Recorder, the Palo Alto Development Division, and the Palo Alto Historical Association, as well as various online sources including Ancestry.com, the California Digital Newspaper Collection, and Newspapers.com. Key primary sources consulted and cited in this report include Sanborn Map Company fire insurance maps, Palo Alto building permit applications, Palo Alto Office of the Assessor-Recorder records, University of California at Santa Barbara’s FrameFinder aerial photography collection, and historical newspapers. Page & Turnbull staff conducted a site visit to 1431 Waverley Street on October 7, 2022. All photographs within this report were taken at that time, unless otherwise noted. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The buildings and gardens located at 1431 Waverley Street are not currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) or the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register). However, the subject property, including the main residence, carriage house, 1 Formerly known as the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Center, the organization’s Articles of Incorporation were amended on October 15, 2013 to change its name to “Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden.” 2 While there is no exact completion date for the main house, it was likely completed in late 1902 or early 1903. Most sources that document the building have used a 1902 construction date, and Page & Turnbull has chose to use this date for the sake of consistency. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 18     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 2 January 30, 2023 and landscaped grounds, is included within Palo Alto’s local Historic Resource Inventory as a Category 2 or “Major Building.” Based on the evaluation in this report, the property appears to be eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 1 (Events), Criterion 2 (Persons), and Criterion 3 (Architecture), though several areas and buildings along the western and northern property boundaries do not contribute to the property’s significance. Therefore, the property is a historical resource for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 19     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 3 January 30, 2023 II. EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS The following section examines the national, state, and local historic status currently assigned to the residence and gardens at 1431 Waverley Street in Palo Alto, California. 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 currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 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 currently listed in the California Register of Historical Resources. California Point of Historical Interest California Points of Historical Interest are “sites, buildings, features, or events that are of local (city or county) significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other value.”3 Designation as a California Point of Historical Interest provides limited protection to the historic resource through environmental review under CEQA, allows the property to be eligible for the State Historic Building Code and for property tax reduction (such as through a Mills Act agreement), and can provide a small enamel directional sign through the Caltrans district office. To be eligible for designation, a resource must meet at least one of the following criteria: 3 California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation, “California Points of Historical Interest,” Accessed November 22, 2022, https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21750 Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 20     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 4 January 30, 2023 • The first, last, only, or most significant of its type in the state or within the local geographic region (City or County). • Associated with an individual or group having a profound influence on the history of the local area. • A prototype of, or an outstanding example of, a period, style, architectural movement, or construction or is one of the more notable works or the best surviving work in the local region of a pioneer architect, designer or master builder. In addition, the property owner must consent to the request for designation. No historical resource may be designated as both a California State Landmark and a California Point of Historical Interest. If the resource qualifies as a State Landmark, then the Point of Historical Interest designation is removed. The subject property was designated as a California Point of Interest since 1986 (#P675).4 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).5 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 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 listed in the BERD database for Santa Clara County. In 1977 the property was identified in a local survey and assigned a status code of 3S, meaning it “appears eligible for National Register individually through survey evaluation.”6 In 1986, the property was identified as a California 4 California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation, “California Historical Resources” (2022). Accessed October 24, 2022 from https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/?view=name&criteria=gamble. 5 California State Office of Historic Preservation, Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), Santa Clara County, updated March 2020. 6 California State Office of Historic Preservation, Department of Parks and Recreation, Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 8: User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historical Resource Inventory Directory, (Sacramento, November 2004). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 21     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 5 January 30, 2023 Point of Historic Interest and currently the BERD lists an additional status code of 7P, meaning that it is a “State Point of Historical Interest that does not meet California Register criteria.” The most recent update to the BERD database was in March 2020. 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 local historical and/or architectural value. The Inventory was originally adopted in 1979 with the incorporation of the City of Palo Alto’s Historic Preservation Program and Historic Preservation Ordinance (Municipal Code Section 16.49.040).7 Properties listed in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory are organized under the following 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. • 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. • Category 3 or 4: A "Contributing Building" 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. The subject property, including the main residence, carriage house, and landscaped grounds, is listed as a Category 2 property within the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. 7 City of Palo Alto Department of Planning & Development, “Historic Registers” (2022). Accessed October 24, 2022 from https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Historic-Preservation/Historic-Registers. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 22     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 6 January 30, 2023 III. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION The 2.45-acre Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden at 1431 Waverley Street contains a variety of historic and non-historic buildings, structures, garden areas, and landscape features (Figure 1). Buildings and structures are described in chronological order of construction date, followed by descriptions of the formal garden areas and other landscape features. Kellogg Parkette, located to the west of the primary entrance from Waverley Street, was historically a separate parcel and not included in the original Gamble family landholdings. The parkette parcel is not described in this report. Figure 1: Map of Gamble Garden grounds with the area of evaluation outlined in red. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 23     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 7 January 30, 2023 MAIN HOUSE (1902) The main house at Gamble Garden, addressed 1431 Waverley Street, is a two-story wood-frame building with a full basement and a partially finished attic with dormers located in the south corner of the parcel. Nearly 5,500 square feet, the building is generally rectangular in plan with a central hall. Designed in a Georgian influence of the Colonial Revival style by architect J.R. Miller and completed in 1902 by builder C.A. Bates, the dominant stylistic element of the building is the accentuated front entry porch with its decorative flat-roof crown supported by slender column pairs, which protects the unpedimented main entry door flanked by ornate three-quarter-length sidelights. The primary roof structure is hipped and clad with wood shingles. Various hipped, decked, and flat dormers clad in painted wood shingles are located across the primary roof structure. The moderately pitched roof areas are clad predominately with wood shingles, while the flat portions are covered with tar-and-gravel. Roof eaves have a broad overhang over a boxed cornice that features dentils and a plain frieze band. Exterior cladding consists of horizontal painted narrow clapboard with a prominent wood water table band near the ground plane, which distinguishes the basement from the elevated first floor. Most façades are symmetrical with most windows in adjacent pairs, though alterations contribute to several asymmetrical appearances. Though the building is oriented slightly off the cardinal directions, with the primary façade facing southwest, cardinal directions are used in this report for clarity in describing the façades. Primary (South) Façade The primary, south façade fronts Waverley Street and overlooks the front lawn area with mature trees and shrubs and a semicircular driveway with gated entrances (Figure 2). The main entrance to the building is centered on the façade and elevated to align with the first floor, accessible by brick stairs from the ground plane to the entry porch (Figure 3). The entry porch features a flat roof topped with a classical baluster railing with broad eaves supported by Doric column pairs. A painted metal railing secures the porch perimeter and extends down either side of the brick stairs as handrails. The porch floor is square terra cotta tile set in concrete. The unglazed, single-panel main entrance door sits within a simple casing with an unornamented crown flanked by ornate three- quarter-length sidelights (Figure 4). The end volumes of the primary façade are slightly recessed from the main volume façade, indicative of the side porch enclosure alterations completed by 1924, and have flat roofs.8 First and second floor openings are symmetrical in terms of placement within these recessed volumes. Main volume window openings include adjacent pairs of wood-framed one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows with ogee lugs on the upper sashes, equally distanced off the central main entry door 8 According to Gamble Garden staff and 1924 Sanborn Fire Insurance map. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 24     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 8 January 30, 2023 on the first floor and off a centered pair of one-over-one double-hung windows on the second floor (Figure 5). The recessed eastern volume features the same wood-framed one-over-one double- hung wood sash windows with ogee lugs on the upper sashes, but as single units on the first and second floors (Figure 6). One asymmetrical exception occurs on the recessed western volume as unmatched windows. The first floor of the western volume features an adjacent pair of six-pane windows, while the second floor features a fixed five-pane oval window (a bathroom addition). At the third floor, a hipped dormer breaks the roof plane just right (east) of center, while an altered/expanded decked dormer occupies the west corner of the roof. The hipped dormer features one centered wood-framed one-over-one double-hung window, while the decked dormer features two on opposite ends of the dormer. These windows are smaller and more horizontal in nature than the larger, more vertical one-over-one windows found on the central portion of the primary façade. Figure 2: Primary façade from the western end of the semicircular driveway, looking east. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 25     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 9 January 30, 2023 Figure 3: Primary facade, looking northeast. Figure 4: Main entry detail, looking northeast. Figure 5: Primary façade, looking north. Figure 6: Recessed eastern volume of primary West Façade The west façade overlooks the transition zone between the front lawn and a woodland shade garden. It is a stepped façade with the most projecting volume at the rear of the building (north end) and steps in towards the front of the building (south end) (Figure 7). The south projecting volume has a tripartite massing of wood-framed one-over-one double-hung sash windows on the first floor (Figure 8). The center double-hung wood sash window appears to be of standard size and is flanked by narrow one-over-one double-hung sash windows. Above this massing on the second floor is a centered single wood-framed one-over-one sash window. A downspout is anchored along the right corner of this projection. The south façade of this projection features a centered single wood- framed one-over-one sash window on both the first and second floors (Error! Reference source not found.). The middle projection has centered but mismatched wood-framed windows. The first floor features a Palladian-influenced window massing with a six-over-six sash window in the middle capped with an unglazed half-circle pediment and flanked by narrow four-pane fixed window (Error! Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 26     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 10 January 30, 2023 Reference source not found.). The exterior cladding is a single wood panel under this prominent window, between the sill and the water table. The second-floor window is an adjacent six-pane window pair. The southernmost step in the west façade is an unadorned narrow surface with no openings. A painted downspout runs down the center of this portion of the façade. Figure 7: West façade from the west front lawn area, looking northeast. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 27     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 11 January 30, 2023 Figure 8: West façade including the back porch arbor, looking east. Figure 9: Southwest corner showing cladding variation and prominent water table line, looking northeast. Figure 10: Palladian-influenced window on recessed southern volume of the west facade, looking northeast. North Façade The north façade overlooks the formal Wisteria Garden and has three primary sections – a one-story addition as the eastern section, the principal façade, and an arbored porch as the western section (Figure 11). Starting with the eastern addition, this flat-roofed one-story section includes a tripartite casement window on the north end and four casement windows on the west end (Figure 12, Figure 13). The flat roof acts as a deck for the second floor, accessible by an unglazed five-panel door with screen door (Figure 14, Figure 15). The flat roof cladding is approximately half wood boards (closest to the principal façade) and half tar-and-gravel (furthest from the principal façade). From the ground, this roof deck is hidden from view by the parapet wall perimeter that acts as a railing. The Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 28     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 12 January 30, 2023 principal north façade includes several wood-framed one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows with ogee lugs on the upper sashes, as seen on other facades, as well as narrow one-over- one double-hung sash windows. These openings are relatively symmetrical across the façade (Figure 16). The principal roof structure hosts two flat-roof dormers with wood-framed one-over- one sash windows, like those on the south façade. The west porch section of the façade is elevated and connects to the Wisteria Garden patio via brick stairs and to the first-floor interior via a pair of 10-pane French doors (Figure 17). The painted wood arbor spans the entirety of the porch and is supported by simple Doric columns. The arbor extends down the west end of the porch, while painted wood railings span the remaining perimeter (Figure 18). Figure 11: Rear (north) façade, looking south from the Wisteria Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 29     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 13 January 30, 2023 Figure 12: The east addition to the north facade, looking southwest. Figure 13: West end of the east addition, looking east from the back porch. Figure 14: Flat roof and deck of the east addition as viewed from the interior second floor, looking Figure 15: Second floor door to access the rear east addition's roof deck, looking north from the building's interior. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 30     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 14 January 30, 2023 Figure 16: Principal north facade and rear porch volume as viewed from the east addition's roof deck, looking west. Figure 17: Rear porch detail, looking south from the Wisteria Garden patio. Figure 18: West end of the rear porch, looking west. East Façade The east façade overlooks the driveway that connects Waverley Street to the carriage house and beyond to the formal allée that runs parallel with Churchill Avenue. Like the west façade, the east façade is stepped and contains three sections, though its most projecting section lies towards the front (south) of the building. This section sits under a flat roof, evidence of the pre-1924 expansion. An original hipped dormer sits low within the principal roof plane and a brick chimney is just beyond. The window openings are symmetrical but massed differently than the west façade expansion, given the east façade alteration is wider. Both the first and second floors include a tripartite massing of wood-framed one-over-one windows. The center double-hung sash window appears to be of standard size and is flanked by narrow wood-framed one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows with ogee lugs on the upper sashes. The first-floor tripartite window is surrounded by a painted wood trellis (Figure 19). To the right (north) of these tripartite windows are single wood-framed one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows with an additional fixed upper sash. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 31     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 15 January 30, 2023 The transition step to the recessed middle section, which faces north, is narrow and has no openings; a downspout runs down each corner. This section is asymmetrical with an adjacent pair of horizontal wood-framed one-over-one sash windows on the first floor. Above this on the second floor, a single wood-framed one-over-one sash window is aligned to the left of the first-floor window massing. Below the water table and to the right (north) on this recessed portion of the east façade are two wood-framed one-over-one sash windows, which daylight the basement (Figure 20). These basement windows continue around the corner to the north end of the recessed section (considered part of the principal section of the north façade) and are mostly hidden from view given the addition of the wood stairs and wheelchair elevator on the northernmost addition (Figure 21). The northern volume is a one-story addition with a flat roof, which serves as a deck for the second floor (previously discussed within the “North Façade” section). Its east façade features an inset handicap-accessible full-light door with a transom window. A flat cantilever extends over this inset opening to provide more cover. Since this entry is elevated, wood stairs with wood handrails extend perpendicular from the façade while a wheelchair elevator attaches to the right (north) of the stairs to access the top landing. Figure 19: East facade, looking southwest from the allée. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 32     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 16 January 30, 2023 Figure 20: Northern end of the east façade show the one-story rear addition, looking west. Figure 21: Sash windows that daylight the basement on the north end of the middle volume of the east façade, looking southwest. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 33     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 17 January 30, 2023 Interior Interior features of private residences are generally not considered in the evaluation of properties eligible for listing in the California Register or as historical resources for the purposes of CEQA. Since this once-private residence is now open to the public, a brief description of the interior of the main residence is provided for context. It should be noted that some interior wall finishes are not original, given the usage of the main residence as a showcase house for a joint American Cancer Society and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) interior design showcase in 1981. Later, the composition of the second floor was significantly altered to provide living quarters for Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden’s resident horticulturalist. The first floor with 10-foot ceilings consists of (Figure 22): • A central hall entry foyer that includes the main staircase that ascends to the third floor (Figure 23 – 24); • A parlor (or formal living room) with fireplace faced with tile and a redwood mantel, accessible from the central hall (pocket doors) and the library (pocket door) (Figure 25 – 26); • An informal family room/library with built-in redwood bookcases, wainscoting, and a corner fireplace faced with tile, with access to the rear porch via glazed French doors (Figure 27 – 28); • An office with built-in shelves and cabinetry (previously the music room) (Figure 29 – 30); • A rear hall that includes the service staircase to the second floor, stairs to the basement, and ADA-accessible bathroom (Figure 31 – 34); • A contemporary office room (previously a maid’s quarters) (Figure 35 – 36); • A commercial-grade kitchen with pantry and butler’s pantry, each with built-in shelves and cabinetry (Figure 37 – 40); • A formal dining room with wainscoting and a Roman-brick fireplace with a redwood mantel accessible from the central hall (pocket doors) and the butler’s pantry (swinging door) (Figure 41 – 42). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 34     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 18 January 30, 2023 Figure 22: First floor plan showing the 1937 - 1938 alterations, used for the program for the joint American Cancer Society and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) interior design showcase in 1981. