"When Diane and Bob Reklis bought their Eichler home in Palo Alto's Palo Verde neighborhood in 1979, they weren't necessarily looking to be part of one of America's great experiments in residential design and social progress. Parents of three daughters, they wanted to live in a family-friendly neighborhood, near Bob's job at Lockheed. But they were drawn to the Eichler brand of stylish, affordable modernist homes."
"From the late 1940s to the 1960s, pioneering developer Joseph Eichler and his company mass-produced nearly 11,000 of these Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired residences in the Bay Area and other parts of California to support a booming post-World War II population. In the Bay Area, there are Eichlers everywhere, usually clustered together in San Jose, Contra Costa County, the Peninsula and Marin County."
"Among Eichler owners, there are a fair number of designers, artists and other creative types. Palo Verde, for example, was home to engineer Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse, while Steve Jobs grew up near Eichler homes in Mountain View and once said their clean and simple design inspired his vision for the first Apple products. It's easy to get Eichler homeowners talking about their homes and neighborhoods."
Eichler homes are single-story, midcentury modern tract houses developed by Joseph Eichler from the late 1940s through the 1960s, with nearly 11,000 built across California to serve postwar population growth. The houses feature open layouts, floor-to-ceiling glass doors, and a focus on year-round indoor-outdoor living that appealed to families. Many Eichler neighborhoods became creative enclaves, attracting designers, engineers and artists. Notable residents include Douglas Engelbart and connections to Steve Jobs, whose upbringing near Eichlers influenced his design sensibility. Eichler communities remain appreciated for affordability, modernist aesthetics, and family-friendly practicality.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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