A time of crisis is sometimes a better testament of a neighborhood than remodeled doors and sparkly bay windows.
When the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake disrupted power in St. Francis Acres, Dudley and Carla Kenworthy huddled outside with 20 other Gilmore Street neighbors. The group cooked spaghetti on camping stoves and watched the news on Dudley’s portable nine-inch TV.
“It was a great gift that everybody came out and came together and felt safe,” Carla said.
Besides Gilmore Street, this patch of Mountain View is bordered by El Camino Real, Permanente Creek and El Monte Avenue. A mile from the active downtown, St. Francis Acres continues to be a popular pit stop for first-time homeowners. Demonstrating suburbia’s circle of life, the neighborhood mainly consists of young families and empty-nesters.
Pre-WWII, however, St. Francis Acres was mostly prune orchards. Rosalie Mattelli remembers cutting down five lots worth of prune trees with her husband, Al, on Lloyd Way.
“Ernestine [Lane] was built first. The contractors had to come through from their roads to work on our house,” Mattelli said.
In 1952, they were the first to arrive on Lloyd Way and snapped up lot 32 from the McElroy Lumber Company. Her father, a seasoned builder, constructed their home at a cost of $12,000. Today, the house is worth more than $1 million. However, the widow has no plans to leave the home with so many neighborly memories attached.
While her husband joined other men five doors down for regular poker parties, Matelli would linger with other wives on a neighbor’s porch. The ladies would “hold court, sit there and talk, and drink a glass of port.”
She still keeps in touch with families who have come and gone.
“I’m still getting Christmas cards from the people who moved,” Mattelli said. “That’s what I tell my children — it’s an honor really to hear from these people.”
The proximity to the Los Altos School District has also made houses here a hot commodity. Hilary Burcell, a resident since September 2004, had no idea about the school district’s high-ranking for academics. She and her husband were surprised by the numerous inquiries they get about their house, even by non-Realtors.
“The number of fliers and people coming door to door trying to solicit us to move somewhere else — I wish they knew we just moved here not that long ago,” Burcell said.
Although near El Camino, traffic noise has never been a big issue. However, there are concerns about drivers using their quieter streets to cut back and forth between Mountain View and El Monte avenues. Mattelli said residents are cautious during rush hour. A few streets have speed bumps but they would like to see more installed.
Children populate the streets, especially during summer. Both kids and adults on Gilmore Street look forward to the annual Fourth of July block party, a tradition since 1988. The city permits the street to be blocked off. Highlights include a potluck, piÒata and children’s bike parade.
“We’ve had a lot of great memories with that block party,” said Carla, who shares party-planning duties with other neighbors. “It’s just been a great neighborhood to have raised our kids in. We bought our house in 1979. It was just going to be a ‘starter house’ for us. Many times we thought of moving, but every time we’ve just remodeled.”
St. Francis Acres facts
CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS:
KinderCare Learning Center, 2065 W. El Camino Real; St. Paul Lutheran CDC, 1075 El Monte Ave.FIRE STATION:
No. 1, 251 S. Shoreline Blvd.PARKS:
McKelvey Park, Park Drive and Miramonte Ave.POST OFFICE:
Mountain View, 211 Hope St.PRIVATE SCHOOLS (NEARBY):
Canterbury Christian School, 101 N. El Monte, St. Joseph Catholic School, 1120 Miramonte Ave., St. Francis High School, 1885 Miramonte Ave.PUBLIC SCHOOLS:
Almond Elementary School, Egan Junior High School, Mtn. View-Los Altos Union High School District — Los Altos High SchoolSHOPPING:
Downtown Mountain View, Longs Shopping Center, Gemello Village, Clarkwood Center