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Pantry Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 35     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 19 January 30, 2023 Figure 23: Main staircase as viewed from the first- floor central hall. Figure 24: Main staircase looking from first floor to the third floor. Figure 25: Formal parlor as viewed from the first- floor central hall. Figure 26: Western addition to the formal parlor. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 36     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 20 January 30, 2023 Figure 27: Informal family room/library, looking towards the office, with the rear patio doors at left. Figure 28: Detail of corner fireplace in the library. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 37     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 21 January 30, 2023 Figure 31: Rear Hall, looking northeast. Figure 32: Rear service staircase, looking south. Figure 33: Rear hall and ADA bathroom, looking northeast into the rear office. Figure 34: Basement staircase as viewed from rear hall, looking southwest. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 38     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 22 January 30, 2023 Figure 35: Rear office, looking north. Figure 36: Rear office, looking northeast. Figure 37: Kitchen, looking northeast. Figure 38: Kitchen, looking west towards rear hall. Figure 39: Butler's pantry, looking east. Figure 40: Butler's pantry, looking west. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 39     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 23 January 30, 2023 Figure 41: Formal dining room as viewed from the first-floor central hall. Figure 42: Formal dining room, looking towards the The second floor with nine-foot ceilings, originally five bedrooms, consists of (Figure 43): • An informal sitting area at the top of the main staircase landing as well as the main staircase to the partially finished attic (Figure 44 – 45); • Two eastern bedrooms that flank a linen-closet corridor leading to a full bathroom, assessed via the hallway (Figure 46 – 47). The rear eastern bedroom includes an exterior door to the roof deck overlooking the Wisteria Garden and Carriage House patio; • A western self-contained one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that includes a galley kitchen and small laundry room (Figure 48 – 53). Figure 43: Second-floor plan prior to 1986 apartment conversion, marked in red. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Living/Dining Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 40     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 24 January 30, 2023 Figure 44: Second-floor staircase landing, looking west. Figure 45: Window seating on second-floor landing, looking south. Figure 46: Southeast bedroom, looking east. Figure 47: Eastern bathroom with linen closet corridor, looking east from hallway. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 41     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 25 January 30, 2023 Figure 48: Apartment hallway, looking south from living/dining area. Figure 49: Apartment bedroom, looking west from hallway. Figure 50: Apartment kitchen, looking northeast. Figure 51: Apartment living/dining area, looking west. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 42     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 26 January 30, 2023 Figure 52: Apartment bathroom, looking south. Figure 53: Apartment bathroom, looking northeast. The partially finished attic with nine-foot ceilings consists of: • A hallway from the staircase landing (Figure 54); • Two bedrooms (Figure 55 – 56); • Unfinished storage space (Figure 57). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 43     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 27 January 30, 2023 Figure 54: Staircase to the third floor, looking southwest and down towards the second floor. Figure 55: Bedroom under expanded dormer, looking southeast. Figure 56: Third-floor room, looking north. Figure 57: Unfinished attic space, looking north. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 44     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 28 January 30, 2023 The basement has seven-foot ceilings and a concrete floor and consists of both simple finished rooms and storage spaces. This level was not viewed or documented during Page & Turnbull’s October 7, 2022 site visit. CARRIAGE HOUSE (1902) The carriage house is located directly behind (to the northeast) of the main house, nearest the east corner of the parcel just off the northern property boundary. Constructed in the same year by the same builder as the main house, the wood-framed carriage house shares similar Colonial Revival stylistic elements and exterior cladding. The primary volume is two stories under a hipped roof with deep eaves and a hipped central dormer. This volume is flanked by one-story side volumes under secondary hipped roof structures. All roof structures are clad with wood shingles. Though the building is oriented slightly off the cardinal directions, with the primary façade parallel to the main house facing southwest, cardinal directions are used for clarity in describing the façades. Primary (South) Façade The primary, south façade faces a brick paver patio with various circular and rectangular planting beds, including a central mature tree planted around 1987 (Figure 58). This patio connects to the brick paver driveway that spans the east side of the main house connecting to Waverley Street, to the concrete bike parking area and handicap parking area connecting to Churchill Avenue to the east, and to dirt paths to the informal gardens to the west. The façade itself is symmetrical with five sets of glazed French doors each flanked by narrow eight-pane sidelights (Figure 59 - 59). Aligned with the central French door, a hipped dormer with a fixed, nine-pane, wood-framed window breaks the primary roof structure eave line, creating a tiered appearance (Figure 61). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 45     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 29 January 30, 2023 Figure 58: Primary facade and surrounding landscape, looking northeast. Figure 59: Primary carriage house facade with red lines marking the tiered roof structures, looking north. Figure 60: French door detail, looking northeast. Figure 61: Central dormer detail, looking northeast. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 46     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 30 January 30, 2023 West Façade The asymmetrical one-story west façade faces the restroom building. A painted wood gate connects near the middle of this façade to close off the narrow area between the two buildings (Figure 62). Brick pavers cover the ground area in front of the gate, while bare earth is behind the gate. A single four-over-four wood sash window is placed closest to the north corner and a massing of two four- over-four sash windows lies just behind the wood gate (Figure 63). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 47     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 31 January 30, 2023 North Facade The north façade faces a narrow bare-earth area used for storage and a painted wood fence, indicating the property boundary. The north façade of the primary volume has no openings, though various mechanical conduit lines are mounted to the exterior cladding here (Figure 64). Both one- story side sections include a centered four-over-four sash window (Figure 65). Figure 64: North facade of the central two-story volume, looking southwest. Figure 65: North façade of the one-story eastern volume, looking southwest. East Façade The east façade of the carriage house contains no openings or other features. It faces a concrete pad with a bike rack. This bike parking area is covered with a painted wood arbor planted with a leafy vine (Figure 66). While the arbor does not connect to the east façade, it is mounted in the ground in very close proximity. Figure 66: East facade showing the wood arbor over the bike parking area, looking west. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 48     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 32 January 30, 2023 TEA HOUSE & PATIO (1948) The tea house and its brick paver patio were designed by Allan Himes Reid in the Midcentury Modern style and constructed by S.P. Cooley in 1948. The tea house is located near the center of the property equidistant between the main house (to the south) and the carriage house (to the east) under a dense tree canopy (Figure 67). Shade gardens with curvilinear brick paver paths span the areas to the south and east of the tea house (towards the main and carriage houses), while the informal western grounds begin at the tea house’s west facade. The tea house has a simple rectangular plan with facades oriented to align with those of both the main and carriage houses. The tea house has a low-pitched shed roof with the higher end being at the east façade and sloping towards the west façade. The roof structure has deep eaves with exposed rafters. A brick chimney sits within the roof plane near the north corner. There is a combination of brick in a stretcher bond and painted vertical wood boards for exterior cladding. Its interior is a single room, predominately a kitchenette, with a fireplace on the west wall. Figure 67: Tea house's east facade and surround landscape, looking west. Primary (East) Façade The primary (east) façade of the tea house sits under a deeper roof eave, which acts as a cantilever for the large door opening (Figure 68). This east eave protrudes more than at other facades and its exposed rafters pierce the vertical façade to continue through to the interior of the tea house ceiling. The glazed section appears to be a set of four-panel, aluminum-framed, bifold doors on a Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 49     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 33 January 30, 2023 sliding track that anchors at the north end of the façade. When open, the interior and exterior ground planes are level, allowing for a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces (Figure 69). This large opening is set within painted vertical wood board cladding. The unglazed vertical façade to the left (south) of the opening features a painted wood lattice. The north and south ends of the façade are clad with brick in a stretcher bond. Figure 68: East and north facades, looking Figure 69: East façade with open doors, looking South Façade The south façade features a single half-light door with a massing of two one-over-one replacement windows to the right (east), atop vertical wood board cladding (Figure 70). The majority of the cladding is brick in a stretcher bond, except for the section under the window. The door and window area overlooks a concrete paver landing, which connects to a dirt path (Figure 71). Figure 70: South facade of the tea house, looking north. Figure 71: South facade and surrounding landscape, looking northwest. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 50     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 34 January 30, 2023 West Façade The west façade overlooks the informal western grounds with foundation plantings, a raised bed, and topiary being the nearest elements. The roof eave is a standard overhang with exposed rafter tails. The brick chimney is closest to this façade at the north corner. There are no openings on this façade, only a downspout and mechanical conduit are mounted towards the south end. Figure 72: West facade, looking northeast. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 51     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 35 January 30, 2023 North Façade The north façade has a glazed single door opening towards the east end, which stylistically matches the primary façade doors (Figure 73). A curving privacy wall of brick in a stretcher bond extends from the midpoint of the north façade to create a partially enclosed patio (Figure 74, Figure 75). This patio area is topped with a wood arbor that also anchors to the north façade and is planted with cat’s claw vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati). The focal feature of the patio is a wall-mounted, three- tier concrete fountain with scalloped edges (Figure 76). Various potted pots break the monotony created by brick flooring and brick wall on the patio, while the back (north) side of the patio’s privacy wall is planted with elephant ear plants. Figure 73: North facade, looking south from patio. Figure 74: Patio off the north facade, looking west. Figure 75: The backside of the curved patio privacy wall, looking southeast. Figure 76: Fountain detail nearest the north facade, looking northeast. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 52     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 36 January 30, 2023 GREENHOUSE Located between the horticultural office/storage building and the lathhouse along the northern property boundary, the greenhouse was reconstructed in 2004. It is a wood-framed building that sits upon an elevated concrete perimeter foundation. Frosted Plexiglas panels comprise the roof and wall cladding with the wall panels sitting flush with the lower foundation knee wall. It has a front- gabled roof structure with several operable vents that hinge near the gable ridge. The primary (south) façade includes a centered opening for a half-light single door (Figure 77). A painted wood gate is mounted to the south end of the west façade, and the west façade of the potting shed joins flush with the north end of the greenhouse’s west façade (Figure 78, Figure 79). The greenhouse’s rear (north) façade abuts the potting shed and is not visible or accessible. The east façade has no features and overlooks a wood cold frame, which spans the length of the façade (Figure 80). The greenhouse interior is a single room fitted with various lighting and ventilation systems (Figure 81). Figure 77: Primary (south) façade of the greenhouse with an arrow pointing to roof vents, looking northwest. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 53     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 37 January 30, 2023 Figure 78: Greenhouse's west facade, looking northeast. Figure 79: West facades of the greenhouse (right) and potting shed (left), looking southeast. Figure 80: Greenhouse's east facade, looking north. Figure 81: Greenhouse interior, looking south towards the door. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 54     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 38 January 30, 2023 LATHHOUSE AND POTTING SHED The lathhouse and potting shed are connected buildings that form a U-shape in combination with the greenhouse, though there is no interior access between the potting shed and greenhouse. This complex lies between the horticultural office/storage building (to the west) and the restroom building (to the east) along the northern property boundary. Their construction dates are unknown. The wood-framed lathhouse has a moderately pitched front-gable roof structure with a low-pitched shed roof volume on the west side (Figure 82, Figure 83). There is no foundation or apparent footings, and the interior floor is dirt. A single lath door is centered on the primary (south) façade under the gable (Figure 84). A half-light wood door is set within the lathhouse’s west façade and potting shed’s east façade to create an interior passage (Figure 85). The lathhouse’s exterior roof and wall cladding is wood laths. The potting shed’s main volume has a low-pitched shed roof, sloping towards the north façade. Its exterior cladding is wood board-and-batten. The primary (south) façade of the potting shed features a set of “Slidelite” bifold doors manufactured by the Richards-Wilcox Manufacturing Company of Aurora, Illinois, which appear original to the building (Figure 86). Each door panel has five frosted glass panes. There is a set of six-pane, wood-framed, casement windows to the left (west) of the door. An extension at the potting shed’s west end incapsulates the rear (north) façade of the greenhouse (Figure 87, Figure 88). This west volume has a front-gable roof structure (matching the greenhouse’s roof structure) clad with asphalt shingles. The west volume’s west façade has a solid door and is clad with horizontal vinyl siding (Figure 79). Figure 82: Primary (south) facade of the lathhouse, looking north. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 55     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 39 January 30, 2023 Figure 83: Primary (south) facade of the lathhouse, looking northeast. Figure 84: Lathhouse interior, looking south to the primary entrance. Figure 85: Door passage between the lathhouse and potting shed, looking west. Figure 86: Primary (south) facade of the potting shed, looking north. Figure 87: Main volume interior of the potting shed, Figure 88: West volume interior of the potting shed Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 56     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 40 January 30, 2023 RESTROOM BUILDING Designed by Ehrlich-Rominger and built in 1987, the restroom building has a rectangular plan. It is located between the lathhouse (to the west) and the carriage house (to the east). It sits under a low- pitched side-gable roof clad in wood shingles with two rectangular skylights on the northern pitch. The primary (south) façade has recessed openings to access the men’s (left) and women’s (right) restrooms as well as a glazed French door set on the east end of the façade (Figure 89). A drinking water fountain sits between the recessed accesses for the restrooms. The west façade features a round roof vent centered on the gable peak, and a painted wood gate is mounted at the southwest corner (Figure 90). The east façade has no features other than a painted wood gate mounted at the southeast corner (Figure 91). Figure 89: Primary (south) façade of the restroom building, looking northeast. Figure 90: West façade of the restroom building, looking north. Figure 91: East façade of the restroom building, looking north. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 57     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 41 January 30, 2023 HORTICULTURAL OFFICE & STORAGE BUILDING Designed by Ehrlich-Rominger and built in 1987, the horticultural office and storage building is located between the primary parking lot (to the west) and the greenhouse (to the east) (Figure 92, Figure 93). It has a rectangular plan, sits on a poured concrete foundation, and has a moderately pitched side-gable roof structure and moderate eaves. The primary (south) façade parallels the main path from the parking lot to the carriage house and a painted wood fence with the western garden beds just beyond. Like the restroom building, the horticultural office and storage building has two rectangular skylights on the northern pitch of its roof, which is clad with asphalt shingles, and the exterior cladding is horizontal painted narrow clapboard. Figure 92: West and south façades of the horticultural office, looking east towards the greenhouse. From west to east, the primary façade openings include an aluminum-framed, double-hung window; a solid single door; and a single-car garage door (Figure 94). The west façade overlooks a work yard used for composting and equipment storage with a painted wood fence anchored about center on the façade, separating the work yard from the main path (Figure 95). There is a circular roof vent at the gable peak and an aluminum-framed, double-hung window near the southwest corner (Figure 96). The rear (north) façade appears to be part of a secondary volume under a low-pitched shed roof with asphalt shingles, but the exterior cladding is a wider horizontal clapboard, perhaps vinyl (Figure 97, Figure 98). There is a paneled door near the northeast corner of this volume. The east façade has a circular roof vent at the gable peak and a painted wood fence attaches near the southeast corner to maintain separation of the work yard and main path (Figure 99, Figure 100). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 58     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 42 January 30, 2023 Figure 93: Primary facade, looking northeast from the western planting beds. Figure 94: Primary facade, looking northwest. Figure 95: West façade and side/rear storage yard, looking north. Figure 96: West facade, looking north. Figure 97: Rear (north) facade, looking south. Figure 98: Rear (north) facade, looking southwest. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 59     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 43 January 30, 2023 Figure 99: East facade, looking southwest. Figure 100: Rear yard composting bins and storage, SITE FEATURES The 2.45-acre subject property at 1431 Waverley Street has a trapezoidal shape roughly bounded by Waverley Street to the south, Embarcadero Road to the west, a mid-block property line to the north, and Churchill Avenue to the east. Despite its original agrarian leanings, the shape and orientation of the parcel indicates an early influence of Palo Alto’s gridded street system. Its typography is generally flat with several family-oriented formal gardens anchored around the main house in the eastern portion and a vernacular landscape in the western portion (west of the present-day tea house). The formal eastern grounds and vernacular western grounds are basically separated by a naturalistic woodland garden (Figure 101). Since the property is open to the public, the parcel has various access points from the surrounding streets. The major access points being the one-way parking lot entered from Waverley Street and exited at Embarcadero Road, the two-way handicap parking area off Churchill Avenue, and the gated semicircular main house driveway on Waverley Street. Designed landscape areas begin at the street curbs and generally include a narrow strip of street-tree plantings and a concrete sidewalk before a hedgerow and/or painted wood lattice fence, indicative of the separation between historically public and private spaces. Sporadic openings in the hedgerow and/or fence also provide minor access points, usually connecting to the paved or dirt paths through the grounds of the subject property. Generally, the formal eastern grounds utilize paved paths (predominately brick paver), while the vernacular western grounds utilize dirt or decomposed granite. Other landscape elements, including the painted wood lattice fencing and bollard lights, are consistent throughout the subject property. