Maybell Gardens, Midfair and Fairpark are three small early-1950s Eichler tracts on the City of Palo Alto's list. The Maybell Gardens Eichler tract dates from 1952, Midfair from 1953–1954 and Fairpark from 1954. The City's table counts 30, 22 and 43 lots, and it names no architect for any of them.
This post sets out what official records say about each tract: the City's 2018 Eichler design guidelines, a 2015 City staff report on single-story overlays, the City's parcel layer and the county's index of recorded maps. Where the records stop, we say so. For homes across the city, see our Palo Alto mid-century modern page.
What the City's records say
The City's Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines, adopted April 2, 2018, include a table of the city's Eichler neighborhoods. Its rows for these three tracts read:
Maybell Gardens: 1952, 30 lots.
Midfair: 1953–1954, 22 lots.
Fairpark: 1954, 43 lots.
The architect column is blank on all three rows. A footnote says the lot counts come from GIS shapefiles the City provided, and that one lot "generally corresponds with one house" but the number "does not necessarily reflect an exact number of homes."
On the guidelines' citywide map of Eichler tracts, they are numbers 8, 9 and 12. Maybell Gardens sits on its own southwest of El Camino Real, near the map's southern edge. Midfair and Fairpark sit between Middlefield Road and Highway 101. Midfair is near the Los Arboles tracts, and Fairpark is south of Triple El and southwest of Greer Park. The map labels only major roads, not the streets inside or around these tracts.
The early 1950s in the City's own history
The guidelines' history chapter gives the setting. Eichler hired the San Francisco firm Anshen and Allen at the very end of the 1940s. Its first prototype, the AA-1, introduced post-and-beam construction, a largely flat roof, full-height glass on part of the rear facade, an attached garage or carport, and a plan with the living and dining rooms at the center of the house. The AA-1 was the basis of designs in several 1950 subdivisions, including Green Gables in Palo Alto, and the guidelines say an architecture magazine gave the five Eichler tracts built in 1950 the collective title "Subdivision of the Year."
During the 1950s, the guidelines continue, Eichler hired the Southern California firm Jones and Emmons to supplement Anshen and Allen's work. Claude Oakland, who joined Anshen and Allen in 1950, oversaw many of that firm's Eichler designs over the next ten years.
The City's table credits architects on other tracts of the same years, such as Channing Park No. 1 & No. 2 (1951–1952; Anshen & Allen and A. Quincy Jones) and Walnut Grove (1953–1954; Anshen & Allen and Jones & Emmons). It doesn't credit anyone on Maybell Gardens, Midfair or Fairpark. We found no official record that names their designers, so we don't guess.
Maybell Gardens: Tract No. 970
The county's online index of recorded maps lists "Tract No. 970 Maybell Gardens," described as a portion of Lot 23 of the Maybell Tract, a 1905 map. It was surveyed in June 1952 and recorded on August 4, 1952, in Book 40 at page 1. The index lists four streets on it: Georgia Avenue, Amaranta Avenue, Amaranta Court and Maybell Avenue.
The map names a title insurance company as owner, not Eichler. Its surveyor is Geo. S. Nolte, whose name is also on the 1950 map of Greer Park, which does list Eichler Homes Inc. as owner. The index shows Nolte on many Palo Alto maps of the period, Eichler and otherwise, so his name alone doesn't tie a map to Eichler. The tie here is the City's table.
By our count, the City's parcel layer in November 2026 shows eight parcels on Amaranta Court, all with a 1952 build year. All eight are zoned R-1, carry a flood label of X and list no historic status. Recorded lot sizes run from about 6,150 to 9,975 square feet.
The other three streets are shared. Nearby parcels on Amaranta Avenue, Georgia Avenue and Maybell Avenue show build years from 1900 to 2025. The index also lists Maybell Avenue and Georgia Avenue on Green Acres No. 2, recorded in May 1952, and Amaranta Avenue on a 1949 map. A Maybell Avenue or Georgia Avenue address doesn't settle whether a house is in Maybell Gardens, and the eight Amaranta Court parcels are far fewer than the table's 30 lots.
Midfair and the 2015 overlay list
The City's June 29, 2015 council staff report on single-story overlays (ID 5907) lists the twelve overlay zones adopted by then, with 846 lots in all. One is "Allen Court Tract 1137 (22 lots), Ordinance 4849." The guidelines' table gives Midfair the same number, 22 lots. The two records use different names, and neither mentions the other. They may be the same tract; we think so, but no record we found says so.
By our count, the City's parcel layer shows 22 parcels zoned R-1 (S): 19 on Allen Court and 3 on Ross Road beside it. That matches the report's 22 lots, but it doesn't show that they are Midfair's. Of the 22:
16 show a 1953 or 1954 build year (14 from 1953, 2 from 1954).
