Brown & Kauffmann was a homebuilder founded in Palo Alto by Samuel H. Kauffmann III, a published memorial says. Published accounts tie the firm's name to 1950s streets in south Palo Alto, to the Sequoyah Hills tract in Oakland alongside Eichler Homes, and to Rinconada Hills, a townhouse community in Los Gatos.
The firm left a thin public record. Santa Clara County's index of recorded maps lists no map under its name, and none of the county, city or town records we read names it as a builder. This guide pieces together what the records do show, from county maps and city and town parcel data, plus a few secondary accounts we flag as such. Where we couldn't confirm a claim, we say so instead of repeating it.
Who was behind Brown & Kauffmann
The memorial names Kauffmann as the firm's founder, but it doesn't give a founding year, name his partner or list any projects.
The partner. The firm's name tells you there was a partner named Brown. A Palo Alto preservation group's street-by-street house list names him as Wayne Brown "of the Brown and Kauffmann developers," and credits him with naming several streets.
The spelling. The memorial and the Los Gatos community's homeowners association both spell it Brown & Kauffmann, with two f's and two n's. The preservation group's list also uses "Brown and Kaufman" and "Brown and Kaufmann." If you're searching permits or old ads, try every spelling.
What's missing. No official record we read gives the firm's start date, how many houses it built, or which architects drew its plans.
Meadowpark and the south Palo Alto streets, 1955-1958
The county's map index, a public dataset, lists three Meadowpark tract maps in Palo Alto, each a portion of Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito:
Tract No. 1563, Meadowpark Unit No. 2: surveyed June 1955, recorded August 5, 1955, with Corina Way and Ross Road.
Tract No. 1597, Meadowpark Unit 3: surveyed August 1955, recorded October 4, 1955, with East Meadow Drive, Louis Road and Corina Way.
Tract No. 1650, Meadowpark Unit 4: surveyed October 1955, recorded November 18, 1955, with Louis Road, Ross Road, Nathan Way and Corina Way.
The owner listed on all three maps is a title company, so the map record itself doesn't name the builder. We didn't find a Unit 1 or a later unit in the index.
The builder link rests only on a secondary source: the preservation group's street list credits several 1955 houses on Corina Way and Corina Court to Brown & Kauffmann and calls them mid-century modern homes. It credits houses on Gailen Avenue built in 1957 and 1958 to "Brown and Kaufman," and it says Wayne Brown named Gailen Avenue, Gailen Court, May Court and Bibbits Drive. No official record we read describes how these houses look.
The City of Palo Alto's parcel layer adds the build years. Grouping the parcels by these street names is our own step, not a record's:
Corina Way: 63 parcels, 54 with houses built in 1955, 4 in 1956, and 5 with build years from 2012 to 2026.
Gailen Avenue: 30 parcels, built in 1956 (3), 1957 (15) and 1958 (12). Gailen Court: 6 parcels, all 1957.
Bibbits Drive: 27 parcels, built in 1956 (17) and 1957 (10). The list says Brown named this street but doesn't credit any house on it to the firm.
The parcel layer shows no historic status for any parcel on Corina Way or Gailen Avenue and Court. Zoning varies by street, and it matters if you're planning to build up. On Gailen Avenue, 24 of the 30 parcels are zoned R-1 (8000)(S), and so are all 6 on Gailen Court and 10 of the 27 on Bibbits Drive. The "(S)" marks Palo Alto's single-story overlay, and the parcel layer lists a 17-foot maximum height for most of those parcels. Corina Way is zoned R-1 (8000) with no "(S)." Our guide to single-story overlays explains how to check a street.
Sequoyah Hills in Oakland, with Eichler Homes
In the East Bay, according to the neighborhood's own history, the Navy sold the former San Leandro naval hospital site to "developers Eichler and Brown & Kauffmann" in 1964. The same history says that when the last lots sold in 1971, control of the homeowners association passed from the developers to the residents. Our Sequoyah Hills history covers the tract, its mix of Eichler and other houses, and the neighborhood's rules.
Rinconada Hills in Los Gatos, 1968-1981
The third place is Rinconada Hills in Los Gatos. The homeowners association's history says the community was "designed and built by Brown & Kauffmann" from 1968 through 1981 in five phases, and the association counts 394 townhouses and 40 single-family homes on 107 acres. Owners and buyers should read the association's own rules. Rinconada Hills is a different place from Rancho Rinconada in Cupertino, which has its own history.
The Town of Los Gatos parcel layer fills in the build years. Our own grouping, not a record's, takes in 247 parcels on 11 streets in recorded tracts 4126, 4127, 5241, 5435, 5546 and 5548, all in the town and all zoned PD. Their recorded build years run from 1969 to 1977, mostly 1969 (55), 1974 (93), 1975 (39) and 1977 (43). The layer lists 203 of them as two-story, and it flags none as a historic site or as being in the town's hillside overlay.
The sources count differently: our grouping has 247 parcels built from 1969 to 1977, while the association counts 434 homes built through 1981. We didn't find the town ordinance that created the planned-development zoning. Ask the Town of Los Gatos which ordinance applies, and read the association's rules, before you plan changes.
How to confirm a Brown & Kauffmann house
Start with the permit and the tract map. The original building permit may name the builder; the recorded maps in Meadowpark list a title company. Our guide on checking permit history shows where to look.
Search every spelling. Kauffmann, Kaufmann and Kaufman all turn up.
Check the zoning first. In Palo Alto, look for "(S)" in the zone name. In Rinconada Hills, the zone is PD and the association has its own rules.
Get the association documents in Rinconada Hills. Read the association's own rules before you buy or remodel.
Don't assume a style. The only design label we found, "mid-century modern" for the Corina houses, comes from a secondary list. No record we read describes the firm's house models.
This isn't legal advice. Confirm the rules for your parcel with the city or town.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Brown & Kauffmann?
A published memorial says Samuel H. Kauffmann III founded the company in Palo Alto. The firm's name points to a partner named Brown, and a Palo Alto preservation group names him as Wayne Brown. No official record we read gives the firm's founding year.
Where are Brown & Kauffmann homes?
Published accounts point to three places: streets in south Palo Alto, including the Meadowpark tracts, from 1955 to 1958; the Sequoyah Hills tract in Oakland, with Eichler Homes, from 1964 to 1971; and Rinconada Hills in Los Gatos from 1968 to 1981. No official record we read names the firm as the builder in any of them, and we couldn't confirm claims about other cities.
Is a Brown & Kauffmann house an Eichler?
No. Brown & Kauffmann was a separate builder. In Sequoyah Hills the neighborhood's history says the Navy sold the land to both developers, Eichler and Brown & Kauffmann, and our Sequoyah Hills guide explains how their houses differ.
Can I add a second story to a Brown & Kauffmann house in Palo Alto?
It depends on the street. Most Gailen Avenue parcels and all of Gailen Court are in a single-story overlay, while Corina Way isn't. Check your parcel's zoning with the city before you design anything.
Related reading
More guides on this topic: Mid-Century Modern Architects & Builders
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Looking at a Meadowpark or Rinconada Hills home and want help sorting out who built it and what the zoning allows? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