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 60     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 44 January 30, 2023 Figure 101: 2022 aerial image with the front lawn outlined in gray, the allée in blue, the clock golf rose garden in yellow, the wisteria garden in purple, the demonstration gardens in green, and the work yard in brown. Source: Google Earth, edited by Page & Turnbull. The formal “garden rooms” around the main house were designed by Walter A. Hoff and completed by 1908, and include: - Front Lawn (outlined in gray in Figure 101) - Allée (outlined in blue) - Clock Golf Rose Garden (outlined in yellow) - Wisteria Garden (outlined in purple). With the exception of the front lawn, each of these gardens is symmetrical in plan. The close proximity of these gardens to the main house contribute to pleasant views from various interior rooms, while buffering the house from the public street. Front Lawn The front lawn area comprises two main grass areas separated by the semicircular driveway off Waverley Street, first used for carriage access and later for cars. The half-circle lawn centered on the main house’s primary façade contains two mature Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) trees, Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 61     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 45 January 30, 2023 planted about 1950 (Figure 102, Figure 103).9 To the south of this grass area, a perimeter hedgerow lines the Waverley Street sidewalk with wrought iron gates continuing the perimeter line across the driveway ends (Figure 104). Bollard light posts are mounted near the gates. To the north of this grass area and across the driveway, various foundation plantings soften the transition from the natural ground plane to the building’s façade, including Irish Yew (Taxus baccata fastigiate) at the front porch stairs and a mature Canary Island Date Palm tree (Phoenix canariensis) at the southwest corner of the main house. The west extension of the front lawn wraps around to the main house’s west façade and is bordered by a brick-edged dirt path. Beyond the path is the woodland garden, covered by a dense oak canopy and planted with various ornamental, shade-loving shrubs, including hydrangea and loropetalum (Figure 105). Figure 102: The front lawn and semicircular driveway, looking east towards Churchill Avenue. Figure 103: Front lawn, looking north from the driveway entrance. Figure 104: Detail of driveway gate, looking southeast along Waverley Street. Figure 105: Northwestern portion of the front lawn, looking north. 9 Gamble Garden, “Self-Guided Tours” (2022). Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.gamblegarden.org/visit- us/gamble-garden-self-guided-tour/. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 62     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 46 January 30, 2023 Allée The allée is a Victorian linear garden to the east of the main house that spans from Waverley Street to the clock golf rose garden. French for “path, lane, or hallway,” the allée is oriented on a north- south axis parallel with Churchill Avenue, anchored by a circular focal point in the path containing a metal sundial on a concrete pedestal, which is also centered with the main house dining room window (Figure 106, Figure 107). The decomposed granite paths emphasize the rectilinear plan and create order through three primary planting beds with a seamless perimeter of short Boxwood hedges (Buxus sempervirens). These beds each have a centered row of pruned flowering crabapple trees (Malus ‘Sugar Thyme’), which create the traditional allée form. These beds are underplanted with periwinkle (Vinca minor) as a groundcover.10 The north end of the allée features a rubble rock fountain and pool, known as “the grotto” (Figure 108, Figure 109). The south end near Waverley Street is anchored by a wood bench (Figure 110). A secondary decomposed granite path spans the length of the garden between the easternmost planting bed and the hedgerow along the Churchill Avenue sidewalk. A couple more wood benches are placed near the allée’s north end. Figure 106: 2022 aerial view of the allée garden with tree rows marked with yellow dots. Source: Google Earth, edited by Page & Turnbull. 10 Gamble Garden, “Self-Guided Tours” (2022). Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.gamblegarden.org/visit- us/gamble-garden-self-guided-tour/. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 63     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 47 January 30, 2023 . Figure 107: Detail of sundial. Figure 108: Allée, looking northeast. Figure 109: Detail of grotto fountain. Figure 110: Allée, looking southwest. The Clock Golf Rose Garden The clock golf rose garden has a rectangular plan and is located along Churchill Avenue between the allée to the south and the handicap parking lot to the north (Figure 110). This garden room has a painted wood fence perimeter with a curved wood arbor at the center of the west fence line that leads to the wisteria garden (Figure 112, Figure 113). The central feature is the circular lawn, historically used to play clock golf, encircled by decomposed granite path (Figure 114, Figure 115). Clock golf was a popular lawn game at garden parties starting in mid-nineteenth century England. Set-up requires 12 numbered points to be arranged on a circular lawn, like the face of a clock. A hole is placed anywhere but centrally so that when players take turns putting a golf ball from each of the 12 numbered points, the putt length is different from each numbered point.11 There are four arcing beds planted with white rose varietals (Rosa ‘Iceberg’) underplanted with catmint (Nepeta x faassenii) surrounding the circular lawn; each corner bed is planted with nearly 50 different heritage rose 11 Jaques London, “Golf Game Rules” (2015). Accessed October 26, 2022 from http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/outdoor- games/golf-practice/rules.html. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 64     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 48 January 30, 2023 varietals and includes small metal signage stating the common and scientific names as well as the year of discovery.12 Several wood benches are placed along the circular path’s eastern side. Figure 111: 2022 aerial view of the clock golf rose garden with painted wood fencing marked with yellow lines. Source: Google Earth, edited by Page & Turnbull. 12 Gamble Garden, “Self-Guided Tours” (2022). Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.gamblegarden.org/visit- us/gamble-garden-self-guided-tour/. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 65     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 49 January 30, 2023 Figure 112: Clock golf rose garden, looking northwest from Churchill Avenue. Source: Google Maps. Figure 113: Wood arbor, looking west from the clock golf rose garden to the wisteria garden. Figure 114: Clock golf lawn surrounding by rose Figure 115: Clock golf lawn, looking east towards The Wisteria Garden The wisteria garden is set off the back porch of the main house (accessible from the library) and lies between the carriage house patio and the tea house patio. This Victorian garden room is contained within a painted wood lattice perimeter fence with a brick paver path (Figure 116). The shape and layout of the fence and brick paver path match that of the lawn. The rectilinear lawn centers on the French doors from the library, including a small patio at the base of the rear porch stairs, and is edged in brick (Figure 117). The lawn is further outlined with a row of Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda ‘Violacea-Plena’) and a short boxwood border (Figure 118). The north end of the lawn is angled to accentuate the octagonal shape of the concrete fountain and pool contained within the lawn (Figure 119). The perimeter of the pool is raised brick, and this water feature is aligned with paths, making it visible from the clock golf rose garden and the tea house patio. The pool is planted Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 66     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 50 January 30, 2023 with water lilies. The north end is planted with a less ornate wisteria varietal (Wisteria floribunda ‘Purpurea’) between the brick paver path and the fence. Larger trees and shrubs, including Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum), American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’), Banana Shrub (Michelia figo), Deutzia (Deutzia scabra ‘Pride of Rochester’) and magnolia (Magnolia ‘Star Wars’), shade this garden and lie just beyond the fence boundary, particularly the western edge within the woodland garden area (Figure 120).13 Figure 116: 2022 aerial view of the Wisteria Garden showing the two wisteria varietals (lilac and purple dots) and the perimeter fence (yellow dashed line). Source: Google Earth, edited by Page & Turnbull. 13 Gamble Garden, “Self-Guided Tours” (2022). Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.gamblegarden.org/visit- us/gamble-garden-self-guided-tour/. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 67     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 51 January 30, 2023 Figure 117: Wisteria Garden, looking northeast. Figure 118: Wisteria Garden, looking east. Figure 119: Detail of brick-edged fountain in Wisteria Figure 120: Detail of wood lattice fencing around Woodland Garden The informal woodland garden is a natural divider gently curving from Waverley Street to the carriage house and distinguishes the formal eastern garden rooms from the informal western demonstration gardens. This shady area is created by a mature oak tree canopy and underplanted with varieties of dogwood tree, camellia, rhododendron, azalea, hydrangea, viburnum, and fern (Figure 121).14 Many heritage plants contained within this naturalistic area are identified by small metal signs staked near the planting. Curvilinear paths of decomposed granite meander the area and are edged with brick or metal. Several wood picnic tables and benches are scattered throughout. 14 Gamble Garden, “Self-Guided Tours” (2022). Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.gamblegarden.org/visit- us/gamble-garden-self-guided-tour/. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 68     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 52 January 30, 2023 Figure 121: Woodland garden as viewed from the second floor of the main house, looking southwest towards Waverley Street. Demonstration Gardens The area between the tea house to the east, the horticultural office and storage building to the north, and the main parking lot to the west is a contemporary vernacular landscape, colloquially called “demonstration gardens.” This area is organized in a nearly symmetrical grid of low, rectangular planting beds edged in wood, stone, and/or plastic and separated by decomposed granite paths (Figure 122). A woodland garden, designed to mimic the natural environment, buffers the high-style, formal gardens on the east portion of the property and the informal demonstration gardens in the west. The west edge of the demonstration gardens is protected from the parking lot by a painted wood lattice fence. The beds are planted in a variety of themes, including a drought- resistant Mediterranean garden (installed in 2000), ornamental flowers in cutting garden beds, edible/kitchen gardens, a formal herb garden, an orchard allée along the path from the parking lot towards the horticultural office and storage building, and propagation beds across south of the Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 69     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 53 January 30, 2023 greenhouse (Figure 123, Figure 132). The demonstration gardens are anchored by a painted wood gazebo at its center, constructed in 1996 (Figure 124). Other scattered features include metal and wood arbors, a native bee house, wood benches and picnic tables, birdbaths and other small concrete statuary, and a network of bollard lights. Figure 122: 2022 aerial image edited to call out the layout and various themed planting beds of the western demonstration gardens. Source: Google Earth, edited by Page & Turnbull. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 70     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 54 January 30, 2023 Figure 123: Cutting beds, looking southeast towards the Tea House. Figure 124: Gazebo through the cutting beds, looking east. Figure 125: Eastern cutting beds nearest the Tea House, looking south. Figure 126: Wood arbor within a cutting bed, looking southwest. Figure 127: Paths through the cutting beds, looking Figure 128: Mediterranean-themed raised beds, Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 71     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 55 January 30, 2023 Figure 129: Demonstration gardens, looking west from the woodland garden. Figure 130: Gazebo and formal herb garden, looking southwest. Figure 131: Open area with picnic tables, wood lattice Figure 132: Paths through cutting beds, looking east Parking Areas The subject property is served by two car park areas. The primary, larger lot is paved in asphalt and is laid out parallel to Embarcadero Road. It is entered one-way from Waverley Street; this driveway separates the subject property from Kellogg Parkette. It is exited by a shared driveway with the Palo Alto Lawn Bowling facility to the north on Embarcadero Road. A smaller, ADA-accessible parking lot is in the northeast corner of the property, accessible from Churchill Avenue. A concrete-paved bicycle parking area with bike racks is located between this secondary parking lot and the carriage house’s east façade. The semicircular main house driveway connects with Waverley Street, near the intersection with Churchill Avenue. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 72     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 56 January 30, 2023 Figure 133: 2022 aerial imagery edited to show parking areas (orange), bicycle parking (pink), and driveways (blue). Source: Google Earth, edited by Page & Turnbull. SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street is set within the established residential neighborhood of Old Palo Alto. Being one of the largest parcels in the immediate area, the size and continued use of the subject property recalls its original agrarian purpose as a working homestead for the Gamble family. The property has always been bounded by the street grid with other large homes being constructed around it. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 73     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 57 January 30, 2023 IV. HISTORIC CONTEXT EARLY 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.15 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 (Figure 134). 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.16 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).17 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 15 Ward Winslow and Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto: A Centennial History (Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993), 12-17. 16 Ward Winslow and Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto: A Centennial History (Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993), 35. 17 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030 (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017), 16, accessed October 10, 2022, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 74     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 58 January 30, 2023 University, encouraging more people to move to Palo Alto.18 In July 1925, Mayfield was officially annexed and consolidated into the city of Palo Alto.19 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 1960.20 Figure 134: Detail of “Official Map of Santa Clara, California” by Herrmann Brothers, 1890. Source: Library of Congress. 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 18 Dames & Moore, “Palo Alto Historic Survey Update,” 1-4. 19 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 16. 20 “City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County,” Bay Area Census, accessed October 10, 2022, http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/PaloAlto50.htm. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 75     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 59 January 30, 2023 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 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.21 OLD PALO ALTO’S SEALE ADDITION NEIGHBORHOOD Original construction plans for the subject property describe the parcel as “situated in Block Number 26 of the Seale Tract, near 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 (Figure 135). 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 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 21 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 11-20. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 76     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 60 January 30, 2023 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.22 Figure 135: The Seale Tract in “South Palo Alto,” in an advertising for developable land, 1904. Looking west. Note, the street grid has changed since 1904. The dashed line approximates the border of the Seale Addition, and the yellow arrow identifies the location of the Gamble property. Source: Stanford University Special Collections. Edited by Page & Turnbull. 22 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 Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 77     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 61 January 30, 2023 COLONIAL REVIVAL ARCHITECTURAL STYLE As mentioned previously, the main house at 1431 Waverley Street was designed in a Georgian influenced version of the Colonial Revival style. The Colonial Revival style emerged throughout the United States toward the end of the nineteenth century and became one of the most popular and enduring styles during the first half of the twentieth century.23 The style was derived from interest in Federal and Georgian architecture, with secondary influences from English and Dutch Colonial homes from the Atlantic seaboard.24 The revival was generally triggered by patriotic enthusiasm from the American centennial, and further promoted by Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.25 Common characteristics of the Colonial Revival style include the following:26 • Classical ornamentation; • Symmetrical front façade; • Accentuated entry; • Columned porch or portico; • Pilasters; • Pedimented door, windows, or dormers; • Front entry fanlights and sidelights; • Double-hung windows with multi-pane glazing; • Bay windows or paired triple windows; • Side-gabled, hipped, or gambrel roofs; • Cornice with dentils or modillions. While the style was predominant in residential buildings, it was also popular for institutional and commercial buildings; government buildings, libraries, banks, schools, churches, and post offices can be found throughout the country with varying Colonial Revival design elements. Unlike other revival styles, it was not completely eclipsed by the Great Depression, World War II, and the rise of modernism. The style continued to be built into the 1950s and 1960s, and today it continues to influence residential architecture.27 23 Virginia Savage McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised Edition. New York: Knopf, 2015), 415. 24 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 414. 25 Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, “Colonial Revival Style 1880-1960,” Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide, last updated August 26, 2015, Accessed October 10, 2022 http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/colonial-revival.html. 26 Preservation Bulletin No.18: Residential and Commercial Architectural Periods and Styles in San Francisco, San Francisco Planning, last updated January 2003; Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, “Colonial Revival Style 1880-1960.” 27 Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, “Colonial Revival Style 1880-1960.” Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 78     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 62 January 30, 2023 Much of the Colonial Revival style combines varying degrees of Federal and Georgian elements into an eclectic mix.28 As such, 1431 Waverley Street expresses characteristics of multiple styles. However, the building’s few striking architectural elements, including its baluster portico with Tuscan columns, classical cornice, and hipped dormers, communicate a Colonial Revival style. 28 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 414. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 79     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 63 January 30, 2023 V. SITE HISTORY SITE DEVELOPMENT Edwin P. Gamble purchased a half-block parcel of the Seale Addition from Thomas Seale in July 1902 (Figure 136).29 According to the society notes in the Daily Palo Alto Times, Gamble had visited Palo Alto in 1900, and returned in 1901 “with a view to locating” to the city, as his oldest son was attending Stanford University.30 The formal gardens surrounding the main house were completed by 1908, and the western grounds were used as a small working farm with a tank house. Gamble family members used the property as their primary residence from 1902 until Elizabeth F. Gamble’s death in 1981 (Figure 137). According to Elizabeth’s will, the City of Palo Alto was granted ownership of the 2.45-acre property upon her death. Between 1981 and 1985, the City rented the main house to an unknown tenant or tenants. The Garden Club of Palo Alto maintained the western grounds of the property along Embarcadero Road during this time. These four years also provided the community opportunity to share their suggestions for how the property should best be used. In 1985, Palo Alto City Council voted to accept the proposal from the Garden Club of Palo Alto, resulting in the lease of the property to the newly created horticultural non-profit Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Center which would be responsible for the rehabilitation and continued maintenance of the buildings and grounds.31 Between 1987 and 1989, various maintenance work was performed and improvements made to the historic buildings. Several new buildings were constructed to support the property’s new iteration as a public garden and horticultural education facility, which was also available for event rentals. Effective July 1, 2001, the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden assumed stewardship of the small triangular parcel measuring approximately 2,400 square feet located at the intersection of Kellogg Avenue and Embarcadero Road, known as the Kellogg Parkette (APN 124-12-029).32 Stewardship herein included the design, installation, and maintenance of a shade garden that would preserve the stately eucalyptus tree at the edge of the parkette as well as ongoing tree maintenance. Documentation and evaluation of Kellogg Parkette is excluded from this report, though the city-owned property is managed and maintained by the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden non-profit at present. 29 “Realty News.” [advertisement by J.J. Morris.] Daily Palo Alto Times. July 4, 1902. 