245 Lytton Avenue The Secret Garden - [Downtown North] 1994
This garden is gorgeous all year round but the springtime blooms will knock your socks off.
I call this POPOS The Secret Garden. Such a name is both a good and not-so-good thing. This spacious garden is stunning, really at any time of year, though the spring brings outsized floral drama with tulips, daffodils and all manner of flowers in bloom in the many garden beds and in the mature trees. The “secret” part means it is generally tranquil and you might well have this elegant garden with a fountain, pathways, benches, a table and chairs all to yourself. The not-so-good part is that this gem two blocks from University Avenue deserves to be enjoyed by more members of the Public. The gardener does a top notch job of tending this special patch of Class A commercial real estate.
HOURS: According to the sign at the three entrances, the garden is officially open from 8:oo am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday except holidays. In reality, the gardener shared with me when he was locking up at 4:30 pm one weekday, “I close it up at 4:30 because they don’t pay me to stay til 5:00. “ Note the word lock. The garden has a lock with a code. So when you walk by - the combination of the lock and the sign make most passersby think it is not open to the Public. So don’t be deterred. Open the gate and enjoy!
WHAT’S THERE: This rectangular garden possesses a formal aire with a central fountain, where walkways from the three entrances converge (one on Emerson, another on Ramona and a third from the driveway amidst the houses that occupy the rest of the block.) There are wooden benches lining the garden, some in sun and others in shade and a teak table with six chairs where I have had meetings with people. Conveniently, when Coupa Cafe around the corner on Lytton closes at 3 pm, you can bring your coffee there and savor the scene, unrushed. Again, the garden itself never ceases to delight - though in the “off season” one is called to appreciate the more subtle beauty on offer.
WHAT’S AROUND: This POPOS is part of the 245 Lytton Avenue office building that houses myriad financial and real estate related firms on the site that once housed the Peninsula Times Tribune and its locally owned predecessor, the Palo Alto Times. Ironically, the Planned Community (PC) zoned ordinance does not mention the garden as an explicit Public Benefit but the supporting documents do highlight it in that light. The main Public Benefits for this elegant jumbo-sized building are the “middle market” (check the prices now…) houses behind the garden and an apartment building with four affordable units managed by Alta Housing on Emerson across from the garden entrance. .
WHAT YOU CAN DO THERE: This garden beckons anything peaceful: enjoying lunch on a bench as you behold the flowers and foliage, reading a book, meditating, maybe sketching. I have witnessed some that use it as a pleasant alternative to a street as a cutthrough, a perfect spot to enjoy gelato from around the corner and a tailor made environment to reset one’s being of staring at screens all day. I have witnessed people on phones (alas) either reading or talking. This should be like the quiet car on a train, IMHO. You can and will be surveilled.
WHAT I HAVE DONE HERE: I have sketched, read a book, meditated, practiced yoga, had coffee with a friend, reconnected with acquaintances and met new friends. This spot elicits a different quality of exchange. And of course, I have simply admired the garden.
WHAT YOU CAN’T DO THERE: The signs on the gates spell out a lot of what you can’t do. You can’t smoke, bring in any pets, skateboard or bicycle.
You’re on Candid Camera. And what about that lock?