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| The Midpeninsula has no shortage of seriously unique homes. From family wineries and historic estates to modern mountain retreats, these one-of-a-kind properties – whether because of their price, unusual design or history – are notable even for Silicon Valley. We regularly highlight some of these not-so-ordinary properties that are on the market right now, or recently sold. This week, we take a look at a century-old Queen Anne Victorian listed for $7.25 million in Palo Alto. |
For more than a century, the two-story Queen Anne at 2275 Amherst St. has stood as one of Palo Alto’s most ornate Victorian residences — admired from the street, featured in magazines and carefully maintained through generations of families. Now, the historic home is on the market for the first time in more than a decade with a listing price of $7.25 million, or the equivalent of about $2,161 per square foot.
Built in 1893, the house is known locally as the “Crown Jewel of College Terrace” for its multitude of exterior embellishments, including a square-shaped corner turret crowned with a steep pyramid roof, spindles at the peak of the side gable, scalloped shingles and fan-shaped carvings above the bay windows and a wraparound porch with Victorian gingerbread trim.
Like many Palo Alto Queen Annes, its history can be linked with the opening of Stanford University in 1891, which brought many young professors from the East and Midwest who chose to buy their own lots rather than lease campus land. As a result, some of the best examples of Queen Anne homes in Palo Alto were built on non-Stanford land in the College Terrace and Professorville neighborhoods between 1893 and 1898. Among them is the Amherst Street home, rivaled in prominence by the “Grande Dame of Crescent Park” on Forest Avenue, which recently made headlines for an extensive restoration.
While the Crescent Park house is being rebuilt and restored from the inside out, the Amherst Street home has retained much of its historic character while incorporating modern updates.
The home sits at one of the neighborhood’s highest elevations and once boasted views of Palo Alto to the north, the hills across the bay and Santa Clara Valley to the south, according to research by late local historian Bo Crane. The home, according to preservation group Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, was possibly built as a model home by the developer who hoped to fill the College Terrace subdivision with “handsome residences” for faculty members and fraternities.
The nearly half-acre property includes about 3,355 square feet of living space, with seven bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, as well as a finished lower-level apartment with a private entrance. Additional space includes a finished attic, a large basement with wine storage and a detached three-car garage. The grounds feature mature landscaping, a pond with a fountain, a paver driveway and multiple outdoor seating areas, according to the sales listing.
Original features include hardwood floors, crown moldings, carved woodwork and pocket doors that separate formal rooms. A sweeping staircase anchors the grand foyer with 10-and-a-half-foot ceilings and bay windows, including one alcove that extends to the second floor, following the shape of the rounded cupola, or rooftop dome, outside. The foyer connects to an adjoining parlor and family spaces.
Previous owners — who included Walter Miller, one of Stanford’s earliest Latin professors and among the university’s original 25 faculty members, followed by the mayor of Mayfield — kept the home in reasonably good repair.
From 1976 to 2012, the owners painstakingly refurbished and, where necessary, restored both the exterior and interior. Inside, original windows, moldings, sliding pocket doors and the staircase coexist with Pirelli flooring and a primary bathroom remodel. In 2015, the kitchen was updated with a white quartz island, farmhouse sink, professional-grade appliances and porcelain tile flooring.
As of June 8, the property was listed as pending.
