Fremont Older Open Space Preserve facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Woodhills
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 Location in San Jose, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Cupertino, California |
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| Area | 3.7 acres (1.5 ha) |
| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | Wolfe, Frederick D.; McCall, Charles W. |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement, Bay Area shingle style |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000773 |
| Added to NRHP | December 20, 1978 |
The Fremont Older Open Space Preserve is a large park in Santa Clara County, California. It covers about 739 acres, which is like 739 football fields! This park is managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
You can explore the preserve on 14.7 miles (23.7 km) of trails. Most of these trails are great for hiking, riding horses (equestrians), and biking. The district has owned this beautiful area since 1975.
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Discover Fremont Older Open Space Preserve
This amazing park is named after Fremont Older, a famous newspaper editor from San Francisco. He and his wife, Cora, bought this land in 1912. Back then, it was about 200 acres and cost $10,000.
In 1914, the Olders built a special house on their property. They lived there for the rest of their lives. Fremont passed away in 1935, and Cora in 1968.
The Historic Woodhills House
The house they built is called Woodhills. It has a very interesting design! It mixes two styles: the "shingle style" and the "modern movement" style. The shingle style uses wooden shingles on the walls, giving it a unique look.
Saving a Special Home
When the park district bought the land, the Woodhills house was in bad shape. It was even planned to be torn down! But in 1979, a newspaper publisher named Mort Levine stepped in. He worked hard to convince the district to save the house.
The district agreed to let Mr. Levine lease the house for 25 years for just $1 a year. Mr. Levine and his wife spent $350,000 and 12 years fixing up the house. Now, it looks amazing!
The Woodhills house is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now a private home for the Levines. However, you can sometimes visit it during special tours led by docents (trained guides) each spring.
Explore the Preserve's Highlights
The Fremont Older Open Space Preserve has many cool spots to check out.
Hunter's Point: Amazing Views
One popular spot is Hunter's Point. It's a bald hilltop about 900 feet (275 meters) high. From here, you can see incredible views of the southern San Francisco Bay Area. It's a perfect place to take photos!
You can also find Maisie's Peak, which is the highest point in the whole preserve. Another interesting place is Garrod Farms.
Connecting to Nature
The preserve has many miles of trails that connect to other nearby parks. You can even hike from Fremont Older to Stevens Creek County Park and Montebello Open Space Preserve. This makes it easy to explore even more of nature!
