Woodhills
National Register of Historic Places

Woodhills

Cupertino, Santa Clara County, California
Listed
December 20, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
78000773

About this property

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve is a 739-acre (299 ha) regional park located in Santa Clara County, California and operated by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The preserve contains 14.7 miles (23.7 km) of hiking trails, nearly all open to equestrians and bicycles. The area has been owned by the district since 1975. The preserve is named after San Francisco newspaper editor Fremont Older, a previous owner. Older and his wife, Cora, purchased the then-200-acre (81 ha) property for $10,000 in 1912. They built a house there in 1914, where the Olders lived until their deaths, Fremont in 1935 and Cora in 1968. The house, known as Woodhills, has an unusual architectural style which incorporates both the shingle style and the then-developing modern movement. The house was condemned at the time the district purchased the property, and was to be demolished. However, in 1979, newspaper publisher Mort Levine lobbied the district to save the house. The district agreed to lease it to Levine for 25 years at $1 per year. Levine and his wife spent $350,000 and the next 12 years renovating the house, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now their private residence, but is open to docent-led tours each spring. Notable locations in the park include Hunter's Point, a 900 ft. (275 m) bald hilltop which is locally known for its sweeping views of the south Bay Area as well as Maisie's Peak (the highest point in the preserve) and Garrod Farms. The preserve contains many miles of trails and connects with other nearby locations, such as Stevens Creek County Park and Montebello Open Space Preserve.

Location

Cupertino, Santa Clara County, California
37.28656, -122.06001

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
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Nearby Historic Sites

Miller-Melone Ranch
Civil War
1.5 mi
Picchetti Brothers Winery
Industrial
1.8 mi
Masson, Paul, Mountain Winery
Industrial
1.8 mi
Hakone Historic District
Industrial
2.4 mi
Le Petit Trianon
Industrial
2.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Woodhills listed on the National Register?

Woodhills was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Woodhills?

Woodhills is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Woodhills?

The period of significance for Woodhills is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1975.

Can I research the history near Woodhills?

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