Greenmeadow

Greenmeadow is a planned neighborhood of 243 single-story houses in southern Palo Alto, built in 1954 and 1955 by Eichler Homes on about 73 acres of its own land. The houses were designed by the firm of A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons in the Mid-Century Modern style, with exposed post-and-beam construction, slab-on-grade foundations, redwood plywood siding, and floor-to-ceiling glass at the rear. Street fronts are nearly blank to preserve privacy, and each house has a front-facing two-car garage. Six model types appear across the district. A 2.9-acre community center with a multi-purpose building, pool buildings, pool and park sits at its center, and Thomas Church designed the original redwood landscaping. Eichler stood out among postwar builders by consistently offering architect-designed modern homes to middle-class buyers despite resistance from lenders. About 92 percent of the buildings still contribute to the district's character, helped by an active architectural review committee.