Holbrook-Palmer Estate
In Atherton, where the average home sells for millions and privacy is the defining luxury, a historic estate at 150 Watkins Avenue has done something its neighbors would find unthinkable: it opened its gates to the public. The Holbrook-Palmer Estate, also known as Elmwood, is a historic property that now serves as a public park and community gathering space, its grounds available to anyone willing to walk through the entrance.
Old Money, Open Grounds
The estate dates to the era when Atherton -- then called Fair Oaks -- was a community of large country properties owned by San Francisco's wealthy families. The Holbrook and Palmer families developed the property with the formal gardens and gracious architecture typical of Peninsula estates of the period. Today, the grounds host community events, weddings, and casual visitors who come to stroll the gardens.
Atherton's Public Space
Atherton is one of the wealthiest and most exclusive communities in the United States, with virtually no commercial properties and a residential character defined by large lots and tall hedges. The Holbrook-Palmer Estate is one of the very few public spaces in town, making it both a community resource and a window into the kind of property that Atherton's wealth originally built. The contrast between the estate's openness and the privacy of the surrounding neighborhood gives the park a distinctive character.
From the Air
Holbrook-Palmer Estate is at 37.464°N, 122.191°W at 150 Watkins Avenue in Atherton. The estate's gardens and grounds are visible as a green patch amid Atherton's large-lot residential landscape. Nearest airports: Palo Alto (KPAO) 2 nm east, San Carlos (KSQL) 4 nm north.