30 “Locals.” Daily Palo Alto Times, August 30, 1901. 31 “About Gamble,” Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.gamblegarden.org/our- story/mission-and-history/. 32 City Manager, City of Palo Alto, City Manager’s Report, February 22, 2000. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 80     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 64 January 30, 2023 Figure 136: 1924 Sanborn map edited to show the half-block parcel owned by the Gamble family along Waverley Street. The main residence, carriage house/garage, tank house, and an additional dwelling at 432 Embarcadero Road (non-extant) are shown within the boundaries of the Gamble property. Source: San Francisco Public Library. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 137: Main residence ca. 1902. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 81     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 65 January 30, 2023 CONSTRUCTION CHRONOLOGY The following table (Table 1) provides a timeline of construction activity at 1431 Waverley Street, based on building permit applications on file with the Palo Alto Development Division and incorporates additional permitted work listed in the Daily Palo Alto Times. Cancelled and expired permits are not included. TABLE 1: PERMIT TABLE FOR SUBJECT PROPERTY Date Filed Permit App. # 06/06/1902 - Edwin P. Gamble C.A. Bates Residence, designed by J.R. Miller, constructed for $6,039. 01/05/1915 - Gamble W.H. Gibson $95.33 06/26/1926 - Edwin P. Gamble F.W. Fox Embarcadero Road to cost $975.35 1937 Edwin P. Gamble Charles K. Sumner south sides. Alterations to north bedroom, paneling and bookcase installation in the library, and pantry. Tool shed added to carriage house. 1938 - Gamble E. Leslie Kiler and porch. 1944 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Reaves Unspecified repairs to cost $100.36 07/12/1948 - Elizabeth F. Gamble S.P. Cooley barbecue, fireplace, and arbor for $600. “Tea House” designed by Allan Himes Reid. 08/22/1953 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Aro & Okerman residence, costing $8000. (Alteration believed to be the construction of the rear addition and west dormer extension.)37 33 "Six Buildings Added Monthly," Daily Palo Alto Times, October 29, 1914. 34 "Building Permits," Daily Palo Alto Times, January 2, 1926. 35 Mrs. Mary Mathers occupied the house at this time, per the 1926 Palo Alto City Directory. "Building Permits," The Peninsula Times Tribune, June 26, 1926. 36 "Building Permits," Daily Palo Alto Times, September 30, 1944. 37 “Permit Issued in PA for new Office Building,” Daily Palo Alto Times, August 22, 1953. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 82     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 66 January 30, 2023 Date Filed Permit App. # 11/09/1953 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Aro & Okerman including removal of original wood steps and installation of new brick steps with a wrought iron handrail, designed by Leslie Nichols.38 04/06/1987 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Ehrlich- Rominger and handicap ramp for main house; fire sprinkler system, electrical upgrades, structural upgrades, and new restrooms for carriage house; electrical and structural upgrades and new roof for tea house; and parking lot and water/sewer upgrades for the site. Total cost $243,000. 1989 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden control, fencing installed, Clock Golf Rose Garden redesigned and replanted, Carriage House Shade Garden installed, and formal herb garden and espalier fruit tree garden installed. 1990 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden beds installed. Grotto fountain rebuilt, based on an original installation. 1991 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden reinstalled, main house interior paneling restored, and parking lot paved. 09/14/1995 95-ARB-140 95-HRB-34 “Gamble Garden Center” J. F. Warren Construction storage room addition to the existing restroom building (designed by Stoeker & Northway) and installation of new identification, informational, and directional signage. 1996 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden designed Mediterranean-climate-regions raised beds. 38 “PA’s 1953 Building Total Over $8 Million,” Daily Palo Alto Times, November 9, 1953. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 83     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 67 January 30, 2023 Date Filed Permit App. # 2000 - Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Landscape Design Four Mediterranean-climate beds edged with stone installed. (Renovated in 2009.) 2004 - Gamble Garden Mark Roberts Marty Ragno. 2011 - Gamble Garden Sun Garden installation. Following the completion of the main residence and carriage house in 1902, the next significant addition to the property was the completion of the formal garden layout by Walter A. Hoff ca. 1908. A tankhouse is known to have been located on the property to the northwest of the main residence from an early date, likely constructed ca. 1902, but its exact date of construction remains unknown, and it was removed ca. 1948. Photographs of the residence taken ca. 1902 and in the 1920s show the building as it was originally designed prior to the completion of later alterations to the attic dormers and front stairs (Figure 137, Figure 138). The earliest known aerial photographs of the property, taken in 1930 and 1941, show the main residence, carriage house, and tankhouse along with the overall organization of formal gardens around the residence and informal landscaping to the west of the property (Figure 139, Figure 140). Figure 138: Primary facade, looking east, before the side porch enclosure (1938), west dormer extension, and entry porch alterations (1953). Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 84     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 68 January 30, 2023 Figure 139: 1930 aerial photograph with the subject property outlined in dashed red line. Source: UCSB FrameFinder. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 140: 1941 aerial photo with the subject property outlined in red with an arrow indicating the tankhouse; Peninsula Hospital, to the property’s northeast, had been demolished by this time. Source: UCSB FrameFinder. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 85     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 69 January 30, 2023 Early known alterations to the main residence include the construction of a sleeping porch in 1915 (no longer extant), an addition in 1926 at an unknown location, and various additions to the first and second floors of the residence in 1937 that were designed by local architect Charles K. Sumner. Sumner, who was hired by E.P. Gamble, designed an alteration to the north bedroom on the second floor, and additions to the library and pantry that were sensitive to the overall design of the residence. Sumner also added a tool shed to the carriage house, which had been in use as a garage for many years. A one-story, wood-framed residence addressed as 432 Embarcadero Road was constructed on the Gamble property by 1924, according to Sanborn mapping (Figure 136). This building was in place until at least the early 1980s and appears to mainly have been used as a rental unit.39 The building at 432 Embarcadero Road was demolished at an unknown date in the early 1980s, prior to the construction of the existing horticultural office and storage building (constructed 1987). After Elizabeth inherited the property upon her father’s death (1939), she ordered the demolition of the tankhouse so that a tea house and patio, designed by Allan Himes Reid, could be constructed in its place in 1948 by S.P. Cooley (Figure 141 – 142). A greenhouse, potting shed, and lathhouse were presumably constructed sometime between 1941 and 1965, based on aerial imagery and as Elizabeth expanded her horticultural interests (Figure 144 – 145). The builder of these horticultural buildings is unknown. The western grounds were gradually converted to floral cutting beds during this time, replacing a small orchard, kitchen garden, and pasture with a pony ring that previously occupied this portion of the property.40 Seiki Noro, the son of the housekeeper of E.P. and then Elizabeth F., served as groundskeeper for 50 years after he returned to Palo Alto following World War II and the completion of his college degree in 1949.41 39 Several identified occupants of 432 Embarcadero Road include Mary Mathers in 1926, Gladys A. Gilman (superintendent of the nearby Palo Alto Hospital) from at least 1928 to 1930, the Stedman family from at least 1932 to 1934, schoolteacher Lucy M. Mahoney from at least 1946 until her death in 1967, gardener Ernest W. Pohlhammer and his wife Dorothy from at least 1968 to 1972, and Burton Nadler in 1976. Palo Alto City Directories, multiple years. 40 Woodman, Susan. Gamble Garden: Landscape of Optimism (2014), p. 25. 41 Seiki’s mother was Japanese immigrant Nancy U. Noro (1887 – 1968), who served as housekeeper for the Gambles for many years. It is assumed that Seiki is responsible for much of the development of the western grounds. Woodman, Susan. Gamble Garden: Landscape of Optimism (2014), p. 23. The Peninsula Times Tribune, Nancy Noro obituary, April 29, 1968. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 86     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 70 January 30, 2023 Figure 141: The water tower (far left) was replaced by the tea house in 1948, photograph undated. Figure 142: Tea house and patio with fountain and arbor circa 1948. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Figure 143: Original teahouse interior circa 1948. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 87     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 71 January 30, 2023 Figure 144: 1965 aerial photo with the subject property outlined in a dashed red line. A red arrow indicates the location of the greenhouse. Source: UCSB FrameFinder. Figure 145: Original glass-paneled greenhouse circa 1986. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Figure 146: Original glass-paneled greenhouse, lathhouse, and restroom building circa 1990s. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. In August 1953, a permit was filed for what appears to have been the construction of the rear addition to the main house that created a bedroom and bathroom for a housekeeper’s quarters. The original wood front porch stairs were replaced in November 1953 with the existing brick steps with wrought iron railing, designed by Leslie Nichols. This work included the removal of the turned wood spindles and railing (which originally matched the porch roof crown), wood steps, and clapboard side walls of the stairs. The west dormer was also expanded by this time according to evidence provided by historic photographs (Figure 147). Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 88     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 72 January 30, 2023 Figure 147: Main residence ca. 1950s, looking northeast. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. The property was relatively unchanged from the mid-1950s to 1985, when the non-profit organization Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden organized and assumed management of the subject property from the City of Palo Alto. Initial upgrades to the primary residence included the installation of a fire suppression system, construction of an ADA-accessible entry point at the rear, and various electrical and structural work in 1987. Also at this time, the carriage house/garage was converted into an event space with a kitchen (Figure 148, Figure 149), the restroom building and horticultural office and storage building were constructed (Figure 150), and the tea house roof was replaced. New electrical and water lines were installed across the grounds to provide lighting and irrigation systems for the completely renovated formal and informal garden areas, with some periphery portions being paved for public parking areas (Figure 151 – 152). Painted wood fencing was also added to much of the perimeter of the property and to separate various garden rooms in some sections. In 1995, a storage area was added to the east façade of the restroom building. In 1996, the iconic wood gazebo was constructed at the center of the demonstration garden area. In 2004, the greenhouse was reconstructed. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 89     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 73 January 30, 2023 Figure 148: Carriage House circa 1985, looking northeast. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Figure 149: Carriage House circa 1986 following remodel, looking northeast. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Figure 150: J. Rominger and G. Raynor examine building plans next to the horticultural office ca. 1987. Source: Palo Alto Historical Association. Figure 151: A volunteer working along the main residence’s east façade in 1988. Source: Carolyn Clebsch, Palo Alto Weekly. Figure 152: Teahouse during 1986-1987 garden renovation. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Figure 153: Western grounds during 1986-1987 renovation, indicating a completely new design and layout. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 90     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 74 January 30, 2023 OWNERSHIP AND OCCUPANT HISTORY Table 2 and Table 3, following, provide a summary of the ownership and occupancy history of 1431 Waverley Street, beginning with the year of construction. This history has been compiled from building permits, historic newspapers, city directories, federal census records, and City of Palo Alto assessment and property records. TABLE 2: OWNERSHIP HISTORY OF SUBJECT PROPERTY Dates of Ownership Owner(s) 1902–1939 Edwin Percy Gamble and Elizabeth L. Gamble 1939–1981 Elizabeth F. Gamble 1981–Present City of Palo Alto TABLE 3: OCCUPANT HISTORY OF THE MAIN RESIDENCE AT THE SUBJECT PROPERTY Date of Occupancy household in parenthesis Occupation 1902–1907 Edwin P. Gamble Elizabeth L. Gamble (wife) James L. Gamble (son) George E. Gamble (son) Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) Launcelot J. Gamble (son) None None Student Student Student Student Residence rented to an unknown family. 1910 Census Elizabeth L. Gamble (wife) Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) Launcelot J. Gamble (son) Agnes Katherine Scott (servant) None Student Student Cook 1911 Elizabeth L. Gamble (wife) Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) Launcelot J. Gamble (son) None Student Student 1914 Elizabeth L. Gamble (wife) Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) None None 1920 Census Elizabeth L. Gamble (wife) Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) George E. Gamble (son) Agnes Katherine Scott (servant) None None Mining Engineer Maid Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 91     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 75 January 30, 2023 Date of Occupancy household in parenthesis Occupation William S. Carter (lodger) Not listed 1921-1927 Elizabeth L. Gamble (wife) Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) George E. Gamble (son) None None Mining Engineer 1928-1929 Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) George E. Gamble (son) None Mining Engineer 1930 Census Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) George E. Gamble (son) Alice Pettit (servant) None Mining Engineer Housekeeper 1931-1939 Elizabeth F. Gamble (daughter) George E. Gamble (son) None Mining Engineer 1940 Census George E. Gamble (brother) Ellin Borgeson (servant) Mining Engineer Maid 1950 Census Elizabeth F. Gamble George E. Gamble (brother) Ellin Borgeson (servant) None Mining Engineer Cook 1951–1972 George E. Gamble (brother) Mining Engineer/Retired 1982–1985 Rental occupants unknown.42 1986–Present 1987-ca. 1997: Scott Loosley Tish Loosley (wife) Heather Loosley (daughter) Resident Horticulturalist Not listed None From the purchase of the land in 1902 by Edwin P. Gamble, through the death of his daughter Elizabeth F. Gamble in 1981, the residence and property were owned by the Gamble family. 42 Between Gamble’s death in 1981 and sometime in 1982, the property was vacant. A family moved into the main house and rented from 1982 until at least 1985. The main house was vacated at an unknown time between 1985 and 1987, when it was used in a 1987 interior designers’ showcase event benefiting the American Cancer Society. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 92     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 76 January 30, 2023 The Gamble family, consisting of E.P. Gamble, his wife Elizabeth L. Gamble, and their four children James, George, Elizabeth F., and Launcelot, moved into their newly completed residence in late 1902. The family had relocated to Palo Alto from Kentucky to be closer to Stanford University, where the eldest son James was enrolled, and George, the second oldest son, was soon to follow.43 The family briefly returned to their residence in Kentucky ca. 1907 to 1909, where their youngest son Launcelot attended Millesburg Military Academy. During this time the Gambles rented the residence at 1431 Waverley Street to another family.44 By the 1910 census, the Gambles were again in residence at 1431 Waverley Street. By 1910, James was attending Harvard Medical School, George was working as a mining engineer in Arizona, Elizabeth – at the age of 21 – was attending Wellesley College, and the youngest son Launcelot, at 17 was at Palo Alto High School.45 By the time of the 1920 United States Federal Census, Elizabeth was the only one of her siblings listed as residing at the family home.46 During this period, from approximately 1910 to 1920, the family had one live-in maid/cook, by the name of Agnes Scott.47 Additionally, at the time of the 1920 census, the Gambles were hosting a lodger by the name of William S. Carter. In 1927, Mrs. Elizabeth L. Gamble died after a short illness. E.P. Gamble and his daughter, Elizabeth F., continued to live at the family home with one live-in housekeeper.48 While George Gamble appears to have lived at least part of the year at another location, and was not counted as a resident during the 1930 census, his name continued to be listed at 1431 Waverley Street in Palo Alto city directories throughout the 1920s and 1930s, implying that he periodically returned to the family residence.49 In 1939, E.P. Gamble passed away. His estate was valued at approximately $1.2 million, and a little over $400,000 was divided between his four children.50 Elizabeth F. Gamble continued to live at the family home and it remained her permanent residence until her death in 1981. George also resided at 1431 Waverley Street until his death in 1972; however, his years of working as a mining engineer appear to have taken him away from home somewhat frequently and his residence was intermittent. The Gamble residence became most closely associated with the personality and 43 Joanne Elders, “A Conversation with Miss Elizabeth Gamble,” Palo Alto Times, August 9, 1963. 44 “Many New Students Enter High School,” Daily Palo Alto Times, September 11, 1909.; “Local,” Daily Palo Alto Times, September 14, 1909. 45 United States Census, 1910. Accessed via Ancestry.com. 46 United States Census, 1920. Accessed via Ancestry.com. 47 United States Census, 1910 and 1920. Accessed via Ancestry.com. 48 United States Census, 1930. Accessed via Ancestry.com. 49 Palo Alto City Directories, various years, Accessed via Ancestry.com. 50 “E.P. Gamble Estate Exceeds $400,000,” Daily Palo Alto Times, March 22, 1940. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 93     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 77 January 30, 2023 interests of Elizabeth F. Gamble, particularly as she held many social events and benefits within the house and gardens throughout her lifetime. In 1971, a decade before her death, Elizabeth Gamble arranged to donate the Gamble family residence and property to the City of Palo Alto with the caveat that she and her brother would be allowed to reside at the property until their deaths. George died soon after in 1972. Elizabeth died in 1981, and the property entered the City’s ownership. From 1981 until 1985, when the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden was established and awarded a longstanding lease of the property, the residence was rented out to a family, and the grounds were cared for by the Gamble Garden Committee of the Palo Alto Garden Club.51 The occupants of the main residence from 1981 to 1985 were not uncovered through archival research of historic newspapers or city directories. Since 1985, the residence and grounds have been operated as the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden and are open to the public. For some years, a portion of the upper floor was used as an apartment for Gamble Garden’s resident horticulturist and their family, but today the main residence is used as offices and for event rentals and is no longer used in a residential capacity.52 Select Owner and Occupant Biographies EDWIN P. GAMBLE (1852–1939) AND ELIZABETH L. GAMBLE (1847–1927) Edwin Percy (“E.P.”) Gamble was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Elizabeth A. Norris Gamble and James Gamble. E.P. Gamble was one of ten children. James Gamble was the co-founder of the well-known soap company Procter & Gamble, which was established in 1837. The company continued to expand and diversify, becoming a household name through their ubiquitous Ivory Soap. Today, Procter & Gamble is a multinational company. E.P. Gamble was independently wealthy through the Procter & Gamble business, but he never worked for the company. Instead, E.P. studied agriculture at Cornell University and moved to Kentucky to establish a farm. He married Elizabeth Lawder in 1880 in Cincinnati, Ohio at a small ceremony attended by family.53 Elizabeth Lawder Gamble was born in Ireland in 1847 and immigrated to the United States in her early 20s. The bride and groom returned to the Gamble farm near Paris, Kentucky. It is there that their four children – James, George, Elizabeth F., and Launcelot – were born.54 51 “Plan to Turn Gamble Mansion into Floral Center,” Peninsula-Times Tribune, March 4, 1984. 52 “Scott Loosley is hired as New Resident Horticulturist,” Gamble Garden Center Newsletter, November 1987. 53 “Edwin P. Gamble…” Cincinnati Daily Star, April 24, 1880. 