Tract 2 of 32 · 1949–1954 · the early tracts
El Centro Gardens
Sixteen houses, and the first with Anshen & Allen on the drawings.
- Recorded
- 1950
- Architect
- Anshen & Allen
- Homes
- 16
- Era
- Early
- Streets
- La Jennifer Way
- City record
- City of Palo Alto Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines
El Centro Gardens is small enough to walk in ten minutes and important enough to matter. It is among the earliest Palo Alto work where Robert Anshen and Steve Allen are shaping the plan, and the difference from the year before is immediate — the proportions tighten, the glass gets braver, the roof starts doing structural work instead of just covering.
Sixteen lots means turnover is rare and comparable sales are thin. When one trades, it tends to be a private conversation rather than a listing. That is true of most of the small early recordings, but it is especially true here. The recorded lots run along La Jennifer Way.
What was built here
Early-fifties plans: post-and-beam frame left visible, radiant heat in the slab, a near-blank wall to the street and the rear given over to glass. Compact by modern standards — most have been added to. No atrium; that idea is still years away.
What moves the number in El Centro Gardens
- Early Anshen & Allen post-and-beam — exposed structure inside, with the beams running through to the exterior.
- Single-pane glass walls unless someone has upgraded them. Replacement changes both comfort and appearance, and not always for the better.
- Small original kitchens. Most have been opened up; how sympathetically is the question that moves the price.
What is it worth?
We price El Centro Gardens the way it was built.
By tract, by architect, by what is still intact. Tell us the address and we will come back with the range and the reasoning behind it — not an automated estimate.
Before they hit the market
Most El Centro Gardens homes we sell never reach a portal.
Owners in these tracts tend to know each other. When one decides to move, we usually hear first. Join the list and you will hear early too — no volume, no drip campaign.
Eichlers@Boyenga.comEichlerHomesForSale.comBoyengaTeam.com Eric Boyenga DRE #01254724 · Janelle Boyenga DRE #01254725