Duveneck/St. Francis

Duveneck/St. Francis is the part of north Palo Alto that most visitors never see. It sits east of the old curving streets of Crescent Park, between San Francisquito Creek and Embarcadero Road, on the way to US 101. The streets are flat, tree-lined and lined with single-story houses from the 1950s. Most traffic passes along Embarcadero Road on its way to the freeway and leaves the side streets alone.

The neighborhood has two claims to architectural fame. It contains Green Gables, one of two Eichler tracts in Palo Alto on the National Register of Historic Places. It also has Edgewood Plaza, the only shopping center Joseph Eichler built. This guide covers where it is, how it developed, the homes, schools, parks, shopping, the creek and what living here is like.

Where Duveneck/St. Francis is

The neighborhood lies in the northeast corner of the residential city. Palo Alto Weekly's fact box lists San Francisquito Creek, Newell Road, Embarcadero Road and Greer Road among its edges. In practice it runs from Crescent Park around Newell Road east toward US 101, with the creek on the north and Embarcadero Road on the south. Across the creek are Menlo Park and East Palo Alto in San Mateo County.

The double name combines two landmarks. Duveneck Elementary School on Alester Avenue is named for Frank and Josephine Duveneck, the couple known for Hidden Villa, the farm and nature preserve in Los Altos Hills. St. Francis Drive runs through the neighborhood near Edgewood Plaza. Neighborhood boundaries in Palo Alto are informal, so real estate listings sometimes fold parts of this area into Crescent Park.

From truck farm to tract homes

Before World War II, much of this land was farmed. Palo Alto Weekly has described it as a vegetable truck farm before development. After the war Palo Alto needed housing fast and builders filled the area with single-story homes through the 1950s.

Joseph Eichler was among the first. In 1950 his company built Green Gables, a tract of modern homes designed by the San Francisco architects Anshen and Allen. The city's historic survey counts 63 properties in the tract, on streets including Wildwood Lane, Greer Road, Channing Avenue and Ivy Lane, with a single plan adapted to different lot orientations. Conventional ranch houses and other tract homes filled the surrounding blocks.

Eichler also built Edgewood Plaza at Embarcadero Road and St. Francis Drive. According to the Eichler Network it was the only shopping center he developed. A. Quincy Jones designed it. Our Silicon Valley history explains how postwar growth reshaped Palo Alto in these years.

Green Gables historic district

Green Gables was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 28, 2005, the same day as the Greenmeadow tract in south Palo Alto. Residents organized both nominations through a group called Eichler Historic Quest. The listing recognizes the tract as an intact example of uniform single-story midcentury modern design.

Look for low gabled or flat roofs, closed street fronts with carports or garages and large glass walls facing the back gardens. As with all Eichler neighborhoods, the homes are private. Enjoy them from the sidewalk. Our Palo Alto architecture guide explains the Eichler style and the architects behind it. Our Greenmeadow guide covers the other National Register tract.

Homes and streets

Palo Alto Weekly describes the housing as mostly updated single-story tract homes from the 1950s. The mix includes Eichlers with low, nearly flat roofs, ranch houses with pitched roofs and front lawns and a growing number of two-story rebuilds. Lots are larger than in the dense blocks near downtown but smaller than in Crescent Park.

Residents who have lived here since the 1960s still live alongside young families. Palo Alto Weekly profiles describe a mix of original owners, empty nesters and parents with school-age children. For market context, see our Palo Alto real estate guide.

San Francisquito Creek and flooding

The creek is the neighborhood's main natural hazard. On February 3, 1998, after days of heavy rain, San Francisquito Creek overflowed and flooded about 1,700 properties in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Blocks near the creek here share the same exposure as Crescent Park upstream. High water returned to the creek on December 31, 2022. Our Crescent Park guide tells the full story of the 1998 flood and the bridge that caused much of it.

Parks and open space

Duveneck/St. Francis has no large park of its own, but several are close. The Duveneck Elementary grounds fill with families after school hours. Eleanor Pardee Park at Center Drive and Channing Avenue is a short walk west. Rinconada Park, with the city's public pool and the Junior Museum and Zoo next door, is about a mile southwest on Embarcadero Road.

The bay is even closer. Ride or drive east on Embarcadero Road across US 101 to reach the Baylands Nature Preserve, its marsh boardwalks and the Bay Trail. Closer to home, Palo Alto Weekly reported in 2021 that a resident landscape architect had planted several pollinator gardens in the neighborhood totaling about 10,000 square feet.

Edgewood Plaza and shopping

Edgewood Plaza is the neighborhood's own shopping center. After its supermarket closed in 2006 the center sat largely empty for years while neighbors, preservationists and the developer argued over its future. Sand Hill Property Company eventually renovated the Eichler-era buildings under a plan that also added about 10 single-family homes and a small park. A grocery store has anchored the renovated center since the 2010s, though the operator has changed. Check what is open before you go.

For more choice, residents head to University Avenue downtown or to Town & Country Village and Stanford Shopping Center along El Camino Real. Our guide to Midtown and Edgewood Plaza shopping has more detail.

Getting around

The Palo Alto Caltrain station at University Avenue is the closest, roughly 2 miles west. Many residents bike there through Crescent Park and downtown. Embarcadero Road connects the neighborhood with US 101 to the east and with Middlefield Road, Palo Alto High School and El Camino Real to the west. It is busy at rush hour and at school times. University Avenue to the north is the main route downtown and into East Palo Alto. See our getting around guide for buses and bike routes.

Schools

Duveneck Elementary is the neighborhood's anchor. Palo Alto Weekly guides in 2019 and 2021 listed Duveneck Elementary, Greene Middle School and Palo Alto High School for the area. Nearby Crescent Park addresses often fall in the Duveneck attendance area too. Boundaries follow specific streets and can change, so confirm any home with the PAUSD school finder. Our schools guide covers the district and private options.

What living here is like

Residents describe the neighborhood as friendly and cooperative. Neighbors organize emergency preparedness volunteers and look out for one another. Palo Alto Weekly quoted one resident in 2021 saying the neighborhood feels like a family. The neighborhood association has long followed issues such as Edgewood Plaza, traffic on Embarcadero Road and creek flood control.

The appeal is a quiet, flat neighborhood with a good elementary school nearby, easy freeway access and the bay a few minutes away. The trade-offs are flood risk near the creek, freeway noise on the eastern blocks and a longer trip to Caltrain. There are no hotels inside the neighborhood. Visiting family can compare Palo Alto hotels or look for a house rental nearby. For other parts of north Palo Alto, see the neighborhoods overview.

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