The Charleston Meadow Eichler tract in south Palo Alto dates to the start of Joseph Eichler's partnership with architects Anshen & Allen. The recorded maps and the city's records call it Charleston Meadows. The city's Eichler design guidelines date it to 1950–1951 and count 158 lots. They also note that this tract got the first architectural control committee: Eichler set one up in 1950 to enforce its covenants.
This post traces the tract's two recorded units, the house features described for its original plans, what to look for in an unaltered house, and the rules that apply there now. It covers architecture and history only. For the city's other Eichler neighborhoods, see our Palo Alto mid-century modern page.
Two units, two maps
The county's map index shows the tract was recorded in two pieces, a few months apart:
Charleston Meadows (first unit). Described as a portion of the Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito. Surveyed in August 1950 and recorded on October 3, 1950, with Charleston Road, Tennessee Lane and Carolina Lane among its streets.
Charleston Meadows Unit No. 2. Tract No. 840, a portion of a 12.15-acre parcel in the William Rowe Subdivision. Surveyed in December 1950 and recorded on January 22, 1951, with Edlee Avenue and Whitclem Drive among its streets.
Palo Alto's parcel report lines up with that order. The houses on Carolina and Tennessee lanes date mostly to 1950, and those on Edlee Avenue and Whitclem Drive mostly to 1951. An early account says sales opened at the start of 1951.
Two record conflicts are worth knowing. First, the county index gives the first unit's tract number as 765, while a 2015 city report lists it as Tract 795. We leave the number out until a recorded map confirms it. Second, the city counts 158 lots, while that early account puts the tract at about 100 homes. The city notes its counts come from GIS parcels and may not match home counts. Its 2015 overlay list counts 96 and 61 lots in the tract's two overlays, 157 in all. No source we read reconciles these figures, so we give them side by side.
Anshen & Allen's early plans
The city's tract table credits Charleston Meadows to Anshen & Allen, the San Francisco firm that drew Eichler's AA-1 prototype in 1950. An early account of the tract adds detail that the official records don't have:
Seven plans, plus mirror-image versions of each, so the same plan could face either way on its lot.
Low-pitched roofs with wide overhangs and clerestory windows set in the gable ends.
Solid redwood siding. Exterior walls of tongue-and-groove redwood, a pattern called "vertical groove rustic," rather than the redwood plywood scored to look like boards that the city's guidelines list as the other common Eichler siding.
A modest original size. The house described in that account had three bedrooms, one bath and about 1,250 square feet. The city's guidelines say 1950 Eichler plans generally had three bedrooms and about 1,200 square feet.
A narrow kitchen screened from the living area by cabinets. Some original enameled metal cabinets survive.
A Dutch door to the yard on each house.
Treat the plan-level details as a strong lead rather than an official record. They come from an early tract history, not from a city survey or a recorded document. Our Anshen & Allen floor plans page shows the firm's Eichler layouts.
The first architectural control committee
The covenants are a big part of what sets Charleston Meadow apart. The city's guidelines say Eichler's CC&Rs generally aimed to keep exterior design in harmony by setting rules for floor area, setbacks and building height. They say "the first ACC was established in 1950 by Joseph Eichler to enforce the CC&Rs for Charleston Meadows." The neighborhood reconstituted its committee in 2000 with majority support from the owners in the tract.
The guidelines name Charleston Meadows, Greenmeadow and Edgewood as Palo Alto Eichler areas with active committees. Where a committee and binding CC&Rs are in force, the committee answers in writing within 30 days after plans are submitted. The city doesn't enforce CC&Rs. That's up to owners in the tract. An early tract history also credits architect Bob Anshen with Eichler as a founder of the original committee.
For anyone planning work, this means two separate reviews may apply: the city's permits and zoning, and the committee's review under the CC&Rs. Ask an attorney or the committee how the CC&Rs apply to a specific lot.
What to look for in an original Charleston Meadow house
Siding. Real tongue-and-groove redwood boards, not grooved plywood. The early account says the original walls here were solid boards, so plywood siding points to later work.
Gable-end clerestories. Glass tucked under the roof peak at the gable ends, with little glass facing the street below.
Overhangs and exposed rafters. The city's guidelines list exposed rafter tails as the clearest sign of post-and-beam framing.
The Dutch door and the kitchen screen. Small details, but they help date a house to the original plans.
Additions. With one bath and about 1,200 to 1,250 square feet to start, a larger house has probably been added to. Look at where the roof planes change and whether new walls match the original siding pattern.
Our page on post-and-beam construction explains how the structure works and why changes to beams or roof planes matter.
Today's zoning and flood status
A 2015 city report lists two single-story overlays for Charleston Meadows: one of 96 lots and one of 61 lots for Tract 840. Under the overlay, new work is limited to one habitable floor and 17 feet in height, and lofts and mezzanines count as floors. Palo Alto's parcel report shows the overlay on nearly every lot on Carolina and Tennessee lanes. The second unit is less clear. Its 1951 map lists Edlee Avenue and Whitclem Drive, but the parcel report shows the overlay on only 10 of 30 Edlee lots and 7 of 32 Whitclem lots, with the rest plain R-1, while lots on nearby streets such as Park Boulevard and Wilkie Way carry it. No document we read explains how the 61-lot overlay maps onto those streets, so check the zoning for each parcel rather than assuming it.
On the city guidelines' November 2017 flood map, Charleston Meadows sits outside the special flood hazard area, and today's parcel report shows Zone X for every lot on Carolina, Tennessee, Edlee and Whitclem. Flood maps are revised, so confirm the current designation. The Palo Alto Eichler design guidelines cover the overlay, CC&Rs and flood rules in one place. For a specific address, check with Palo Alto's planning department.
Frequently asked questions
Is it Charleston Meadow or Charleston Meadows?
Both appear. The recorded maps and city documents use "Charleston Meadows," and the tract is also widely known as Charleston Meadow. They refer to the same 1950–1951 Eichler tract.
Who designed the Charleston Meadow Eichlers?
Anshen & Allen, according to the city's tract table. An early tract history says the firm drew seven plans, each also built in mirror image.
What makes the tract historically notable?
It was one of Eichler's earliest Palo Alto tracts, and the city says Eichler set up his first architectural control committee there in 1950. The committee was reconstituted in 2000.
Can I build a second story in Charleston Meadow?
For lots inside the single-story overlay, no: new work is limited to one habitable floor and 17 feet. The CC&Rs and the committee may add their own review. Confirm the zoning on your parcel with the city first.
Related reading
Greer Park Eichler History: Palo Alto's 1950 Anshen & Allen Tract
Greenmeadow Eichler History: Palo Alto's Jones & Emmons Tract
Eichler Architects: Who Designed Which Homes, Tract by Tract
Want to know which plan a Charleston Meadow house started as, or how its rules apply? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
