Nestled in the quiet of Redwood Grove, Los Altos’ Halsey House has laid dormant since 2008 due to health and safety concerns. After renovation remained in limbo, the city may finally begin maintenance work on the historical structure this year.
Halsey House, constructed in 1923, and the 6.12-acre property on which it sits were purchased by the city in 1974 and converted to a public park. The wife of the original property owner, Emma Halsey, is credited with planting the redwood trees on the land that later became Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, with help from her Japanese gardener,
Omori.
In the years since, the building served as a nature center and hosted recreational events and camps.
A city-commissioned report in 2019 found the building in “fair to poor condition,” with water damage and poor accessibility. The report recommended repairing all of the exterior walls, replacing the roof and installing new plumbing and electrical systems.
In February 2021, the fate of Halsey House was still a source of conflict for city officials, with some local residents advocating for the building’s rehabilitation and others arguing it should be demolished. The city council accepted a state grant of $34,000 and committed $16,353 in city funds to preserve the house in January 2021, but council members ultimately declined to hire an architect to review
the site.
After a council study session in late November of the same year, the council opted to “mothball” Halsey House, choosing neither to renovate nor raze, spending only the amount of money needed to maintain the structure in its current state.
“Mothballing protects and preserves Halsey while it is unoccupied,” said city engineering services manager Aida Fairman, who added that mothballing also would give the city council the opportunity to investigate other options for dealing with the property.
The city is now working with Architectural Research Group (ARG), the same firm that produced the 2019 report recommending a “mothball” document that would establish the scope of the maintenance needed on Halsey House. Fairman said engineering and maintenance staff from the city conducted a site visit with a representative from ARG Jan. 20, and plan to complete the study by the end of April.
Once the study wraps up, city officials can solicit bids from contractors and assess the costs involved to maintain the building. When Fairman last presented to the council last November, the projected cost of “mothballing” was just under the $250,000 amount the council had agreed to spend; however, the price could change after ARG finishes its checklist.
