Lindenwood is the Atherton neighborhood on the former Linden Towers estate of James C. Flood. Published accounts say it is where Joseph Eichler built his own house in 1951 and where, two years later, he started a tract of larger Eichlers that he never finished. The Lindenwood Eichler homes also figure in a debate about Eichler's atrium plan: a published account suggests one Lindenwood model may have had his earliest atrium, while Caltrans' statewide study dates the atrium plan to 1957.
This guide sets out what the town and state records say about Lindenwood, what published accounts say about Eichler's houses there and where they disagree, and the Atherton rules that apply when you remodel. No town, county or state record we read names an Eichler tract in Lindenwood, so most of the Eichler history here is attributed to published accounts.
From the Flood estate to Lindenwood
The Town of Atherton's history page gives the official outline:
The town. Atherton was incorporated on September 12, 1923, by Fair Oaks property owners who "wanted to maintain their community as a strictly residential area."
The estate. James C. Flood "built the Linden Towers estate, which is now known as Lindenwood."
The subdivision. During the 1920s and 1930s, a few of the large land holdings were subdivided, including the Flood estate in 1938.
The postwar years. "In the 1940s and 1950s, over 80 subdivisions were recorded bringing the era of large estates to a close."
Lindenwood's gates appear on the state's list of historic resources. The California Office of Historic Preservation lists the Lindenwood Gates and Brick Wall in Atherton, with a registration date of August 23, 1988. The state's San Mateo County list shows one other Atherton entry, the Watkins-Cartan House, and no Eichler house. Our Atherton mid-century modern homes page covers the town's records and rules more broadly.
Eichler's own house
The National Register nomination for Palo Alto's Green Gables tract says Eichler's introduction to modern architecture came through a rental: between 1943 and 1945 the Eichlers rented the Bazett residence in Hillsborough, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses. "I began to dream," it quotes him, "of building homes for sale that would incorporate some of the same advantages I enjoyed in my own house."
His Lindenwood house came later. Published accounts say:
Anshen & Allen designed it for the Eichlers, and it was built in 1951.
It sits on a one-acre parcel on Irving Avenue among mature oaks.
One account says the plan was based in part on the Bazett house.
Another describes the house as "much larger than Wright's Usonians," with a "V" configuration and a parallelogram theme that "ran throughout the rooms and swimming pool."
The exterior combined redwood and brick, with a wall of glass facing the rear, and the house shared Eichler traits such as an indoor-outdoor orientation, a small galley kitchen, radiant heat and built-in furniture.
The accounts differ slightly on how long the Eichlers stayed. One says they lived there until 1965; another says 13 years. The house is privately owned, so we don't give its address.
Eichler's name appears in Atherton once more in a university archive. The project index for the archive of Claude Oakland's firm at UC Berkeley's Environmental Design Archives lists a 1970–1973 residential project in Atherton under Joseph L. Eichler's own name, with J.L. Eichler Associates, Inc. as developer. The index doesn't describe the house or say whether it was built as drawn. Our Eichler Homes company history covers Eichler's companies.
What published accounts say about a Lindenwood tract
Published accounts tie Eichler's larger Lindenwood houses to 1953 and agree that he never completed the tract. They don't agree on how many he built:
A 2024 account says Eichler built a group of homes "starting in 1953" as part of a tract he never completed, and names Hawthorne Drive and Irving Avenue.
Another account says a 1953 Eichler Homes brochure advertised a planned Lindenwood development with "four different three- and four-bedroom designs," and that Eichler built three large modern models on nearby Linden Avenue and one across from his own house before he abandoned the plan.
A 2017 account says "only a few were actually built and even fewer remain today."
The three descriptions don't match, none of them comes from a town or county record, and we found no official count, so we don't give a number. The 2024 and 2017 accounts each describe at least one Lindenwood Eichler since torn down, and the 2024 account says one of those lots now holds a house built in 1998.
Plan 37 and the atrium question
The 2024 account describes a Lindenwood house on Hawthorne Drive, since demolished, as the same model as Plan 37 in an early-1950s Eichler brochure, "including its central 'court.'" It credits the design to Anshen & Allen and says the house "clearly features one of Joe's earliest atriums, and perhaps his very first." It adds that by 1957 the court feature "would actually be called an 'atrium,' and become a central feature of Eichler homes."
