Menlo Eichlers on the Edge

Menlo Park, heart of Silicon Valley, has some of the loveliest neighborhoods anywhere, including groupings of Eichlers that remain virtually unknown, even to experienced Eichler watchers.

There are only 50 or so homes built by Joe Eichler in town. But they are a varied lot, ranging from some of the first he ever built to the some of the last. They include some of his smallest early homes, and some of his largest early homes—mid-1950s houses that provide 2,800 square feet of indoor space on large lots.

Most of the Eichler homes in Menlo Park are little known even among fans because they are in small clusters, and many cannot be seen at all from the street.

Today, sky-high prices for real estate are putting many of them in jeopardy. Teardowns and unsympathetic remodels have destroyed many, but some longtime homeowners and newcomers are preserving their Eichlers.

"I think this is just quintessential, quintessential California," newcomer Erica Galles says of the home she shares with her young family.

But Menlo Park remains in transition, and the Eichlers there are getting impacted. But what's the story behind it all? Find out more in 'Menlomorphosis,' a sneak preview of the new, winter 2014 issue of CA-Modern magazine.