Home Tours North and South

Not to cast any aspersions on May flowers, but pardon our observation that for Eichler enthusiasts at both ends of California this season, April showers bring May tours.

A dozen prime examples of what can be done with an Eichler in this modern age are featured in two separate 2019 home tours next month—one in Northern California, the other in Southern California.

Of the 11,000 homes built in the mid-century by Joe Eichler, more than a third of them are in Palo Alto and Sunnyvale, locations of the 'Eichler Inspired Home Tour' on Saturday May 4.

While only 350 Eichlers were built in the city of Orange, they seem to have an 'historic' edge this year with something that's being celebrated Saturday and Sunday May 18-19 as part of their 'Preserve Orange County Eichler Home Tour.'

"The homes we chose are all contributors to the historic districts," says Krista Nicholds, referring to the new districts created last year by the city of Orange and seven homes included in the May 18-19 tour to benefit Preserve Orange County, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

"It [local historic status] actually protects the houses more than placement on the National Register of Historic Places," commented Nicholds, president of the preservation group.

The harmoniously named Fairhaven (1960), Fairmeadow (1962), and Fairhills (1964) Eichler tracts are all represented on the Orange tour, as are the three Eichler architectural firms of Anshen and Allen, Jones & Emmons, and Claude Oakland.

Tickets are still available for both tours, which are about as far apart pricewise as they are geographically. While the May 4 'Inspired' tour features four Palo Alto Eichlers plus a 'reincarnated' one in Sunnyvale for the bargain price of $8 for an advance ticket ($10 at the door), admission to the 'Preserve Orange County' tour runs $60, or $150 if including a catered reception and admission to a panel discussion.