54 United States Census, 1900. Accessed via Ancestry.com Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 94     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 78 January 30, 2023 As mentioned previously, the Gamble family relocated to Palo Alto in 1901, establishing the family residence at 1431 Waverley Street in 1902. The Gambles became a prominent family within Palo Alto’s affluent social circles, and E.P. provided significant financial contributions to many local organizations, including The Stanford Convalescent Home and All Saints’ Episcopal Church. One of E.P.’s siblings, David Gamble, also relocated to California and commissioned the notable David P. Gamble House in Pasadena, designed by Greene & Greene in 1909. Elizabeth L. Gamble became involved with All Saints Episcopal Church as a volunteer, a role continued by her daughter Elizabeth F. E.P. Gamble appears to have been interested in the growth and success of Palo Alto and joined a number of local Boards of Directors, including the First National Bank of Palo Alto 55, the Building and Investment Company of Palo Alto 56, and the Great Western Oil Producing Company.57 Elizabeth L. Gamble passed away in 1927 and Edwin P. Gamble in 1939. ELIZABETH FRANCES GAMBLE (1888–1981) Elizabeth F. Gamble was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky and came to Palo Alto, California in 1901 with her family. She attended the Harker School, graduating at the age of 16. She spent some time after that visiting family in Ireland and then traveling through continental Europe. Upon her return, she briefly studied at Stanford University and then, as her family had returned to Kentucky and she had no need to stay on the West Coast, she transferred to Wellesley College. At Wellesley, Elizabeth studied languages, with a particular focus on German. She returned to Palo Alto and the family home after the completion of her studies. Like her mother, Elizabeth was actively involved in All Saints Episcopal Church and taught Sunday School for several decades. She took an interest in the higher education of some of her students and according to her obituary, provided personal loans to students. These loans, once paid back, were typically given back to the student as a gift.58 She was also an active volunteer in the Women’s Auxiliary Club, the Red Cross, and the YWCA.59 She was actively interested in horticulture and flowers, in particular. Irises were her favorite and she grew many varieties of iris on the property, but the presence of some flowering cherry trees and 55 “First National Bank,” [advertisement], Daily Palo Alto Times, May 31, 1906. 56 “New Building Company,” Daily Palo Alto Times, December 12, 1905. 57 “E.P. Gamble is Seriously Hurt,” Daily Palo Alto Times, December 19, 1906. 58 “Elizabeth F. Gamble,” [obituary] Palo Alto Weekly, August 26, 1981. 59 “Elizabeth F. Gamble and Her Family,” Gamble Garden, undated [factsheet for docents at Gamble Gardens]. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 95     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 79 January 30, 2023 magnolias appear to have been well-known.60 She was also known to gift her flowers to patients at the nearby hospital and to supply arrangements for events. Elizabeth willed her family’s homestead to the City of Palo Alto in 1971 with the life estate condition that she and her brother George (1905– 1972) live out their final days on the property. ELIZABETH F. GAMBLE GARDEN Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, referred to as “Gamble Garden,” was founded as a non-profit organization in 1985. The Gamble Garden Committee of the Garden Club of Palo Alto stewarded the gardens via a lease from the City of Palo Alto from 1981 until 1985.61 During this time, the City sought proposals for the reuse of the property and a public garden center was one of several plans reviewed and voted on by the City of Palo Alto Planning Commission and City Council. While other uses were proposed, the public garden center proposal was the only one encompassing the reuse of all parts of the existing property (including its existing buildings), provide a publicly accessible community benefit, and was committed to raising all funds without City assistance. Gamble Garden selected its first Board of Directors in February 1985, and in May 1985 received City Council support for their proposal. Since 1985, Gamble Garden has cared for the gardens and buildings on the Gamble property, and today operates with a mission to educate, inspire, and create awareness about the intrinsic value of plants and our shared environment. ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS, AND LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS The following brief biographies have been assembled for the architects, builders, and landscape designers who are known to have worked at the subject property at 1431 Waverley Street. These biographies have been arranged in chronological order corresponding to the work completed at Gamble Garden. James R. Miller (1869–1946), Architect James Rupert “J.R.” Miller, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada served as a draftsman to A. Page Brown, architect of the San Francisco Ferry Building, before beginning to design independently in San Francisco in the 1890s. From the 1890s to 1911, J.R. Miller maintained a private practice and it was during this period that he was hired to design the main residence at 1431 60 Lucy Erickson, Landscape Analysis and Restoration Plan for the Gamble Property, undated. On file at the Palo Alto Historical Association.; For the large number of varieties of iris refer to: S.L. Wykes, “An Heirloom’s Second Bloom,” San Jose Mercury News, April 17, 1986, E-3. 61 The following information is summarized from “The Founding of Gamble Garden,” Friends of the Gamble Garden Membership Newsletter. February 2005 and March 2005. Available at the Palo Alto Historical Association. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 96     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 80 January 30, 2023 Waverley Street. During this time, from approximately 1910 until 1917, a young Timothy Pflueger worked as a draftsman in Miller’s office. In 1911, Miller formed a brief partnership with George T. Colmesnil, which lasted until about 1914.62 A 1913 article in The Architect and Engineer of California notes that the firm of Miller & Colmesnil designed several residential buildings in San Francisco in 1913, including an apartment building on Jones Street, a lodging house on Eddy Street, and a residence in the Western Addition.63 In 1920, Miller formed a new partnership with Timothy Pflueger, who returned to San Francisco after some years in Washington, D.C. The firm operated from the 1920s through 1936, when Miller retired to Los Gatos.64 Miller & Pflueger’s notable works include many theaters, hotels, and office buildings throughout the San Francisco Bay area, and the firm is particularly well-known for its work in the Art Deco style. An interview with a descendent of Timothy Pflueger on the work of Miller & Pflueger included the comment that J.R. Miller was very well connected to high society and the business community of San Francisco throughout his career, and was hired to design many fashionable residences along the Peninsula for prominent Bay Area citizens.65 J.R. Miller died in 1946 at the age of 77. Clarence A. Bates (1857–1928), Builder Clarence Bates was the contractor who constructed the main residence for the Gamble family in 1902. Clarence A. Bates was a San José-based builder hired to construct the Gamble residence and carriage house in 1902. Bates was born in Wisconsin in 1857. He began working in the carpentry and building industries in 1882 in Stearns County, Minnesota. He married Amy Alberta (née Van Valkenburg) (1866–1935) of Minnesota the following year, in 1883. They moved to San José, California in 1884, and they had two children, Mildred Ada (1884–1965) and Clarence Merle (1891– 1896). In San José, Bates first worked as a foreman on construction jobs, before starting his own business in 1887. According to a contemporary biographical sketch of Clarence Bates in History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California: 62 Robert Bruce Anderson to Donald S. Napoli. August 24, 1982, J.R. Miller File, San Francisco Heritage. 63 The Architect and Engineer 31 (January 1913). 64 “J.R. Miller, 77, Noted Architect, is Laid to Rest,” Los Gatos Mail-News and Saratoga Star, August 29, 1946, 3. 65 Interview with Tom Pflueger at John Pfleuger, AIA. June 30, 1997. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 97     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 81 January 30, 2023 He has erected many of the college buildings of San José vicinity, and among the numerous beautiful and costly residences which he built mention may be made of those of H. G. Marckres, at the corner of Tenth and San Antonio streets, and of O. A. Hale, on South Second street. He also filled the contract for the erection of the Baptist Church at Palo Alto.66 Walter A. Hoff (1885–1939), Landscape Designer Little is known about landscape architect Walter A. Hoff (shortened from Hofinghoff at an unknown date), who is credited with the original formal landscape design of the Gamble family property at 1431 Waverley Street.67 The Gamble project, completed ca. 1908, is one of the earliest known projects completed by Hoff. Hoff married Irma (Westover) of Guerneville, California in 1918 and they lived in San Francisco until their deaths. By 1918, Hoff was a partner at MacRorie-McLaren, a landscape design firm run by his brother-in-law Donald McLaren.68 At the firm, Hoff designed the private residence grounds of prominent Petaluma milling and railway businessman George P. McNear in Petaluma, California in 1920.69 By 1922, Hoff had left MacRorie-McLaren and founded the West Coast Nursery Company with well-regarded Modern architect Gardner A. Dailey (also previously employed at MacRorie- McLaren), and landscape architect Herman J. Scherer.70 This partnership was short-lived, and Hoff appears to have worked alone until at least 1935, first under the West Coast Nursery Co. name and then under his own name. 71 Hoff was a well-known and respected landscape architect who appears to have been popular with high society and designed many of the landscaped estates along the San Francisco Peninsula. Most of his known works, which have been identified through archival research into newspapers and periodicals, date to the 1920s and 1930s and include the landscaping of Chico High School, Durham High School, Oakdale Union High School (1923), the Yuba City Chamber of Commerce grounds (1924), the Castro Street municipal linear park in Mountain View (1924), Burbank Park and the high school grounds in Santa Rosa (both 1925), the H.C. Compton residence on Woodlawn Avenue in Chico (ca. 1930), the grounds of the Hotel Benjamin Franklin in San Mateo (ca. 1928), a landscape 66 “Clarence A. Bates,” Santa Clara County Biographies, Accessed November 9, 2022, https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~npmelton/genealogy/scbbat.htm, information transcribed from J. M. Guinn, A. M. History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California, (Chicago: The Chapman Publishing Co., 1904), 886. 67 Marlea Graham, “The Other McLaren: Part III,” Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society, v. 14, n. 1 (Winter 2011), 10, accessed January 12, 2021, https://cglhs.org/resources/Documents/Eden-14.1-Wi-2011.pdf 68 Graham, “The Other McLaren: Part III,” Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society. Donald McLaren and Walter Hoff were married to sisters, creating the family connection. Donald McLaren was the son of John McLaren, renowned Superintendent of Golden Gate Park and later Superintendent of Parks. 69 “Noted Landscape Expert Was Here,” Petaluma Agrus-Courier, January 9, 1920. 70 Graham, “The Other McLaren: Part III,” Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society. 71 Mary Brown, San Francisco Planning Department, San Francisco Modern Architecture and Landscape Design, 1935-1970, Historic Context Statement, Final Draft (September 2010), Appendix A. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 98     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 82 January 30, 2023 plan for the South San Francisco Civic Center (ca. 1926), the Clarence E. Schmidt estate in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the landscape of Casa Niños (the W.B. Brandt estate) at 1320 Marlborough Road in Hillsborough (ca. 1929), and the gardens at 1000 D Street in Petaluma (ca. 1928).72 Hoff died in 1939. Charles K. Sumner (1874–1948), Architect Charles K. Sumner completed alterations to the main residence and the carriage house at 1431 Waverley Street in 1937. Charles Kaiser Sumner was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1874 as Charles Sumner Kaiser; he changed the order of his middle and surnames due to anti-German sentiment during World War I. Sumner received his architectural education at Columbia University, traveled through Europe and the Middle East after graduation on a Perkins Traveling Fellowship, and then returned to New York to work in the offices of McKim, Mead & White.73 In 1906, Sumner moved to Berkeley, California, where he opened an architectural practice and completed commissions for about 15 houses in Berkeley as well as the Claremont Club and took on several projects in Sacramento. In 1916, Sumner moved to Palo Alto – where he lived on University Avenue – and opened an office in San Francisco. The following information is excerpted from material assembled by Palo Alto Stanford Heritage (PAST Heritage) for their 2007 Holiday House Tour which featured Sumner-designed homes: Sumner worked squarely within the Eclectic movement and mastered the details of many styles. He preferred the English Cottage, Tudor, and Colonial Revival models, as well as the occasional Beaux–Arts/Mediterranean Revival structure. After the Spanish Eclectic style swept into town in the mid–1920’s, he built more and more in this style. Sumner’s residences reflect a certain formality, with distinct separations between public and private space, and between spaces for the servants and the served. His are houses for entertaining, with reception hall, generous dining room and living room forming the typical ground floor arrangement. [….] Sumner generally provided 72 “Landscapers Create Garden for Comptons,” The Chico Record, October 30, 1930; “Expert Gives Layout Plan for Garden,” The San Mateo Times and Daily News Leader, April 7, 1928. “Civic Center Plans Lauded,” The Enterprise, April 9, 1926; Walter A. Hoff, “Landscape Architecture,” Pacific Coast Architect, August 1924, v. 26, n. 2, 29.; Meg McConahey, “A Mansion Perfectly Preserved,” The Press Democrat, (September 20, 2013), available at the Petaluma Argus Courier, Accessed January 12, 2021. https://www.petaluma360.com/article/news/a-mansion-perfectly-preserved/; Frederick W. Jones, ed., “Portfolio of Views and Plans, Residence of Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Brandt, Hillsborough, California,” Architect and Engineer, v. 105, n. 3 (June 1931), 32-37. 73 Biographical information primarily sourced from “Charles Sumner, Architect,” Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, 2007, https://www.pastheritage.org/Sumner.html. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 99     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 83 January 30, 2023 built-in storage such as cupboards and closets as part of the composition of the interior spaces […]. Sumner believed that house, garden, and interior furnishings had to work together, and that their design was a collaborative effort. He speaks respectfully of the landscape architect who brings his own “scale of spaces and proportions, his own tools and materials,” and warns the architect of the dangers of leaving “obstructions” in the way of the landscape architect. [….] The garden and its relationship to the house was an especially important element for Sumner, who believed that “it takes both house and garden to make a home.” According to one former boarder who lived with the Sumners while attending Stanford, Sumner believed that “every room had to be suitable for an elderly lady to live in, with windows on two or even three sides if possible to look out at the gardens.” Sumner wished to imbue his houses with “a feeling of permanence,” meaning “reasonable, obvious strength and durability.” The job of the architect was to “constantly take the trouble” to achieve beauty. Restraint was an important element of beauty: “composure…is the groundwork upon which beauty rests.” “Composure” was for Sumner the object of “composition”; “the process of composing and quieting a house’s various parts, so that they appear happy and at peace together.” The chief among the architect’s tools for composition—including balance, scale, and symmetry—was proportion, the “magic key to beauty” in home design.74 Sumner died after a long illness in 1948 at the age of 74. While Birge Clark remains the most significant architect to be credited with the spread of the Spanish Colonial Revival Style in Palo Alto, recent scholarship is revisiting the contributions of Sumner and recognizing his considerable skill as a significant architect of residential housing in the Bay Area in the early twentieth century.75 Allan Himes Reid (1904–1986), Landscape Architect Allan Himes Reid designed the Tea House and it’s adjacent landscaping, arbor, and seating area for Elizabeth F. Gamble in 1948. Allan Himes Reid was born in Oregon in 1904 to Edna Emeline (nee Himes) Reid and Robert Allan Reid. He studied at Oregon State University and then went on to receive a degree in architectural landscaping from Cornell University in 1937.76 He returned to Portland, Oregon in 1938, working in 74 “Charles Sumner, Architect,” PAST Heritage, 2007, https://www.pastheritage.org/Sumner.html. 75 “Charles Sumner, Architect,” PAST Heritage, 2007, https://www.pastheritage.org/Sumner.html. 76 “A.H. Reid, 81, landscape architect, former Santa Clara County planner,” San José Mercury News, September 17, 1986. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 100     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 84 January 30, 2023 private practice before moved to Palo Alto ca. 1941.77 He established his landscape architecture and site planning firm in Palo Alto in 1946, which was advertised in the Western Architect and Engineer in 1946, and in the Daily Palo Alto Times in 1947.78 Reid’s work for Elizabeth F. Gamble at Gamble Gardens appears to be one of his earlier known projects completed ca. 1948.79 From 1950 to 1957, Reid served on the Palo Alto Planning Commission (including a stint as chairman) and was active in supporting a bond issue for the purchase of land for East Meadow, West Meadow, Hoover, and Mitchell parks.80 He helped establish the Palo Alto Tree Committee and worked on the revision of The Trees of Palo Alto guidebook in the 1970s.81 Some of his completed landscape designs that were uncovered through a search of historic newspapers include the site plan and landscape for a Cornell’s furniture store in Santa Clara County (ca. 1946), the grounds of Carlmont High School in Belmont (ca. 1953), and the Mrs. Brayton Wilbur Garden in Hillsborough (ca. 1965).82 Reid also served on the Santa Clara County Planning Commission from 1961 to 1964. According to a brief mention in Landscape Architecture, Reid worked with Herbert J. Kopp under the name Reid & Kopp in 1957, and their ongoing projects consisted of three parks for the City of Palo Alto and the 90-acre Veterans Administration Hospital campus at Palo Alto.83 In 1982, Reid worked on The Palo Alto Street Tree Management Plan for Palo Alto’s Department of Public Works. Reid appears to have been active in the professional landscape architecture community and had articles published in the California Horticultural Journal and the Western Architect and Engineer.84 He taught local Santa Clara County residents about garden design through an Adult Education Course at the Palo Alto Unified School District for more than 30 years, as well as through lectures given on the gardens of the “Western Foothills.”85 Reid was a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), American Horticultural Society, Western Horticultural Society, American 77 Portland, Oregon and Palo Alto, California City Directories. Various years. 78 “Allan Himes Reid,” [advertisement], Daily Palo Alto Times, January 29, 1947 79 Mary Burt Baldwin, “Visitors Share Elizabeth Gamble’s Legacy,” Peninsula Times Tribune, June 15, 1984. 80 “Landscaping and Living Must be Compatible,” Palo Alto Times, September 12, 1975. 81 Trees of Palo Alto was published in 1959 and 1976. 82 “Decentralization,” Western Architect and Engineer, May 1946, pp. 24-25; “Carlmont High Opens Monday,” The Times (San Mateo), April 18, 1953; “CA448: Hillsborough – Mrs. Brayton Wilbur Garden,” The Garden Club of America Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens. Finding Aid. Accessed November 9, 2022, https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAG.GCA.pdf 83 “Herbert J. Kopp,” Landscape Architecture, vol. 47, 1957. 84 Allan Himes Reid, “Max Watson, Eucalyptologist”, California Horticultural Journal, volume 29-30, 1968; Allan Himes Reid, “Cheerfulness in Living,” Western Architect and Engineer, April 1946, pp. 14, 30, 39 85 “Home Garden Design Class Under Way at Cubberley,” Peninsula Times Tribune, January 16, 1959; “Landscaping and Living Must be Compatible,” Palo Alto Times, September 12, 1975; “Foothill Club to Hear About Landscape Design,” Los Gatos Daily Times, November 4, 1954. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 101     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 85 January 30, 2023 Rhododendron Society, and International Society of Arboriculture, and founded the Northern California Turfgrass Council.86 Allan Himes Reid died in 1986. His work has not been widely published in architectural or landscape gardening publications, and the relative significance of his work within Palo Alto has yet to be studied. At this time, Reid has not been identified as a landscape architect of merit. 86 “Landscape architect Allan Reid dies,” Peninsula Times Tribune, September 16, 1986. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 102     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 86 January 30, 2023 VI. 