Palmita Park
100 YEARS MARKED WITH BOOK AND 1920s THEMED CELEBRATION
Celebrates Centennial
— Kyle Hartzell and Melanie Kaye Photos : Cherylle Goebel
2024 marks 100 years since the creation of Palmita Park in Old Mountain View . The original subdivision included Loreto , Anza , and Velarde Street . Palmita Park was the brainchild of Earl Minton , owner of the Minton Lumber Company , a creative and effective businessman , who understood that the housing boom in the early 1920s offered a prime opportunity to expand his business as a lumber merchant .
In the two decades preceding 1920 , the Santa Clara Valley attracted great numbers of immigrants , drawn by the familiar mild climate and land available for cultivation . These families put down roots in Mountain View , joining a growing middle class with a desire for single family homes . Affordable house plan catalogs , touting the modern efficiency of built-ins in the new 5-room house became available . This new ‘ bungalow ’ presented ways to include classical architectural styles at an affordable price .
Earl Minton and B . W . Holeman , local bank president , purchased a tract of land adjacent to Mountain View and subdivided it . They would market these properties , including a clause that all building supplies for homes built on them must be purchased through what was then known as The Minton Company . Minton provided a book of house plans that home buyers could use or customize .
A contest was held to name the subdivision in 1924 . Mrs . C . E . Kunze won the $ 25 prize with her entry of Palmita Park , which was selected for the little palms planted along the tree lawns , and because it was “ peculiar , fitting , and easy to remember .”
Building began on Loreto St ., with the first home built for Alfred Olson , treasurer of the Minton Company . The large white home at 398 Loreto was another notable early build for Mr . S . A . Chappell , the local druggist .
Palmita Park was highly advertised in the Mountain View Register-Leader , a local paper , touting many modern conveniences , including the placement of
Original ad for S . A . Chappell ’ s Palmita Park home , and a 1926 photo , from his granddaughter , Ms Joann Steiger The house appears today just as it did in 1926 .
electrical and sewer lines along an easement at the back of the properties , meant to beautify the street . While initial plans for the subdivision show two curved streets that were included for aesthetic reasons , Velarde Street later lost its curve in favor of making California a throughstreet . It became Mountain View ’ s first parkway , featuring a strip of land running up the middle of Velarde between Bush and Anza , distinguished by oak trees and electroliers ( streetlights ). The Register- Leader referred to this plan as “ big city stuff .”
Most of Loreto Street and parts of Velarde between Bush and Anza were completed before 1929 . Velarde to the north of Anza was primarily completed in the late 1930s . Homes on Velarde from Anza to Calderon were built later .
Melanie Kaye ( left ) and Kyle Hartzell celebrate finishing their book , Palmita Park The First 100 Years
In 2023 , neighbors on Loreto Street petitioned the city to replace the little palms , after several were lost during winter storms . Residents appreciated that the city purchased and planted palm trees to maintain the historical street of Little Palms .
The Centennial Celebration
A celebration commemorating the Palmita Park centennial was held on Loreto Street Saturday , September 21 , 2024 .
MVHA President , Pamela Baird and Greg Unangst visit Palmita Park in their 1924 best
The festivities opened with an informative history walking tour , led by Melanie Kaye and Kyle Hartzell , authors of Palmita Park | The First 100 Years . The tour was capped off with a champagne toast to the next 100 years .
( Continued on page 6 )
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