Growing up on Atherton Court in Los Altos Hills in the 1980s, Deanna Tryon and the kids on the street called the Francis Avidano Home their own Winchester Mystery House.
The 1910-era home known for its oft-described hexagon architecture design had urban legends of a ghost occupying the third floor that came at night, although luckily, it was friendly. Tryon and her friends received tours of the home from then-owner Cherie Ignatius, who told them about seances over the years, with word spreading of its history so widely that people in the last few years would still drive by to see the house.
“It’s a nod to the past that can’t be replicated,” Tryon said of the home.
Known as the Francis Avidano Home at 12871 Atherton Court and added to the historical home inventory in the 1970s, the Los Altos Hills Planning Commission approved a site development permit in September from the owner to construct a new single-family residence on the property and demolish the Francis Avidano home over concerns property renovations would not be feasible for the current structure. The Los Altos Hills city council last October voted to remove 12871 Atherton Court from the town’s inventory of historic sites and structures after the previous owner told the council he could not sell it otherwise and that there were numerous issues with the structure, including cheap construction that made the home a fire hazard.
The recent decision has left Tryon and several others in Los Altos Hills disappointed to lose a neighborhood landmark that has been an important part of the history of Los Altos Hills over the decades. Tryon noted that many of the architectural details, like its flooring and narrow stairs, are unique and might not be built again because of current building codes. Tryon’s family was one of the original families on Atherton Court in the 1970s, with the Francis Avidano Home known at that time as an original farmhouse with an apricot orchard that went on to become a nut orchard, showing the juxtaposition between the home developments of the 1970s and the older history of Los Altos Hills.
One of Tryon’s most vivid memories of the house’s importance to the neighborhood was during a storm in 1983 that brought flooding because the area didn’t have adequate drainage. Neighbors went door to door to make sure everyone was OK, with several noticing the Francis Avidano Home dealing with drainage issues caused by debris, with one man diving into rising water several times to clear the debris to help protect the house.
“They all risked their lives to save the home,” Tryon said.
Michelle Babayan grew up on Atherton court in the 1970s and ’80s and remembers the house as a part of her history during her childhood and through high school.
“Since it’s going to be demolished, even as soon as this month, I guess there’s nothing anyone can do but cry,” Babayan said.