The official record dates the atrium plan later. Caltrans' 2011 study of California tract housing says that among the designs Anshen and Allen prepared for Eichler "was the atrium plan, first introduced in 1957," and that "the majority of Eichler's houses built after 1957 included atriums." It says Jones and Emmons later refined the plan with a central carport under a high-pitch gable, which Eichler introduced in his Lucas Valley tract in Marin County, begun in 1963.
Both sources point to 1957 for the atrium as a named, standard feature. They differ on whether an early-1950s court plan counts as one. No official source we read mentions Plan 37, so we don't call it the first. Our guide to atrium, courtyard and gallery plans explains how the plan types differ.
What an early Anshen & Allen Eichler looks like
Published accounts credit Eichler's own Lindenwood house and Plan 37 to Anshen & Allen, the firm the Green Gables nomination says Eichler commissioned to design several subdivisions in 1950. Caltrans says Anshen and Allen's tract work began in 1949, when Eichler commissioned a house for the second phase of his Sunnyvale Manor tract. The Green Gables nomination describes the firm's 1950 Eichler houses this way:
post-and-beam construction under combination flat and pitched shed roofs;
an open dining, kitchen and living area under a free-span roof, which the form says was likely inspired by Wright's Usonian designs;
radiant heating as standard;
a relatively blank facade to the street and floor-to-ceiling glass along the rear;
horizontal redwood siding, with garage doors finished to match.
Published accounts describe the Lindenwood houses as large, so treat this as a starting point, not a checklist for any one house. Our Anshen & Allen floor plans page collects plan drawings for comparison.
Atherton's rules when you remodel
As of November 2026, the town's planning FAQ says Atherton has two residential zones, R1A and R1B, and that the maximum house size is a floor area ratio based on the lot's size and zone, set out in Chapters 17.32 and 17.33 of the zoning ordinance. It asks owners to review the zoning map and handouts and to "set up an appointment to meet with a planner prior to submitting your plans." Second units are regulated under Chapter 17.52.
Trees matter here too. The town's Heritage Tree Preservation Standards and Specifications, revised in 2023, define a heritage tree to include an oak of three named species (Quercus lobata, Quercus agrifolia or Quercus douglasii) "located anywhere on a lot" with a trunk circumference of at least 48 inches, or a diameter of 15.2 inches, measured 54 inches above natural grade. Other trees of that size count when they stand outside the lot's main buildable area. Published accounts describe mature oaks around Eichler's own Lindenwood house, so check the trees before you plan an addition. This is general information, not legal advice. Ask the town's Planning Department what applies to your lot.
What to check before you buy or remodel
Is it an Eichler? Published accounts disagree on how many were built, and none of them lists every house. Ask the town for the permit file and compare the house with the early Anshen & Allen features above.
The recorded map. The San Mateo County Assessor's property maps portal lets you download assessor maps and recorded maps, such as subdivision maps, for free.
The court. If the house has a central court, record whether it's open or has been roofed over before you plan changes.
The size limit. Find the lot's zone and its floor area ratio before you design an addition, and meet with a planner early.
The oaks. Measure any oak on the lot against the heritage tree definition before you plan grading, a foundation or a new wing.
Frequently asked questions
Did Eichler build a tract in Lindenwood?
Published accounts say he began a tract of larger houses there around 1953 and never finished it. They disagree on how many he built, and no town, county or state record we read names the tract.
Did Plan 37 have an atrium before 1957?
A 2024 published account says the Lindenwood house built to Plan 37 had one of Eichler's earliest atriums, "and perhaps his very first." Caltrans' statewide study dates Anshen and Allen's atrium plan to 1957. We found no official record of Plan 37, so the question stays open.
Did Joseph Eichler live in Atherton?
Published accounts say the Eichlers lived in a 1951 Anshen & Allen house in Lindenwood until the mid-1960s. It is a private home, so we don't give its address.
Are Lindenwood's Eichlers historic landmarks?
The state's list includes the Lindenwood Gates and Brick Wall, registered in 1988, but no Eichler house in Atherton. The town's zoning, floor area and heritage tree rules still apply to any remodel.
Related reading
Green Gables Eichler, Palo Alto: The 1950 Anshen & Allen Tract
Eichler Architects: Who Designed Which Homes, Tract by Tract
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
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Want help confirming whether an Atherton house is an Eichler, or what the town's rules allow? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
