1 of only 3 Public Frank Lloyd Wright sites in CA and they only allow visitors twice a year so…read morecount yourself an architecture nerd and a lucky-one if you do get a spot on the tour. Older review from before Covid, you can email hannahouse@stanford.edu for next tour dates. You can take as many pictures as you want outside but no pictures of the interior so I added some I found online. This is what makes this design unique compared to other FLW works: -Hexagons/honeycomb, back in 1936 imagine the precision that had to be done by hand to make the huge structure a honeycomb as well as small details like the stone tiles. One cut slightly wrong would have snowballed into huge misalignments. -First FLW work in non-rectangular structures -First FLW work in the Bay Area It's not as epic and grand as Fallingwater or as contemplative as Taliesin West and it is smaller than some of the US public FLW sites but it's only 1 of 3 in Cali you can see the interior of and you get a more complete picture if you can see inside/out and hear the docents anecdotes about the design and house.

Hanna House is one of the few northern California buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Located…read morein a residential neighborhood within the boundaries of the sprawling Stanford University campus, the home is currently occupied by a private party and is not open to the public. However, it once served as the official residence for the Provost where the university regularly held alumni and fundraising events and one might reasonably assume the home may someday return to it's previous semi-public stature. Although visitors are discouraged from trespassing on the property, the house has been magnificently maintained and is visible from the street below. A relatively new arrangement with the Stanford Historical Society will enable the public to tour the house twice each year. Interested parties should contact hannahouse@stanford.edu to receive information about future tour dates and booking arrangements.

This giant fruit cocktail can is certainly unique, and a little weird to have in the middle of a…read morebusiness park. But hey, that's what replaced the former site of the factory that was once the world's largest cannery... can't change history. There are lovely trees and vegetation and some grass surrounding the water tower, as well as several benches and picnic tables around the border of the monument and along random pathways between the office buildings. Google maps leads you to a small parking lot right in from of Libby's Water Tower, but there are several larger parking lots around the entire business park. Signs say the parking is restricted, but the lots are so large and so empty, with just a handful of cars altogether (at least after 7pm on a weekday), that I don't think it's a problem to park here. Besides, it only takes like 10 minutes to check the place out (too quick to get towed), and if you choose to have lunch here, probably an hour at most. There's also free unrestricted parking on California Ave. I went for a run in the area, taking laps around the business park, and found a good number of couples, individuals, and families taking laps as well... jogging, skating, going for a stroll, walking their dogs, some just making use of the wide open space in the lots. I saw families with the parents on skates and skateboards and their kids on little toddler bikes (even though there's a sign that says skateboarding is prohibited)... So apparently, this business park is really used as a "park"!!?! Though there's nothing too fancy or exciting about this historical landmark, the area is clean and inviting and not run down. It's peaceful and not crowded. It's certainly something out of the ordinary to see and learn about. Most of all, it made me hungry for sliced peaches! :D

Sing it with me!! This is Libby's, Libby's, Libby's I the label, label, label you will like it,…read morelike it, like it on the Tower,Tower,Tower! The original tower supplied water to the Cannery, it was replaced in 1965 by this present structure. Around the structure are benches and a couple tables as well as a lawn to sit on and have a picnic there is also beautiful "and I mean beautiful" landscaping all around it. Wifey and I visited on a Saturday and it was so peaceful here as there was nobody else around.

Once abandoned and in ruins, when we first moved to the Bay Area it was a desolate and decayed huge…read morelot with a pet goat and a caretaker in a mobile home to shoo off explorers and vandals. Built in the 1930s by Kenneth Kitchen. It's inspired by romanticized Hindu mysticism as well as the arcane and occult. Because of this the site is covered in symbology and hidden meaning. From the obvious all seeing eye at the front gate to the mini details in the brick there is an esoteric design language that keeps it all unified and cohesive. The legend is also complemented by the fact that the owner and brothers were bricklayers and stone masons and it was only constructed under moon light. It was purchased in 2016 and lovingly restored and developed by the new owners to preserve the local folk-art style architecture. The new main house is next to the "court of mysteries" and a lot of the missing abalone and smashed brick has been painstakingly replaced.

The Court of Mysteries (which also goes by The Red Brick Castle, among other names) is a beautiful…read moremonument and home in Santa Cruz, which not many people know about. It has a very interesting history to it, and though you cannot go inside the house or on the property itself (because it is a private residence), you can still appreciate the architecture from out front, including a lovely fountain in the courtyard, and learn about the stories and mysteries that have defined this unique landmark. These stories can easily be found online, but some of the most interesting details are that the original builder (Kenneth Kitchen and his brother) built it only during the night, modeled it after a Hindu temple, and incorporated hidden messages throughout, using shapes, astrological symbols, and dashes and dots resembling morse code, with possible connection to the occult. Also, there is no historical record of Kenneth Kitchen after he left Santa Cruz in the 1950's, so yeah a lot of oddities to drive your imagination and make you wonder. One of the most intriguing parts of the Court of Mysteries is the "Gate of Prophesy" which has two magnificent towers and an intricately designed archway with the mysterious triangular structure at its center. Beautiful trees and vegetation surround the brick and abalone "temple" and entire site, creating a picturesque scene overall. Apparently the property was restored a few years ago by the previous owners (I'm pretty sure that rebuild didn't occur "only at night"). They even built a house on the left side to live in while reconstructing the Court of Mysteries. The property was subsequently sold in late 2021. If you're interested in a quick visit, it's easy to just park right on the street, take a few photos of the amazing archway and towers, and peek through the gate to see what the Court of Mysteries looks like today... and then maybe amuse yourself with the legend and history behind this strange phenomenon.

