Professorville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Professorville Historic District
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Sun-bonnet House at 1061 Bryant St.
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 Professorville Historic District
Location in San Francisco Bay Area
Professorville Historic District
Location in California
Professorville Historic District
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Embarcadero Rd., Addison Ave., Emerson and Cowper Sts. Palo Alto, California |
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| Area | 34.4 acres (13.9 ha) |
| Built | 1895 |
| Architect | Bernard Maybeck |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Craftman bungalow |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000861 |
| Added to NRHP | October 3, 1980 |
Professorville is a special neighborhood in Palo Alto, California. It is known for its historic homes. These homes were built by professors from Stanford University. Professorville is officially a registered historic district. This means it's a place with important historical buildings.
The main part of Professorville is found between Kingsley and Addison avenues. It also includes the cross streets of Ramona and Waverley. However, many people in the community think the district is even bigger. They see it stretching from Addison and Cowper Street to Emerson Street and Embarcadero Road.
Why Professorville Started
Professorville's story is closely linked to the beginning of Stanford University. When Stanford University was founded, professors could build houses on university land. But they could only lease the land, not own it. This meant they would rent the land from the university.
Many professors wanted to own their own land. Professorville was the closest area to the university and downtown Palo Alto that was not owned by Stanford. So, professors who wanted to own their homes and land built them here. The land lots in Professorville came in many different sizes. Some were very large, like full blocks. Over time, owners of these big lots sold off smaller parts of their property. This created a mix of different sized homes and yards.
Cool House Styles
The houses in Professorville are famous for their unique looks. Many are brown-shingled houses with special "gambrel roofs." These roofs have two different slopes on each side. The styles of these homes range from Colonial Revival to American Craftsman. You can also see many Dutch Colonial style homes, especially on three blocks of Kingsley Avenue.
One of the biggest homes is a three-story house at 450 Kingsley. It has 14 rooms! This house used to belong to Fernando Sanford. He was Stanford's very first physics professor. The house was designed by an architect named Frank McMurray. It has cool features like a Queen Anne corner tower. It also has a Palladian window at the front. These were very popular styles when the house was built.
Other professors also had their homes here. For example, 1005 Bryant was built for Professor Frank Angell. He started the psychology department at Stanford. Another home at 433 Melville belonged to Professor Charles Henry Gilbert. He was the first head of the Zoology Department. This house was designed by Professor Arthur Bridgman Clark, who was an architect and art professor.
