Over four days and 184 miles, Derek Knowles bicycled every street in Palo Alto in search of the city’s top 100 hidden architectural gems. Homes were typically selected for their architectural credentials or the quality of their street-facing landscaping, though some earned a place simply through strong personality and a willingness—even—to break the rules of “good” architectural design. Together, the homes span every style, size, and era, reflecting budgets that range from modest to seemingly unlimited.
If you are interested in commenting on the selected homes, please visit the “top100homesofpaloalto” Instagram page (link below).
Pins on the map contain links to more exterior and interior views, names of architects and contractors, as well as historical information about each home.
Orange pins represent the top 100 homes; purple pins represent homes in the top 100 that are over 100 years old; and brown pins represent other historical homes of interest. The numbers indicate geographic order, with 1 in the north and 100 in the south.
The winners received the “Golden Pencil Award,” a contraption that functions as a photo stand, a mini vase, a pencil holder, or a measuring stick. It comes with a golden pencil emblazoned with “DWK!Architect” along its length. There are only 100 of these in existence worldwide.

All colored neighborhoods were exhaustively covered by bicycle in the search for the homes, using GPS tracks to ensure that no minor side street or cul-de-sac was left unobserved. Note that Palo Alto extends into the hills to the south; this area was not included.
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