I was on a walk around Willow Glen when I chanced upon this beautiful, older house. I paused to…read morelook at it when I saw the signs that said it's a landmark which made sense. From some online research... "The Buffington House on Lincoln Ave in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. Landmark No 35. Designated May 20, 1986. Dedicated Founders Day 1988. Inscription: Lulu and Howard M Buffington, police and fire chief, city of Willow Glen. Representative of residences that lined Lincoln Avenue. This residential complex included a house, carriage house and other structures when it was renovated in 1988. The Buffington House was converted to commercial office use in 1988. A 9,000-square-foot office expansion, designed in 1991-1992 and costing approximately $800,000, was added to the property c, 1995, designed by Bamburg."

This is the building that comes to mind when I think of downtown Los Gatos. This iconic building on…read morethe corner of W. Main St. and not Santa Cruz with its distinctive architecture reminds us of an earlier time. It was built in the 1890s and still holds a prestigious spot here.

Davenport Jail, Cabrillo Hwy CA Sat 8/28/21…read more By virtue of curiosity I ventured around the Davenport Roadhouse and discovered this old Davenport Jail near The Slow Coast Wine Bar by Beauregard. This tiny facility holding two cells was built in the year 1914, I'm truly surprised. Obviously it saw little use in this peaceful community. I can hardly wait to tell you how cute this little jailhouse is! As local tails say it, the jail once held two boys from San Mateo, overnight, for stealing horses. It also held local drunks on occasion, till they sobered up. In 1936 new Front Street jail had opened in Santa Cruz, so naturally there wasn't much use for the Davenport Jail any more. There's a Davenport Cement plant nearby. The building is made out of Santa Cruz Portland Cement produced at the plant. In its present use, the jail became a museum of history of Davenport and the north coast region. It has been dedicated as historic landmark on June 21, 2014 by the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus Credo Quia Absurdum El Viceroy Marques De Branciforte Chapter 1797. When you're driving down Hwy 1, you might want to stop by and take a look. It's a few steps down from the Davenport Roadhouse. Great food and drinks if you so choose! Cheers, enjoy! Review with photos posted Sat 8/28/21 There's a sign on the wall But she wants to be sure 'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings In a tree by the brook There's a songbird who sings Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven

Went for a jog here while in the area, and took some time to explore the park and the historical…read morebuildings of Oracle... auditorium, mansion (Agnews State Hospital superintendent's residence), clocktower (formerly the treatment building), and visitor center. The info center had plenty to share about the history of Agnews as a state hospital for the mentally ill, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake killing 106 patients and 11 staff members, rebuilt and reopened 5 years later, and becoming the first modern psychiatric hospital in California. You can't enter the buildings (except the mansion and auditorium by reservation), but there's sufficient signage near each of the buildings, noting its history, to educate visitors. And there are beautiful trees and well maintained grassy fields with a few picnic tables and benches on site. Still, access to this park is very limited, as it's the location of the Oracle Santa Clara campus. Not the ideal park due to its inconveniences and lack of offerings, but still cool to learn a bit about its history, or just a simple peaceful spot for picnicking.

It's nice that they now have dog waste bags stations at the park. They also posted dog leash…read morerequired signs a while back. Can't wait for the Spring when all the flowers are blooming.

In 1850-51, around this site, Martin McCarty's Toll Gate, the town of Saratoga grew. The city name…read morechanged several times from Toll Gate to McCartysville to Bank Mills to Saratoga. In 1850-51 Martin McCarty, a lumberman, built a toll road up the canyon to what had become known as Campbell's Redwoods. At the lower end of the road a small settlement, then known as Toll Gate, began to grow. In 1855 a post office was established under the name of McCartysville. McCarty's toll gate crossed Big Basin Way, then known as Lumber Street, near the corner of Third Street. In 1854 William Haun and John Whisman established a gristmill called Redwood Mills. The mill was later purchased by Charles Maclay who changed the name to Bank Mills. In 1863 he was also successful in changing the name of the post office to Bank Mills. In 1865 the village changed its name again. This time Saratoga was chosen as the town was close to the nearby Congress Mineral Springs. The name commemorates the famous mineral springs in New York. Information from Syd Whittle of El Dorado Hills, California, April 7, 2011.