Pictures of the HP House and Garage

updated May 14, 2020


The famous HP house and garage is located at 367 Addison Avenue near the intersection of Waverley Street in Palo Alto.  The HP headquarters is only about two miles away to the south east.  Downtown Palo Alto is only a few blocks away on Waverley Street. 

These are some pictures I took of the famous HP house and Garage during my trip to Palo Alto in early June, 2007.  HP purchased the house in 2000 and did a major restoration in 2005.  The house was restored to the original style and paint color as it was in 1939.  See http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/garage/ (now a dead link) for details including a video of the restoration.  The interior of the house has been accommodated with as similar furniture and style as possible to as it was in 1939 based on the few vintage pictures that exist.  The dining room has a large table and is occasionally used for various high level meetings.  The kitchen is fully functional and even includes an oven (a museum piece) just like the original that was used for both cooking and baking the paint on the oscillators. There is even a reconstructed work table in the garage with tools, equipment, and a drill press just like the original.

Because the house is in a neighborhood and HP is not in the tour guide business, HP only gives inside tours on special occasions so as not to cause any disturbance.  A caretaker actually lives in the house.  I am one of the fortunate few that have had an inside tour.  I have to give HP an A+ for a job very well done!  One really feels as if a young Bill or Dave could appear at any moment. It is very awe inspiring to stand in the very spot in the garage where so much history began.  It is my understanding that a virtual tour of the interior will be available on the HP website sometime in the future.

On any given day a number of people come by and take pictures.  If you want to visit the house be prepared to look for a place to park as parking places can be hard to come by although I have had good luck the several times I have been there.  There are parking garages a few blocks away in downtown.


Here is the corner of the house showing the garage and historical marker.


Here is a close-up of the historical marker.


This view is from the corner of Addison Avenue and Waverley Street.


Another view from the street corner.


Looking down Addison Avenue with the HP house on the right.


Front right of the house.


Looking the other way down Addison Avenue with the house on the left.


Front view of the house and garage.  My friend, Marc Mislange (http://www.hpmemory.org) is seen taking a picture of my other friend, Glenn Robb (http://www.hparchive.com) and his wife, Tania.


The famous garage.  The work table is just inside the door on the right.


View of the garage from the sidewalk.  For the restoration, HP chose a gate to permit maximum observation.


The front porch.


The front door.


The sidewalk in front of the house.


Looking down the street in front of the house.  You can see the mountain in the background and Stanford University is only about a mile away.  HP is about another mile to the left.


Looking at the houses across the street as seen from the driveway to the garage.