6 show years from 2007 to 2026, which can mean a newer house, though the layer doesn't say.
All 22 carry a 17-foot height limit and a flood label of X, and list no historic status.
Recorded lot sizes run from about 5,800 to 8,900 square feet.
We didn't find Tract 1137 in the county's map index. The index covers maps recorded from about 1850 to 1957 and leaves out 15 volumes, so the recorded map's date and owner are open questions. The staff report gives no adoption date for Ordinance 4849; the City Clerk's office can confirm it.
The guidelines summarize the overlay rules. The maximum height is 17 feet to the roof peak, raised in a special flood hazard area by half the increase needed to reach base flood elevation, up to 20 feet. There is a limit of one habitable floor, and lofts and mezzanines count. To apply for an overlay, the code requires evidence that 70% of owners support it, or 60% where a neighborhood's CC&Rs restrict it to one-story homes. The 2015 report doesn't say what support Allen Court had. Our single-story overlay guide covers how overlays are added and removed.
Fairpark: what the records don't say
Fairpark is the hardest of the three to pin down. The table gives 1954 and 43 lots, and the City's map shows its outline. Beyond that, the records we read are silent:
The map doesn't name its streets.
We found no Fairpark map in the county's index.
Fairpark isn't on the 2015 list of overlays.
No record we read names an architect.
We aren't going to guess its streets. If you think a house is in Fairpark, start with the City's parcel report for that address. Then ask the county recorder's office for the recorded map the lot sits on. Overlays can be added after 2015, so let the parcel report, not the 2015 list, settle the zoning.
Rules that apply today
Outside an overlay, the parcel layer gives the eight Amaranta Court lots a height limit of 30 feet when the roof slope is under 12:12 and 33 feet otherwise. The 22 R-1 (S) parcels on Allen Court and Ross Road carry the overlay's 17 feet. Our guide to Palo Alto's Eichler design guidelines explains when the guidelines and the City's two-story review apply.
On flooding, the guidelines say most of Palo Alto is in an "X" zone, which FEMA describes either as outside the 100-year flood limit but inside the 500-year limit, or as inside the 100-year limit but too shallow to be a special hazard. Every parcel we counted on Amaranta Court, Allen Court and Ross Road carries an X label. The guidelines add that flood zones change over time, so request a current parcel report.
On deed restrictions, the guidelines say Eichler Homes wrote CC&Rs for its tracts, and that they ran for 25 years from recording and then renewed for 10-year periods unless a majority of owners agreed to change them. The City doesn't enforce them, though residents may, and many have been forgotten. State law requires that buyers be given a copy of the tract's CC&Rs. This is general information, not legal advice; for a specific lot, check with the City of Palo Alto and a real estate attorney.
Checking a house in these tracts
Parcel report. Get the City's parcel report for the address. It shows the zoning (R-1 or R-1 (S)), flood label, height limit and historic status.
Recorded map. For Maybell Gardens, that's Tract No. 970 in Book 40 of maps. For Midfair, we found no recorded map; the overlay list's Tract 1137 may be it, so ask the recorder's office. For Fairpark, ask the recorder's office.
Permits. Request the building permit history from the City. Our guide to checking permit history walks through it.
CC&Rs. Ask for the tract's recorded restrictions, even if no one enforces them now.
Planning staff. Talk to the City's planning division before you design a remodel or addition.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed Maybell Gardens, Midfair and Fairpark?
The City's 2018 table leaves the architect column blank for all three, and no official record we read names a designer. Treat any credit you see elsewhere as unconfirmed.
Does Midfair have a single-story overlay?
We can't say for certain. The 2015 staff report lists "Allen Court Tract 1137 (22 lots), Ordinance 4849," and the City's table gives Midfair 22 lots, but no record we found says they're the same tract. The parcel report for an address shows whether it's zoned R-1 (S).
Which streets are in Maybell Gardens?
The county's map index lists Georgia Avenue, Amaranta Avenue, Amaranta Court and Maybell Avenue on Tract No. 970. Georgia Avenue, Amaranta Avenue and Maybell Avenue also appear on other recorded maps and hold houses from other years, so an address on them doesn't settle it.
Related reading
Palo Alto Eichler Neighborhoods: A Guide to Every Tract We Cover
University Gardens Eichler, Palo Alto: The 1949–50 Draftsman Tract
Greer Park Eichler History: Palo Alto's 1950 Anshen & Allen Tract
More guides on this topic: Eichler Neighborhoods & Tract Histories
Want email updates on Eichler homes? Sign up for Eichler Alerts.
Thinking about buying or selling in Maybell Gardens, Midfair or Fairpark? Call or text the Boyenga Team at Compass at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team online.
