Rare tour of the HP Garage, the 'Birthplace of Silicon Valley'
You'd never notice the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" if you weren't specifically looking for it. Located at 367 Addison Avenue in a quiet and well-kept residential neighborhood in Palo Alto, California, the HP Garage — literally a humble little toolshed — is where Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett formed Hewlett-Packard in 1939 and jumpstarted what would become home to one the most predominant technology companies to ever be created.
With only $538, the two Stanford alumni set to work building an audio oscillator — the Model 200A — that would later become HP's first product.
Re-purchased by the company in 2004, HP restored the entire property to 1939-conditions as a private museum that is not open to the public. You're in for a treat because HP flew us and a bunch of other tech reporters out to the HP Garage for a peek. There's a lot to see and read in the gallery below so, without further delay, your journey back to 1939 starts now.
All photos taken by Raymond Wong for DVICE.
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Aside from this piece of signage dug into the front lawn of the house and "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" is virtually unnoticeable. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
This is it, 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, California (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Here's the HP Garage as seen from the driveway. It doesn't look like much, does it? (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
This being a museum, you'll find lots of relics from the 1930s all over the house. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
And here's HP's first product, the Model 200A audio oscillator. Walt Disney Studios snapped up eight of these guys to test theater sound systems for the showing of Fantasia, its first movie with stereo sound. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
HP really did a great job restoring the house. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
An old-style telephone. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
"Demonstrating a true cooperative spirit beyond her regular office duties, Lucile Packard allowed her sturdy Wedgewood stove to be used for baking the paint into the panel of audio oscillators. Once the crinkle-paint was applied to the cabinets in the garage, they were brought into the house and put into the oven to bake. Lucile said later that nothing baked in the oven after that ever tasted quite the same." (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
The HP Garage doors open! (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Like most garages, the space was modest, with only enough room for a work table and few stools. It was in here that the audio oscillator was prototyped and the startup spirit of Silicon Valley was birthed. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
A photo of the Packard and Hewlett working on the Model 200A audio oscillator. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Here's Model 200-B, an updated version of HP's first Model 200A audio oscillator. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
A blueprint for an HP design. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
We thumbed through this notebook from 1939. There's no telling if it was really Bill or Dave's journal. Some of the notes in there are just completely hilarious — most have nothing to do with HP or electronics. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Dave Packard and his wife lived on the ground floor. Guess where Bill Hewlett lived? In a relatively tiny 8-by-18-foot shed outside in the backyard. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Bill's little shed only had enough room for a desk, cot and indoor plumbing. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Before calculators existed, "slide rules" were used to calculate things. If you've never seen one of these things, go ask your dad or grandfather. I'm sure they know all about it. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
(Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
A Weston A.C. Ammeter was used back in they day to measure electric current in a circuit. (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
Before there were pocket-sized calculators, personal computers, smartphones and tablets, real work was done on typewriters. Can you imagine having to use one of these today? (Photo credit: Raymond Wong/DVICE)