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. The following section examines the eligibility of 1431 Waverley Street for individual listing in the California Register. Criterion 1 (Events) The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street appears to be eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 1 (Events) as a property associated with the early patterns of development within the city of Palo Alto. The Gamble residence was one of the earliest homes constructed south of Embarcadero Street in Palo Alto. While the subject property does not appear to have spurred other construction in the immediate area, it is a rare surviving example of an intact early Palo Alto Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 103     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 87 January 30, 2023 estate, never having been subdivided since its purchase from the Seale Ranch in 1902. While this property does not fit the theme of grand country estates built on the Peninsula by wealthy San Francisco businessmen, it is a large in-town homestead that has survived as the city of Palo Alto densified and urbanized around it. Elizabeth F. Gamble bequeathed the subject property to the city of Palo Alto in 1971 on a life estate basis, with the ownership of the property passing to the city upon her death in 1981. The entrustment of large private properties to public entities was a popular American trend for descendants of original industrial tycoons in the 1960s and 1970s. Research did not uncover specific events significant to local, state, or national history related to the subject property. Regardless, the buildings and grounds at 1431 Waverley Street meet Criterion 1 for listing in the California Register with a 1902 period of significance. Criterion 2 (Persons) The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street appears to be eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 2 (Persons) as a property associated with significant persons of local relevance. The main house, carriage house, and formal gardens were constructed for Edwin P. Gamble and his family. The Gamble name is prominent for its association with The Procter & Gamble Company. Edwin was the son of a founding company partner, but never worked for the company himself. However, he played a significant role in Palo Alto’s early financial industry as a board member for the First National Bank of Palo Alto. After his death in 1939, daughter Elizabeth F. Gamble inherited ownership of the property until her death in 1981. The Gambles were a prominent family within Palo Alto’s affluent social circles, and E.P. provided significant financial contributions to many local organizations, particularly The Stanford Convalescent Home and All Saints’ Episcopal Church. Daughter Elizabeth expanded this generous tradition to also support the American Red Cross and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) during her ownership years of the subject property. Additionally, she volunteered as superintendent of the All Saints’ Episcopal Church’s Sunday School from the 1920s to the 1960s and welcomed small community gatherings at her tea house. While her personal achievements do not appear to rise to the level of significance for having been exceptionally important to state or national history, her local legacy of community service and horticultural interests are attested to in newspaper articles since the 1930s. As such, the buildings and grounds at 1431 Waverley Street meet Criterion 2 for listing in the California Register with a period of significance as 1939 to 1981. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 104     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 88 January 30, 2023 Criterion 3 (Architecture) The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street appears to be eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture). The main house was designed by J.R. Miller and constructed by C.A. Bates in 1902. Though it has both interior and exterior modifications, it remains a representative example of the Colonial Revival style. While the carriage house also dates to 1902 and has interior and exterior modifications, it shares the stylistic elements and character of the main house with less architectural distinction, being a utilitarian building. The tea house and patio were designed by Allan Himes Reid and constructed by S.P. Cooley in 1948 in a simple Midcentury Modern design, appropriate for its use as an outdoor space for hosting company. While the greenhouse, potting shed, and lathhouse retain originality of location, the greenhouse is a reconstructed building and the original date of construction for the potting shed and lathhouse is unknown. These utilitarian buildings likely supported the subject property’s original use as a small homestead and later private flower garden but are not architecturally significant. The restroom building and horticultural office and storage building, both constructed in 1987 by Ehrlich- Rominger, are utilitarian buildings ineligible for consideration in terms of age. Looking to the broader grounds of the subject property, a designed landscape is defined as “a landscape that has significance as a design or work of art; was consciously designed and laid out by a master gardener, landscape architect, architect, or horticulturalist to a design principle, or an owner or other amateur using a recognized style or tradition in response or reaction to a recognized style or tradition; has a historical association with a significant person, trend, event, etc. in landscape gardening or landscape architecture; or a significant relationship to the theory or practice of landscape architecture.”87 The formal gardens anchored by the main house are original to the Hoff landscape plan, but were reconstructed between 1986 – 1987 with contemporary elements added, such as irrigation and lighting. The western grounds were always utilitarian in nature, originally being a farmed area with cows, chickens, and horses. While the present-day demonstration gardens are a contemporary application to the landscape (ca. 1987), the area showcases the Gamble homestead farming intention by including dedicated garden beds planted with herbs and other edible plantings as well as ornamental cutting beds, representative of Elizabeth F. Gamble’s affinity for flowers, particularly the iris. Overall, the architectural and design significance of the subject property is attributed to the involvement of many well-known architects and landscape designers. It is not a clear representation 87 Keller, J. Timothy and Genevieve P. Keller for the National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 18: How to Evaluate and Nominate Designed Historic Landscapes. Accessed October 25, 2022 from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NRB18-Complete.pdf. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 105     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 89 January 30, 2023 of one particular architect or landscape designer. While none of the buildings and landscape elements are excellent examples of any one particular designer’s work, it is the collaborative results that make the subject property significant under Criterion 3 for listing in the California Register with a 1902 to 1948 period of significance. 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 analysis of the property at 1431 Waverley Street for eligibility under Criterion 4 is beyond the scope of this report. PALO ALTO HISTORIC INVENTORY The subject property at 1431 Waverly Street is included in the City of Palo Alto’s local historic inventory as a major building of regional importance (Category 2). 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.88 As discussed in the previous section, the subject property is generally associated with early Palo Alto development south of Embarcadero Road by an affluent family. Designed in 1902 with later modifications and additions across the parcel, the buildings and landscape are not strong examples of any one architect or landscape designer, but rather an outstanding example of a collaboration that incorporates the work of many highly regarded design professionals. 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.”89 88 “Historic Registers,” City of Palo Alto, Office of Planning & Development. Accessed October 31, 2022 from https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Historic-Preservation/Historic-Registers. 89 California Office of Historic Preservation, Technical Assistance Series No. 7: How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register of Historical Resources (Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing, 4 September 2001) 11; U.S. Department of Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 106     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 90 January 30, 2023 Page & Turnbull used established integrity standards outlined by the National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, to evaluate whether the subject property retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance. 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); 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 Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1995) 44. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 107     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 91 January 30, 2023 LOCATION The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street, including the buildings and landscapes, retains integrity of location. The residence, carriage house, tea house, and various gardens have remained situated at their location of original construction since 1902. SETTING The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains integrity of setting. Originally the private residence of the Gamble family, the 2.45-acre parcel remains unchanged. The spatial relationships between the historic buildings and the gardens within the eastern portion have been maintained, except for the addition of the restroom building to the west of the carriage house. The horticultural office and storage building was erected within the western area of the property in 1987 as well as two parking lots. However, these contemporary elements have largely been sensitive to the siting of the historic buildings and remain deferential in its massing and location. DESIGN The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains integrity of design. The main house and carriage house have undergone some alterations since completion in 1902. While these alterations have adjusted the main house’s massing and footprint (particularly at its rear), the changes do not lessen the overall design, materials, or craftsmanship of its Colonial Revival style and much original detailing, windows, and doors remain intact and in situ. The interior of the main house remains largely intact, and the only spaces to have experienced significant interior alteration are the western rooms on the second floor which were converted into a self-contained apartment unit within the house. The carriage house and tea house massing, overall form and footprint, and detailing have remained unchanged. In addition, the extant formal gardens continue to demonstrate Hoff’s 1908 landscaping plan in the eastern portion of the property anchored by the main house and Reid’s 1948 planting plan around the tea house and patio. The western portion of the property, once a vernacular farmyard landscape, is now organized in a grid of rectangular planting beds used to demonstrate plantings thematically, including an herb garden, kitchen garden, fruit tree rows, and vegetable beds – elements that were present during the Gambles’ residency. Overall, the property has required minimal alterations to the fabric and organization of residence and gardens and alterations to the gardens have retained areas of planting that are consistent with the historic treatment and organization of the property. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 108     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 92 January 30, 2023 MATERIALS The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains integrity of materials. The main house, carriage house, and tea house retain their original wood-framed construction with the vast majority of its ornamentation and original windows and doors remaining extant on the buildings. The other materials of the main house, including its richly decorated interior, have been retained to a remarkably high degree, and include wood flooring, decorative wood paneling, brick fireplaces, built- in shelving and storage elements, and plasterwork. The formal gardens retain original materials, including brick pavers and edging, the Gamble family sundial, and many heritage plantings and trees (especially in the front lawn, allée, and woodland garden areas). WORKMANSHIP The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains integrity of workmanship. Features providing evidence of period workmanship and construction methods include main house and tea house wood-framing methodology and many interior features, including wood flooring inlays, wood paneling, brick fireplaces and surrounds, and plasterwork. Workmanship is further enhanced by the extant landscape elements that illustrate the care and attention paid to the residence’s larger setting. Overall, the building retains its original materials and design elements that demonstrate the workmanship of the period and convey the property’s Colonial Revival style. FEELING The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains integrity of feeling as a 1902 residence. Originally designed as a single-family residence in the Colonial Revival style and set within an integrated landscape of various garden rooms, its present adaptation as the headquarters of the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden non-profit organization has had little change to the existing features or layout of the buildings and grounds. The property retains the feeling of an early twentieth-century affluent residence. The design, materiality, and workmanship of the buildings and its landscape remain highly representative of its style and period of construction. ASSOCIATION The subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains integrity of association. The property is significant for its association with previous owner Elizabeth F. Gamble, a local Palo Alto legacy, and for its architectural significance as a Colonial Revival style residence and landscape designed by several prominent California architects and landscape designers, including James R. Miller, Walter Hoff, Charles K. Sumner, and Allan Himes Reid. This association continues to be represented through its retention of its architectural characteristics and landscape features. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 109     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 93 January 30, 2023 Therefore, the subject property at 1431 Waverley Street retains all seven aspects of integrity such that it conveys its significance under Criterion 2 (Persons) and Criterion 3 (Architecture), with a period of significance of 1902 to 1981. Though most of the buildings have undergone some modifications and the formal gardens surrounding to the main house are reconstructed, the elements required for integrity remain. The extant elements within the property’s western grounds, originally a farmyard, convey the historic character and intended use to provide homegrown herbs, fruits, and vegetables to the original Gamble family as well as Elizabeth F. Gamble’s later interest in ornamental gardens. CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES For a property to be eligible for local, state, or national designation, the essential physical features (or character-defining features) that enable the property to convey its historic identity must be evident. These distinctive character-defining features are the physical traits that commonly recur in property types and/or architectural styles. To be eligible, a property must clearly contain enough of those characteristics to be considered a true representative of a particular type, period, or method of construction, and these features must also retain a sufficient degree of integrity. Characteristics can be expressed in terms such as form, proportion, structure, plan, style, or materials. Main Residence and Carriage House: The character-defining features of the main residence and carriage house consist of those features which date to the Criterion 1, Criterion 2, and Criterion 3 period of significance, 1902 to 1981. These features include, but are not limited to: • General form and massing of the two-story buildings with gabled roofs, including the orientation of the two buildings to one another via a driveway • Façade organization of the buildings featuring symmetrical fenestration at east story • Broad, overhanging roof eaves with a boxed cornice featuring dentils and a plain frieze band • Wood shingle roof cladding • Horizontal painted narrow wood clapboard siding as the exterior cladding • Prominent wood water table band • Accentuated front entry porch with decorative flat-roof crown supported by slender Doric column pairs on the main house • Original unpedimented unglazed wood front door with ornate three-quarter-length sidelights on the main house • Original wood-framed, one-over-one, double-hung, wood sash windows with ogee lugs on the upper sashes Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 110     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 94 January 30, 2023 Tea house and Patio: The character-defining features of the tea house and patio consist of those features which date to the Criterion 2 and Criterion 3 period of significance, 1902 to 1981. These features include, but are not limited to: • General form and massing of the one-story building with a cantilevered shed roof, including the orientation of the building to the adjacent brick paver patio with a curving privacy wall topped with a wood arbor and flush-threshold transitions at the openings between the interior and exterior spaces • Wood and masonry construction, including the adjoining interior oven and fireplace • Wood rafters that extend from front to rear roof eaves, spanning the interior ceiling • Prominent door opening on the primary façade’s northern half Landscape: The character-defining features of the landscape consist of those features which date to the Criterion 1, Criterion 2, and Criterion 3 period of significance, 1902 to 1981. These features include, but are not limited to: • Gated semicircular driveway off Waverley Street that extends along the east façade of the main house to connect with the carriage house • Orientation of formal “garden rooms” anchored by the main house, including a front lawn along Waverley Street, a wisteria garden with lawn and fountain at the north façade of the main house, a clock golf rose garden off the northeast corner of the main house, and allée along the east façade of the main house • Inclusion of heritage and exotic plant breeds as well as herb and kitchen garden beds • Proximity of the greenhouse, potting shed, and lathhouse complex to the vernacular western gardens, currently used as demonstration gardens • Woodland garden with a dense tree canopy as an informal divider between the subject property’s eastern formal gardens and western vernacular gardens • Decomposed granite pathways edged in brick Features that are not character-defining, as they date to alterations completed after the period of significance (post-1981) or have been altered, include: • Exterior security lighting fixtures on main house and carriage house • Glazed French doors with sidelights in the original garage door openings of the carriage house • Restroom building and its eastern storage addition • Horticultural office and storage building Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 111     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 95 January 30, 2023 • Paved parking areas, including the arbor over the bicycle parking area to the east of the carriage house • Garden pathway bollard lighting system • Wood fencing and signage system • Wood gazebo • Wood lattice surrounding the southernmost first-story window on the main house’s eastern façade • Wood ADA-accessible deck and elevator on the east façade of the rear addition of the main house Figure 154: Map of the subject property with the property boundary dashed in red and non-contributing areas shaded in gray. All areas in white contribute to the significance and character of the property. Source: City of Palo Alto. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 112     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 96 January 30, 2023 VII. CONCLUSION The main house at 1431 Waverley Street were constructed in 1902 as a private residence for Edwin P. Gamble and his family. Formal gardens were installed around the main house by 1908, while the majority of the remaining land (western grounds) was used for farming to provide for the Gambles. After E.P. died in 1939, the subject property passed to his daughter, Elizabeth F. Gamble. She ordered the demolition of the tank house and construction of a tea house and patio in 1948, and slowly converted the western farmed area to informal garden areas, predominately planted with ornamental flowers. After her death in 1981, ownership of the subject property was gifted to the City of Palo Alto. The Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden non-profit was established in 1985 to restore the property and provide horticultural programs and facilities for the public. Several buildings, including a restroom building and horticultural office/storage building, were constructed between 1987 and 1989 to prepare the property for its new role as a public facility. The subject property is identified on the City of Palo Alto’s local inventory of historic resources under Category 2: Major Building, being an outstanding example of the Colonial Revival style with contributions from many architects and landscape designers of note. The property is eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources with an association with local development trends within the City of Palo Alto (Criterion 1). Elizabeth F. Gamble as the final private owner of the property is also found to be a person significant to local history and community service (Criterion 2). Lastly, the property is significant for its architecture and landscape design (Criterion 3). The restroom building, horticultural office and storage building, paved parking areas, and the rear wood stairs and deck of the main house are newer construction, and therefore do not contribute to the property’s significance. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 113     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 97 January 30, 2023 VIII. REFERENCES Published Works & Reports Brown, Mary. San Francisco Planning Department, San Francisco Modern Architecture and Landscape Design, 1935-1970, Historic Context Statement. Final Draft, September 2010. 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. Accessed October 22, 2018, http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1069/files/tab8.pdf. CEQA Guidelines. Accessed May 10, 2018. http://resources.ca.gov/ceqa/guidelines/. City of Palo Alto. “Comprehensive Plan 2030” (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017). Accessed October 10, 2022, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. “Clarence A. Bates.” Santa Clara County Biographies. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~npmelton/genealogy/scbbat.htm, information transcribed from J. M. Guinn, A. M. History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California, (Chicago: The Chapman Publishing Co., 1904). Keller, J. Timothy and Genevieve P. Keller for the National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 18: How to Evaluate and Nominate Designed Historic Landscapes. Accessed October 25, 2022 from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NRB18-Complete.pdf. McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses (2015). New York: Knopf. Robert Bruce Anderson to Donald S. Napoli. August 24, 1982, J.R. Miller File, San Francisco Heritage. San Francisco Planning. Preservation Bulletin No.18: Residential and Commercial Architectural Periods and Styles in San Francisco. January 2003. Winslow, Ward and Palo Alto Historical Association. Palo Alto: A Centennial History (1993). Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association. Woodman, Susan. Gamble Garden: Landscape of Optimism (2014). Palo Alto, CA: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Newspapers & Periodicals Architect and Engineer (by date): Jones, Frederick W. ed. “Portfolio of Views and Plans, Residence of Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Brandt, Hillsborough, California.” Architect and Engineer. v. 105, n. 3. June 1931, pp. 32-37. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 114     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 98 January 30, 2023 Volume 31 (January 1913). The Chico Record. “Landscapers Create Garden for Comptons.” October 30, 1930. Cincinnati Daily Star. “Edwin P. Gamble…” April 24, 1880. Daily Palo Alto Times (by date): “Locals.” August 30, 1901. “Realty News.” [advertisement by J.J. Morris.] July 4, 1902. “New Building Company.” December 12, 1905. “First National Bank.” [advertisement]. May 31, 1906. “E.P. Gamble is Seriously Hurt.” December 19, 1906. “Many New Students Enter High School.” September 11, 1909. “Local.” September 14, 1909. “Six Buildings Added Monthly," October 29, 1914. "Building Permits," January 2, 1926. “E.P. Gamble Estate Exceeds $400,000.” March 22, 1940. "Building Permits," September 30, 1944. “Allan Himes Reid” [advertisement]. January 29, 1947. “Permit Issued in PA for new Office Building.” August 22, 1953. “PA’s 1953 Building Total Over $8 Million.” November 9, 1953.Elders, Joanne. “A Conversation with Miss Elizabeth Gamble.” August 9, 1963. “George E.P. Gamble dies at 87.” May 22, 1972. “Landscaping and Living Must be Compatible.” September 12, 1975. “Elizabeth F. Gamble and Her Family.” [factsheet for docents at Gamble Gardens]. Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Undated. The Enterprise. “Civic Center Plans Lauded.” April 9, 1926. Erickson, Lucy. Landscape Analysis and Restoration Plan for the Gamble Property. Undated. On file at the Palo Alto Historical Association. Friends of Gamble Garden Newsletter (by date): “Scott Loosley is hired as New Resident Horticulturist.” November 1987. “The Founding of Gamble Garden.” February 2005 and March 2005. Available at the Palo Alto Historical Association. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 115     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 99 January 30, 2023 Graham, Marlea. “The Other McLaren: Part III.” Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape History Society. v. 14, n. 1 (Winter 2011). Accessed November 9, 2022. https://cglhs.org/resources/Documents/Eden-14.1-Wi-2011.pdf Hoff, Walter A. “Landscape Architecture.” Pacific Coast Architect. August 1924. v. 26, n. 2. Landscape Architecture, Volume 47. “Herbert J. Kopp,” 1957. Los Gatos Daily Times. “Foothill Club to Hear About Landscape Design.” November 4, 1954. Los Gatos Mail-News and Saratoga Star. “J.R. Miller, 77, Noted Architect, is Laid to Rest,” August 29, 1946. McConahey, Meg. “A Mansion Perfectly Preserved.” The Press Democrat. September 20, 2013. available at the Petaluma Argus Courier, Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.petaluma360.com/article/news/a-mansion-perfectly-preserved/ Palo Alto Weekly. “Elizabeth F. Gamble” [obituary]. August 26, 1981. Peninsula-Times Tribune (by date): “Home Garden Design Class Under Way at Cubberley.” January 16, 1959. Nancy Noro obituary. April 29, 1968. “Plan to Turn Gamble Mansion into Floral Center.” March 4, 1984. Baldwin, Mary Burt. “Elizabeth Gamble Left Legacy to Palo Alto,” June 15, 1984, C1. “Landscape architect Allan Reid dies,” September 16, 1986. Petaluma Agrus-Courier. “Noted Landscape Expert Was Here,” January 9, 1920. Reid, Allan Himes. “Max Watson, Eucalyptologist.” California Horticultural Journal, v. 29-30, 1968 San Jose Mercury News (by date): Wykes, S.L. “An Heirloom’s Second Bloom.” April 17, 1986. E-3. “A.H. Reid, 81, landscape architect, former Santa Clara County planner,” September 17, 1986. The San Mateo Times (by date): “Expert Gives Layout Plan for Garden.” April 7, 1928. “Carlmont High Opens Monday.” April 18, 1953. Western Architect and Engineer (by date): Reid, Allan Himes. “Cheerfulness in Living.” April 1946. pp. 14, 30, 39. “Decentralization.” May 1946, pp. 24-25. Public Records Palo Alto, California City Directories. Various years. Accessed via Ancestry.com. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 116     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 100 January 30, 2023 Portland, Oregon City Directories. Various years. Accessed via Ancestry.com. United States Federal Census. Various years. Accessed via Ancestry.com. Internet Sources “CA448: Hillsborough – Mrs. Brayton Wilbur Garden.” The Garden Club of America Collection. Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens. Finding Aid. Accessed November 9, 2022, https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/AAG.GCA.pdf. Jaques London, “Golf Game Rules” (2015). Accessed October 26, 2022 from http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/outdoor-games/golf-practice/rules.html. PAST Heritage. “Charles Sumner, Architect,” (2007). Accessed October 10, 2022, https://www.pastheritage.org/Sumner.html. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. “Colonial Revival Style 1880-1960” from Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide (August 26, 2015). Accessed October 10, 2022, http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/colonial-revival.html. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 117     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 101 January 30, 2023 IX. APPENDICES Appendix A – Landscape Design Plans Figure 155: Walter Hoff's original landscape plan for 1431 Waverley Street, ca. 1900s. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 118     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 102 January 30, 2023 Figure 156: Allan Himes Reid's preliminary planting plan for the tea house, patio, and surrounds, dated February 26, 1948. Source: Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 119     Historic Resource Evaluation – Final Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Project Number 16252A.81 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto PAGE & TURNBULL 103 January 30, 2023 Appendix B – Preparer Qualifications This Historic Resource Evaluation was prepared by Page & Turnbull of San Francisco, California. Page & Turnbull staff responsible for this report include: Ruth Todd, FAIA, Principal-in-charge; Christina Dikas Associate Principal and project manager; Barrett Reiter, Cultural Resources Planner; and Maggie Nicholson, Cultural Resources Planner, all of whom meet or exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Historic Architecture, Architectural History, or History. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 120     This page intentionally left blank. Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 121     Imagining change in historic environments through design, research, and technology. 417 S. HILL STREET, SUITE 211 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90013 TEL 213.221.1200 2600 CAPITOL AVENUE, SUITE 120 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 95816 TEL 916-930-9903 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415.362.5154 75 EAST SANTA CLARA STREET SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95113 TEL 415.320.7911 Item 2 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation     Packet Pg. 122     ATTACHMENT C Project Plans In order to reduce paper consumption, a limited number of hard copy project plans are provided to Councilmembers for their review. The same plans are available to the public, at all hours of the day, via the following online resources. Directions to review Project plans online: 1. Go to: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development- Services/Development-Services/Palo-Alto-Permit-View 2. Scroll down to find “1431 Waverley Street” and click the address link. 3. On this project specific webpage, you will find a link to the project plans and other important information. Project Webpage: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Current- Planning/Projects/1431-Waverley-Street Item 2 Attachment C - Project Plans     Packet Pg. 123     Item No. 3. Page 1 of 2 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: August 13, 2026 Report #: 2607-6530 TITLE Review and Submit the Historic Resources Board's (HRB) Draft Annual Report and Work Plan to the City Council for Approval. CEQA Status: Not a Project. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Historic Resources Board (HRB) discuss the draft Annual Report and Work Plan, suggest changes, and recommend submission of the Draft Work Plan to the City Council for approval. BACKGROUND The HRB is expected to prepare an annual report/work plan as described in the City Boards, Commissions, and Committees Handbook. The plan should include the results of the prior year’s plan and activities included in the Board’s work for the next fiscal year. If new issues arise during the year, the work plan can be amended and forwarded to Council for review and approval. ANALYSIS An HRB annual report is required in the By-Laws and reviews the prior year, while the Council’s new work plan requirement is to look forward on the next fiscal year. A draft plan has been prepared by staff (Attachment A) using Council’s provided template. Most of the previous year's work plan goals were carried forward with minor revisions to the priority levels, timelines, and activities identified under each goal. Items completed during the prior year were removed from the work plan. The attached work plan includes a summary of the HRB's accomplishments over the past year, how they advanced the goals established in the past Work Plan, and highlights the recipients of the 2026 Historic Preservation Awards. The HRB is asked to review this document, suggest updates, and make a recommendation that the work plan be considered and approved by Council. Council is scheduled to review this plan, as well as all other board and commission work plans, in September or October 2026. Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 124     Item No. 3. Page 2 of 2 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Adoption of the proposed work plan is exempt from CEQA in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15063(b) because it can be seen with certainty that adoption of the work plan would not have an environmental impact on the environment. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report AUTHOR/TITLE: HRB Liaison1 & Contact Information Steven Switzer, Historic Preservation Planner (650) 329-2321 Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov 1 Emails can be sent directly to the HRB using the following address: HRB@PaloAlto.gov Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 125     TIMELINE RESOURCES NEEDED MEASURE OF SUCCESS STATE MANDATED / LOCAL LAW / COUNCIL-APPROVED Subject to Council direction. City Council direction and accommodation in the PDS department workplan would be needed. HRB subcommittee and staff of planning and city attorney departments to prepare draft amendments for Council review and adoption Well-written ordinance language that assists the public's understanding and calms the fears of property owners about governmental overreach Council may provide direction to modify PAMC 16.49; CLG cities maintain historic preservation ordinances. COUNCIL-DIRECTED POLICY UPDATE Council may provide direction to modify PAMC 16.49; CLG cities maintain historic preservation ordinances Historic Resources Board PROJECT/GOAL 1: BENEFICIAL IMPACTS Limited modification to PAMC 16.49, historic preservation, providing clarifications regarding the HRB’s role. The HRB could discuss language providing clarifications of its role with respect to three potential topics: (a) the nomination process, (b) the effect of HRB recommendations regarding exterior modifications to residential historic resources, and (c) category changes (upgrades, downgrades, removals) Staff Liaison: Steven Switzer, Senior Planner Lead Department: Planning and Development Services PURPOSE STATEMENT: The Board Commission's goals and purposes (purview) are set in Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 2.27 Historic Resources Board, Section 2.27.040 Duties. These duties include reviewing alterations to historic resources and providing recommendations on nominations to the local historic resources inventory. The City's historic program includes the implementation of Comprehensive Plan policies on an ongoing basis including Policy L7.2 (preparation of historic evaluations to determine eligibility for the California Register of Historical Resources and associated tracking), Policy L7.1.1 (recommend eligible resources to the local inventory), and Policy L7.1.2: Reassess Historic Preservation Ordinance. LOWER PRIORITY Lower priority: Goal item (c) - listed historic resources placed on the City's inventory in the late 1970s and 1980s have not been reviewed to determine whether any modifications reduce critical aspects of integrity and drop or lower the properties' local historic resource category. 2026-2027 Workplan The benefits are providing clarification of the HRB's role for the public HIGH PRIORITY Priority is high to enable greater understanding of the HRB's role and address property owners' concerns with respect to Goal items (a) and (b) Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 126     TIMELINE RESOURCES NEEDED MEASURE OF SUCCESS STATE MANDATED / LOCAL LAW / COUNCIL-APPROVED To begin in the first quarter and continue throughout the duration of the 26/27 work plan cycle Staff of PDS would be tasked as well as an HRB ad hoc committee to make progress. Website contains links to information resources and videos, to assist property owners, staff, and others. N/A COUNCIL-DIRECTED POLICY UPDATE N/A TIMELINE RESOURCES NEEDED MEASURE OF SUCCESS STATE MANDATED / LOCAL LAW / COUNCIL-APPROVED Continuing efforts from last 25/26 FY workplan targetting completion in the second quarter Staff of PDS would be tasked as well as an HRB ad hoc committee to make progress. Website contains links to updated Inventory List, to assist property owners, staff, and others. No COUNCIL-DIRECTED POLICY UPDATE No PROJECT/GOAL 2: BENEFICIAL IMPACTS Education and Creating New User-Friendly Resources/Communication Regarding Historic Preservation. (a) find new ways to promote preservation, including use of the existing zoning code incentives and State historic building code (b) improve upon communication types to provide the community accessible information, including the use of videos (linked to the City’s and State’s webpages) to help property owners understand the local and State preservation incentives and codes, (c) continue to provide updates to the historic review process bulletin as needed to communicate CEQA requirements related to PAMC 16.49 and listed historic resources, and (d) enable the HRB staff liaison(s), the City’s historic preservation consultant, and Chief Building Official to implement training providing an ongoing opportunity for HRB members, staff, and the community to gain working knowledge as to the use of the State’s historic building code The benefits would be to improve preservation in Palo Alto and clarity for owners of historic properties. Item (a) a table of existing zoning code incentives and another table of historic building code provisions and Item (b) improvements to types of communications used to promote historic preservation. HIGH PRIORITY Properties that have been demolished remove from local inventory LOWER PRIORITY Items (c) and (d) Providing the public with updated information HIGH PRIORITY LOWER PRIORITY PROJECT/GOAL 3: Properties that have lost integrity over time that may need a category change Prepare an updated Local Inventory Resource list that incorporates the recently designated properties from the 2023 Historic Reconnaissance Survey efforts, Category Upgrades, and removal of properties that have been demolished. BENEFICIAL IMPACTS Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 127     TIMELINE RESOURCES NEEDED MEASURE OF SUCCESS STATE MANDATED / LOCAL LAW / COUNCIL-APPROVED On-going throughout FY 26/27 PDS staff and CAO staff. City Council direction and accommodation in the PDS department workplan would be needed. More historic properties are preserved for future enjoyment of the owners and community, due to the additional incentives. Yes COUNCIL-DIRECTED POLICY UPDATE N/A PROJECT/GOAL 4: Additional preservation incentives (a) discuss and recommend additional zoning code incentives to continue the community engagement process that began with the 2023 reconnaissance survey inventory update; (b) represent the HRB’s interests during public hearings, or participate in joint meetings with the Planning and Transportation Commission and City Council, to review any proposed zoning code modifications incentivizing historic preservation incentives; (c) outreach to the community after adoption of any adopted new incentives. Benefit will be for all property owners who do not currently see any benefit to listing their property on the City's historic inventory HIGH PRIORITY LOWER PRIORITY • Review the Floor Area Bonus and Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) incentives for historic resources. • Expand incentives to other Category 1 and 2 historic resources such as the text amendment for TDRs at 51 Encina Avenue. • Identify code barriers to rehabilitation, seismic upgrades, accessibility, and adaptive reuse. • Develop guidance tools for property owners and applicants. • Evaluate additional financial incentives, including potential Mills Act or similar tools. • Conduct outreach on preservation incentives and adaptive-reuse opportunities. BENEFICIAL IMPACTS Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 128     2026 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD AWARDS For the inaugural Historic Resources Board (HRB) Awards Program, the HRB reviewed 159 preservaon projects completed over the past 10 years and selected nine award recipients, including a Board's Choice Award recognizing a block in Professorville for its collecve preservaon efforts and a special award honoring all residenal properes that voluntarily completed seismic retrofits during the past decade. Creaon of this award program implements Comprehensive Plan Program L7.6, which encourages awards programs and other forms of public recognion for exemplary historic preservaon projects. 215 Fulton Avenue| Residen al Preserva on 501 Kingsley Avenue | Residen al Rehabilita on Listed Category 3 Resource. Work iden fied from a 2016 permit including porch repair, reroof, and window replacement. This is one of three remaining Mission Revival Houses built in the city from 1908-1909. Listed Category 2 Resource built in 1897. Work iden fied from a 2022 permit including the removal of non historic addi ons from the 1970s (Solarium) and restora on of the Colonial Revival residence. Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 129     2026 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD AWARDS 1100 Block of Ramona Street Professorville Historic District | Board Choice Award As one of Palo Alto's oldest residen al neighborhoods, the Professorville Historic District reflects the unique background of the city’s origins and its early es to the founding of Stanford. Collec vely the homes on the 1100 Block of Ramona Street retain a high degree of historic integrity and con nue to exemplify the cohesive character and architectural significance of the Professorville historic district. Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 130     2026 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD AWARDS 2510 Waverley Street | Residen al Rehabilita on 1143 Bryant Street | Residen al Restora on Listed Category 2 Resource built in 1937. Early California style adobe style. Work iden fied from a 2022 permit including window and door replacements and par al reroof with interior modifica ons. Located in the Professorville Historic District. Work iden fied from a 2016 permit following a fire that destroyed the residence’s interior. Work included restora on of the basement, first, and second floors. Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 131     2026 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD AWARDS 900 High Street (Peninsula Creamery) | Commercial Preserva on 165 Channing Avenue (Watercourse Way) | Commercial Rehabilita on Listed Category 2 resource and a family-owned business over 100 years old. Founded in 1923. Work iden fied from a 2021 permit for voluntary accessibility upgrades. Listed Category 4 resource built in 1931. Work iden fied from a 2019 permit for voluntary accessibility upgrades Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 132     2026 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD AWARDS 450 Bryant Street (Avenidas) | Commercial Adap ve Re-Use Voluntary Seismic Retrofits | Residen al Rehabilita on Over the past 10 years, 14 residen al proper es have voluntarily completed seismic retrofits. Listed Category 2 resource built in 1927. Originally designed by Birge Clark as the Palo Alto Fire and Polica Sta on. The work iden fied here is from a 2016 permit for modifica ons to accommodate the proposed Senior Ci zen Center use. Item 3 Attachment A - Draft HRB 26-27 Work Plan and Annual Report     Packet Pg. 133     Item No. 4. Page 1 of 1 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: August 13, 2026 Report #: 2608-6611 TITLE Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of June 11, 2026 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review and approve the attached meeting minutes ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes AUTHOR/TITLE: HRB Liaison1 & Contact Information   Steven Switzer, Senior Historic Planner     (650) 329-2321   Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov 1 Emails can be sent directly to the HRB at the following email: HRB@PaloAlto.gov Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report     Packet Pg. 134     City of Palo Alto Page 1 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD Regular Meeting Draft Meeting Minutes for June 11, 2026 Council Chambers and Hybrid 8:30 a.m. Call to Order / Roll Call The Historic Resources Board (HRB) of the City of Palo Alto met on June 11, 2026, in Council Chambers and virtual teleconference at 8:30 a.m. Present: Chair Rohman, Vice Chair Willis, Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, Board Member Ulinskas, Council Member Reckdahl Absent: None. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Rohman called the meeting to order. The clerk called roll and declared there was a quorum. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS No changes were planned. IN-PERSON PUBLIC COMMENT There were no requests to speak. CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 1. Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments Historic Preservation Planner Steven Switzer announced that 6 meetings remained for the year and requested that any planned absences be directed to staff’s attention. Since the April 24 meeting, the City submitted the Annual Report to the State for the certified local government status. There would be changes to HRB appointments in late July and August. Mr. Switzer provided a photo from the Historic Awards held on May 28, which was well-attended. ACTION ITEM 2. PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 439 Lincoln Avenue [26BLD-00812]: Recommendation on a Demolition Application for a Significant Building within the Professorville Historic District. CEQA Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 135     City of Palo Alto Page 2 Status: Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 (Ministerial Projects). Zoning District: R-1 (Single Family). Mr. Switzer furnished a slide of the area, which was in the R1 Single-Family Zoning District in Professorville. In June 2024, the property was surveyed and determined to not be eligible for listing in the California Register. However, it was determined to be a contributing property to the Professorville Historic District, and details were provided in Attachment B of the Staff Report. There was a request to demolish a detached garage. All structures within an historic district were subject to a 60-day demolition moratorium to allow the HRB to make a recommendation to Council to extend a moratorium. Any member of the public could request an extension of the moratorium, and City Council could extend it up to one year from the date of application. It had been sent to Council as an informational item. Staff requested that the HRB review the application and provide a recommendation to Council regarding whether to extend the moratorium. Board Member Ulinskas believed one covered parking space was required and asked if there were plans to create a new one. Mr. Switzer answered that there were associated building permits for a junior accessory dwelling unit (JADU) and some other improvements on the property, and replacement parking would be provided. Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz questioned what the purpose was for the moratorium, if it was to find an alternative use or site for the structure or if there were other purposes associated with it aside from delay or additional study time. Mr. Switzer thought the intent of the moratorium was to allow for all the things Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz mentioned and whether there would be a home or a shed structure, and it would allow the community to look into a structure being preserved elsewhere rather than on the site if a property owner did not want to pursue preservation of a certain structure. A myriad of options could occur within that time or it could be only waiting before demolition. It had to do with timing and would not change the ultimate outcome. Vice Chair Willis stated an attached JADU and an attached garage were being proposed, which would break the pattern that existed between the house and its garage and the neighboring house and its garage. Nandini Ramamurthi, Architect at Arcanum Architecture, attended the meeting on behalf of the owners of 439 Lincoln and discussed Page and Turnbull's documentation of the garage and how it was described. The garage was built in 1924 and was not part of the original design or construction of the development, had limited historic significance, was an accessory structure that did not define the features of the property, was in fairly poor condition, and could not be successfully rehabilitated. Ms. Ramamurthi respectfully requested that the HRB move the application forward and not delay the demolition. Vice Chair Willis queried why not maintain a detached garage more in character with the neighborhood rather than an attached garage, which would not have occurred in the 1920s. Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 136     City of Palo Alto Page 3 Ms. Ramamurthi replied that the attached garage would be at the rear of the property, behind the façade of the house, and would set back further than the requirements of a rear attached or detached garage, so it would not be perceived as an attached garage because of the setback. There was an ADU on the property, so replacement parking did not need to be provided. Chair Rohman had walked by and looked at the property and was relieved to see the house was being renovated, not demolished. Chair Rohman did not want to delay the demolition permit. PUBLIC COMMENT Karen H. voiced that a few things convoluted this from being a straightforward application for a demolition moratorium, including the permit application not indicating this was historic but in an historic district, according to CEQA a project could not be segmented, Palo Alto required a replacement building if a building was being demolished, and garages in Professorville should be detached and at the rear. Karen H. requested that the moratorium be extended. Michael D. suggested renovating the garage and did not understand why a state of disrepair would matter in the decision or why a garage needed to be removed or another one built. Michael D. felt it contributed to the look of the neighborhood. Michael D. respectfully requested more time to be given to consider the item. Vice Chair Willis asked if anything from the Professorville guidelines applied to the garage and if segmenting CEQA was an issue. The garage had a strong relationship with the adjacent house to the right and the houses and the garages were set back similar amounts. Mr. Switzer stated the property owner applied for some ministerial permits. Subject to the building permit, the individual review process was not being triggered. A ministerial process was exempt from CEQA. The proposal included an ADU, JADU, and first-story additions to the structure, which only required a building permit. Before the permits could move forward, the demolition of the garage and the replacement parking needed to be tied in with that, so they were together for the replacement parking component. Mr. Switzer believed that captured the CEQA component, that it would not be an issue of segmenting, and that CEQA was not triggered by the work. As for the design guidelines, the project additions and the ADUs were reviewed against the guidelines and considered to be a contributing property within the historic district. Chair Rohman queried if the HRB was to make a recommendation to Council to extend the moratorium or to recommend that it remain as 60 days. Mr. Switzer responded that the recommendation would be to extend the 60 days or there would be no recommendation. Board Member Ulinskas questioned how far along the City was into the 60 days. Mr. Switzer answered that the City was at the threshold of the 60 days. The Staff Report reflected when the item was scheduled to go to Council. Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 137     City of Palo Alto Page 4 Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz sensed that extending a moratorium would not change the outcome. Vice Chair Willis agreed that extending a moratorium would not change the outcome, but extending the moratorium would be an opportunity to voice opinions. Disrupting the garage pattern would be a disservice to the neighborhood. Vice Chair Willis wished the HRB had the plans because that would make things clearer. In making the motion, it would be good to register that it would have been nice if the owners were willing to stay in sync with the neighborhood and maintain the pattern. The outcome was not the best or the worst. Board Member Ulinskas agreed that extending the moratorium was not warranted. Mr. Switzer mentioned that the plans were not provided to the HRB because they were not subject to the HRB’s review. The HRB had a narrow purview for only reviewing the demolition and extending the delay. Vice Chair Willis wanted a clear definition of what the HRB did and did not review and requested that staff share such guidelines if available. This project was likely going to impact Professorville, and Vice Chair Willis wanted to understand the HRB’s limits. Mr. Switzer stated the guidelines would be a great addition to the upcoming work plan. Mr. Switzer believed the purview of the HRB was outlined in Chapter 1649. Mr. Switzer would be happy to set up a meeting for further discussion. Assistant Director Jennifer Armer noted that the work plan could be an opportunity to discuss HRB’s role, what was in the code, and what staff followed to bring items to the HRB. The topic could be discussed even if it was not on the work plan. Board Member Ulinskas asked if items needing IR review would come to the HRB and if items not needing IR review would not. Mr. Switzer replied that discretionary projects had an opportunity to come to the HRB. Discretionary projects on a Category 3 or 4 were perhaps not subject to the HRB’s purview. If it was on another property and falling under what was defined in 1649 as a minor alteration, it would be captured at the staff level rather than the board level. MOTION: Chair Rohman moved, seconded by Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, to recommend that City Council not extend the moratorium for the proposed garage demolition at 439 Lincoln Avenue. Vice Chair Willis requested an amendment stating that the HRB was reluctantly accepting the garage demolition as there was a strong relationship with its neighbor to the right matching house and garage setbacks and maintaining the pattern of the neighborhood, which would be disrupted. Vice Chair Willis wanted Council to understand the logic. The amendment was not accepted. VOTE: The motion passed 3-0-1 (Board Member Ulinskas, Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, and Chair Rohman voted yes) (Vice Chair Willis abstained) Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 138     City of Palo Alto Page 5 3. PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 243 Webster Street [25PLN-00052]: Request for Major Historic Resources Board Review for the Rehabilitation of an existing Category 2 resource including relocation of the residence and conversion to a duplex. CEQA Status: Exempt per CEQA Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures). Zoning District: R-2 (Two Family Residential District). Mr. Switzer supplied a picture of the lot and discussed the background of the property and the architectural style. The project description was listed on Packet Pages 29 and 30. Mr. Switzer displayed slides and outlined the plans, which included raising and relocating the house approximately 3 feet, increasing the grade of the property, and adding lightwells and stairwells and a fence to screen the stairwell to the basement unit. The unpermitted portion in the rear was not subject to the HRB’s purview, but it would be replaced. Mr. Switzer furnished slides showing the existing conditions of the front elevation and grade, which would be slightly elevated. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, as detailed in the Staff Report, noted some of the mitigation measures or features the architect had chosen to provide less of an impact to the historic resource while still accommodating the rehabilitation of the structure for the additional basement unit. Much of the guidance was driven by flood standards. Mr. Switzer shared a slide showing the existing conditions of the side elevation and what was proposed, which included the basement unit, a window change, a small rear addition, and enclosing and expanding a deck on the second story, which did not trigger the discretionary process. The rear of the property would include an addition, a second-story porch, window changes, some differentiation of some of the siding, introduction of lights to bring light into the basement unit, and a second-story window. Staff recommended the application and considered it to be consistent with the standards of review in the Municipal Code and with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The HRB could recommend the application, continue the project to a date certain with specific direction to staff and/or the applicant, or consider the application to be consistent with the standards. Packet Pages 31 through 35 outlined the compliance and the reasoning or analysis for each of the 10 standards for rehabilitation. John Frolli, Principal at Strata Design Studio, an historic architect, voiced that the house was not originally a landmark building, but it was landmarked later by Page & Turnbull, and some exemptions and incentives were allowed. The applicant intended to restore/rehabilitate the house and keep its original character and form, incorporate a unit in the lower area to obtain better site utilization, and demolish the old, non-historic building in the back and do something more in keeping with the front. The applicant looked forward to moving forward with the project and adding some downtown housing units. The primary reason for moving the house was to allow for access to the basement unit on the side in a discrete location and to provide a 6-foot setback. Public Comment There were no requests to speak. Vice Chair Willis asked how high above the current grade the house was and how high it would be above the current grade. Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 139     City of Palo Alto Page 6 Mr. Frolli stated the house would be raised 18 inches. The curbs of the light wells needed to be raised 3 feet for flood zone mitigation. Mr. Frolli explained that it would be a fairly gradual rise and that it should not have a significant impact on the overall appearance relative to the house or the neighboring houses. Vice Chair Willis inquired what the height relationship would be to the adjacent house on the right. Mr. Frolli replied that there would be gradual grading down toward that house to be at its site lot height. There would be gradual step-down terracing of the landscape around the house, and there was a driveway, so there was enough area to make the transition. It would come out and run to the neighboring property, and there would be a 4- to 6-inch curb supporting a fence, which would be the only height change there. It would be fairly insignificant as far as the impact on the neighboring property. Board Member Ulinskas queried if the house was zoned for multifamily. Mr. Frolli answered that it was an R2 Zone. Vice Chair Willis commented that she recently toured the house and was familiar with the property and the owner. MOTION: Chair Rohman moved, seconded by Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, that the HRB find the project at 23 Webster to be compliant with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and recommend that the Director move forward. VOTE: The motion passed 4-0 Vice Chair Willis, Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, and Chair Rohman thanked the owner for doing a nice job. Chair Rohman stated the HRB fully signed off on the project. 4. PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 855 Hamilton Avenue [26PLN-00021]: Request for Major Historic Resources Board Review for the Rehabilitation and First Floor Addition at the Rear of the Residence with Incidental Exterior Window and Door Replacements. CEQA Status: Exempt per CEQA Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures). Zoning District: R-1 (Single Family Residential). Board Member Ulinskas recused himself from the project and exited the meeting. Mr. Switzer voiced that the property was evaluated as part of the 2023 Reconnaissance Survey and not designated, but it was recommended for listing as a Category 2 resource, which was on Council’s Consent Calendar following this meeting. In an effort to advance a project forward, staff brought it before the HRB for a determination of the project's consistency with the standards. It would not have a bearing on the designation of the property as a project if it was determined to be consistent with the standards. The property owner had expressed interest in listing to utilize some of the incentives in the Zoning Code for historic properties. Mr. Switzer discussed the history of the property. The project description was listed on Packet Page 87. There was a JADU component, which was not subject to the Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 140     City of Palo Alto Page 7 HRB’s review, but as part of the incentives, the property owner had an application for a home improvement exception to provide additional floor area. Mr. Switzer stated the rear changes would include a new pergola. On the front elevation, a window would be changed to a door. A JADU would be added to the rear of the property. On the southern elevation, modifications would be made to the existing second-story patio. The western/rear elevation would include changes to some windows on the second story, the second-story patio, swapping out some doors, and relocating windows on the addition. The northern elevation would include a few window changes. Packet Pages 89 through 93 reflected the project staff analyzed and determined to be consistent with the standards of review in the Municipal Code and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and staff recommended the board make the recommendation to the Director, although the HRB could continue the project to a date certain and provide specific direction to staff/applicant or consider the application to be inconsistent, in which case it should be specified which standards were not compliant. Roma Ms. Olišauskaitė with Geddes Ulinskas Architects shared some images of the property, which included the proposed perspectives. Based on the report, this was not historic but retained an historic footprint, so there were previous permits that modified the area. Ms. Olišauskaitė presented the materials board. The roof finish would be replaced to match the existing or relate it as closely as possible to the sister home at 865 Hamilton. The brick finishes and the limestone would be used for the new elevated deck in the rear and the ADU/JADU finish to contrast slightly with the existing residence. From the public right-of-way, the major change would be replacing the dining room window with a door. Public Comment There were no requests to speak. Vice Chair Willis questioned if there was a requirement for an ADU to be used as an ADU. Mr. Switzer responded that the construction of an ADU attached to a structure was defined in State law. Whether it would be rented or provided for a family member was not regulated. MOTION: Chair Rohman motioned, seconded by Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, that the project at 855 Hamilton be found to be compliant with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and recommended that the Director move forward. VOTE: The motion passed 3-0-1 (Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, Vice Chair Willis, and Chair Rohman voted yes) (Board Member Ulinskas recused) Board Member Ulinskas returned to the meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 5. Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of April 9, 2026. Mr. Switzer announced that all board members were eligible to vote. Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 141     City of Palo Alto Page 8 MOTION: Chair Rohman moved, seconded by Vice Chair Willis, to approve the HRB meeting minutes of April 9, 2026. VOTE: The motion passed 4-0. VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENT There were no requests to speak. BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz discussed a written public comment that had been received in which the commenter was concerned about the prospective purchase of a property and the property's historic status. The commenter had referenced some experiences that Board Member Eagleston- Cieslewicz found to be inconsistent with what would be required of a preservation project or historic rehabilitation in Palo Alto. Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked what resources were available to someone expressing such a concern and who might not have ideal information about the process in general for rehabilitating a historic property. It did not appear that the referenced property was historic. Mr. Switzer answered that the reference was to the Emerson property, which was not historic. Mr. Switzer had responded to the email and provided some information and available resources. The information could be found on the website, although it was difficult to find, so Mr. Switzer had provided the links to the real estate agent for the prospective buyer and tried to clear the air of the misconceptions for the permitting process. Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz mentioned that the more that could be done to clear up misconceptions the better off all would be. There were things a purchaser/homeowner did not need to be concerned about. Vice Chair Willis inquired if there had been clarification of the $2 million that had been brought up as the extra cost of the historic review and the requirements. Mr. Switzer stated that warding off some of the misconceptions rather than getting into the details was a more constructive way to face such issues. Vice Chair Willis was curious what could be addressed more directly in the future and asked when the intern would be available. Mr. Switzer answered that the intern would start on June 15. Some of the items the intern would work included the historic inventory. Mr. Switzer believed there were items in the work plan for community engagement to ward off some of the misconceptions the community might have about historic resources. Vice Chair Willis offered to provide any needed direction and be the intern’s intern. Vice Chair Willis wanted an updated inventory before she exited the HRB, and she was willing to work on it. Chair Rohman voiced that a list of the City inventory was published online, and Mr. Switzer had a copy of it in a spreadsheet. Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 142     City of Palo Alto Page 9 Board Member Ulinskas noted that San Francisco Planning had a property database, which could be a great template. Mr. Switzer remarked that he had attended a session at the Historic Preservation Conference in May for creating a more engaged inventory and community. A few certified local government programs across the state had digitized versions, which were somewhat interactive. Staff had many great examples and hoped to provide the community with a great example. Vice Chair Willis wanted to meet with Mr. Switzer and the intern next week. There were discrepancies in how the inventory would be approached, and she wanted to lay out the parameters for a manageable and understandable end product. ADJOURNMENT Chair Rohman adjourned the meeting at 9:47 a.m. Item 4 Attachment A - June 11, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes     Packet Pg. 143