University Park Historic Neighborhood — Architectural Review Consulting

This project for Palo Alto’s Planning Division included design review assistance on 16 new and relocated historically styled homes and 30 townhomes on six blocks located between downtown Palo Alto and the Professorville Historic District. 

On the 16 single-family homes, consultation with the architectural team from the Dahlin Group and their client Summer Hill Homes emphasized refining the building volumes, rooflines, window fenestration, and porches and using period accurate detailing and materials. The goal was to make homes conceived in a variety of pre-1930 architectural styles better express the visual vocabulary and ambiance of those styles. 

The consulting, which included working meetings with the project designer, written recommendations and sketches, helped modify several homes’ roof layouts and pitches, improve façade compositions and entry forms, and refine window, eave, porch column, and similar details. Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, and English Cottage were among the styles of homes designated for this district. A positive working relationship with the project architect and developer contributed to high quality designs that fit well with this neighborhood’s traditional small-town streetscapes