LOS ALTOS, CA
HISTORIC
DE MARTINI HOUSE
HISTORIC
PRESERVATION
The original location of this small home before being moved to its current site on Hillview Avenue, was at the corner of San Antonio and Edith Avenue, across the street from the Civic Center near the city's Downtown. The home was threatened to be demolished if it could not be relocated to a vacant lot so a large new senior housing development project could be built on the last remaining orchard property in the city. The house along with the property had been on the local Historic Inventory an was of local historical significance because it had belonged to the De Martini Family, who were connected with the early agricultural development of the Santa Clara Valley.
The De Martini House is an excellent example of a small "pattern book" bungalow home that were popular in the early 1920's and 1930's prior to World War II. The plans for these homes often embraced more collective architectural styles that mimicked the past e.g., Neoclassical Revival, Neo-French, Colonial Revival, etc. Sometimes referred to as Neoeclectic, these homes were extensively promoted throughout the United States by the Sears and Roebuck Company in Chicago, through their mail order catalogs.
The Los Altos Community Foundation commissioned us to perform both the design and construction support services for the restoration and adaptive reuse of the building for the organization's new offices. We also assisted the Foundation in preparing various feasibility studies during the site acquisition selection process.