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Photos: Legendary HP garage gets makeover

By · July 18, 2006, 8:43 AM PST · billdetwiler

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  • In 1939, David Packard and William Hewlett launched Hewlett-Packard out of a 12-by-18-foot garage on a leafy street in Palo Alto, Calif. The spot is considered by some as the birthplace of Silicon Valley.

    In 2000, HP bought the Palo Alto lot, house, garage and shed for a reported $1.7 million. On Dec. 6, the tech company celebrated the completion of its effort to restore the buildings to their appearance in 1939.

    This photo shows how deconstruction of the house stood on Feb. 22.

    Hewlett-Packard

  • Deconstruction of the HP garage began on Apr. 12, 2005.

    The garage, designated California Historical Landmark No. 976 in 1987, needed work, according to HP. Much of the Douglas fir panels had rotted, so workers removed the decayed pieces and filled the holes with an epoxy. Fire sprinklers and steel beams were added so the garage could withstand an earthquake.

    Hewlett-Packard

  • The garage and shed on Aug. 2, as work nears completion.

    Hewlett-Packard

  • The fully restored garage, with an inset photo taken in 1939.

    Inside the garage are two workbenches, three stools, a couple of stacked chairs, a drill press, an HP Audio Oscillator Model 200B and other tools of the day.

    More information about the restoration project can be seen on .

    Hewlett-Packard

In 1939, David Packard and William Hewlett launched Hewlett-Packard out of a 12-by-18-foot garage on a leafy street in Palo Alto, Calif. The spot is considered by some as the birthplace of Silicon Valley.

In 2000, HP bought the Palo Alto lot, house, garage and shed for a reported $1.7 million. On Dec. 6, the tech company celebrated the completion of its effort to restore the buildings to their appearance in 1939.

This photo shows how deconstruction of the house stood on Feb. 22.

Hewlett-Packard

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop support specialist in the ...

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