Fewer than twenty. Is yours one?

The Atherton Eichlers are early work by Anshen & Allen, and they carry the firm’s signatures. Look up first: a post-and-beam structure with the roof decking exposed as the ceiling, no attic above it. Then look at the back of the house: walls of glass facing the garden.

Then look at the front. Anshen & Allen’s stated policy was that the building should be “blank to the front” wherever possible. A house that shows the street a closed face and opens entirely to the rear is a strong sign.

The houses of this period use redwood and brick. Heating is radiant, in a slab, so you will find no floor registers and no ducted forced-air system in an unaltered example. Built-in cabinets and shelving are common.

Five of Atherton’s Eichlers were torn down or remodeled out of existence. The remodeled ones are the difficult ones: a second storey, a new roofline, a front re-clad — and the house that is left may still stand on an Eichler slab around an Eichler frame. That is worth knowing, both for what it tells a buyer and for what the town’s record is missing.

The Town of Atherton’s building department holds permit history by address; the original permit may name the builder or contractor. Eichler Homes sales material from 1953 exists for Lindenwood.