HP Garage facts for kids
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Hewlett Packard House and Garage
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The HP garage in March 2009
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 HP House and Garage
Location in San Francisco Bay Area
HP House and Garage
Location in California
HP House and Garage
Location in the United States
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| Location | 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, California |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | pre 1938 |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000307 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 20, 2007 |
The HP Garage is a special place in Palo Alto, California. It's known as the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" because the famous company Hewlett-Packard (HP) started here. This garage is now a private museum.
Back in the 1930s, Stanford University and its engineering dean, Frederick Terman, wanted students to stay in California. He encouraged them to create new technology companies. Bill Hewlett and David Packard, who founded HP, were the first Stanford students to follow his advice.
Today, the HP Garage is a California Historical Landmark. It's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can't go inside for tours, but you can see the property from the sidewalk.
Contents
The HP Garage: Birthplace of Silicon Valley
How it All Began
The house at 367 Addison Avenue was first lived in by Dr. John Spencer and his family in 1905. Dr. Spencer became the first mayor of Palo Alto in 1909. In 1918, the house was split into two apartments, numbered 367 and 369.
In 1937, David Packard, who was 25, visited Bill Hewlett in Palo Alto. This was their first business meeting. Both men had studied at Stanford University. Their dean, Frederick Terman, had told his students to start their own electronics companies in the area.
In 1938, Dave Packard and his new wife, Lucile, moved into the first-floor apartment at 367 Addison Avenue. Bill Hewlett slept in a small shed nearby. They started their business in the one-car garage. They began with just $538, which was a good amount of money back then!
First Products and Big Customers
In 1939, Packard and Hewlett officially formed their company. They flipped a coin to decide if it would be Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett. Hewlett won, so it became Hewlett-Packard.
Their very first product, built right there in the garage, was an audio oscillator called the HP200A. This device helped test sound equipment. One of their first big customers was Walt Disney Studios. Disney bought eight oscillators to check the sound systems in theaters. These theaters were getting ready to show Fantasia, which was one of the first major films with stereophonic sound.
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A Landmark of Innovation
The HP Garage is recognized as a very important historical site.
- It became a California registered landmark in 1987.
- It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Garaje HP para niños
