where to look in Santa Clara

where to look in Santa Clara

Santa Clara doesn’t have Eichler single-family homes but does have two of his townhouse developments, at the corner of Benton and Pomeroy. There’s a co-op called Pomeroy Green with 4-bedroom/2.5-bath two-story townhouses of 1564, 1570 and 1600 sq.ft. Apparently the co-op status makes finding a lender a challenge. Next door is a conventional townhouse development, Pomeroy West, also with a 4/2.5 of 1476 but also offering very unusual one-story atrium townhomes of 1325, 1535 and 1550 sq.ft. as well as a handful of 2-bedroom/1-baths of 947 sq.ft.

But the contemporary scene in Santa Clara is very much about the same John Mackay who left his mark on South Palo Alto. Mackay built so many contemporaries here in 1954 and 1955—over 900—that his name is local shorthand for “contemporary”, much as “Eichler” is further north.

His most attractive development is Maywood, about 267 homes in the southwest corner of Santa Clara, their desirability greatly enhanced by sought-after Cupertino schools. These homes are similar in size and quality to what Mackay was building in South Palo Alto. I've seen the original sales literature and they're designed by the same Anshen + Allen who did many of Eichler's developments. The most common model by far, a 3/2 of 1240 sq.ft., even has the Eichler-esque radiant heating. There’s also an economy 3/2 of 1024 sq.ft. with wall heaters, soon bumped out to 1104 sq.ft., and an intermediate 3/2 of 1127 sq.ft. with radiant. In 1955 Mackay replaced the 1240 with a 1260 on perimeter foundation that featured central forced air. The last handful of Maywood contemporaries, built in 1956, were bigger (1218 and 1360 sq.ft) and all were on raised perimeter foundation, with forced air heating and hardwood floors.

But what really made Mackay a household name in Santa Clara were 3/2s he built in three major projects totaling well over 600 homes: Sun Glo Estates, Homestead Estates and Golden State, and no, these names won’t be on a test. Built in 1954, every one is 1166 sq.ft. and their appearance doesn’t seem to vary much more than their size. They offer what most buyers think of as the fundamentals of a "real house"—second bath, two-car garage, central forced-air heat—and they’re on slab.

Even more basic are The World's Smallest Four-bedroom Homes, the 118 Mackays of Beverley Wood, built a year earlier At either 1092 or 1127 sq.ft., they're smaller than most three-bedroom homes, and they offer just a one-car garage and inexpensive wall heaters. Putting so many bedrooms into so little space doesn't leave room for much else, and it's not surprising that homeowners have sometimes converted one of the bedrooms into a dining room.

Yet another sizeable flattop project (about 175 homes) is the no-frills Scott Lane Gardens, east of El Camino, built in 1954. These are of the “small and cheap” variety, 3/1s of only 985 sq.ft., with one-car garage, slab and wall heater. There’s a smaller second phase of 1064 sq.ft. homes offering a second bath and two-car garage.

Feel free to contact me at jfyten@cbnorcal.com.