Things to Do at Hewlett Packard Garage

The HP Garage at 367 Addison Avenue occupies a modest 12x18-foot space where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded their company in 1938 with just $538 in capital, creating their first audio oscillator that Walt Disney purchased for Fantasia. Viewing is free (USD $0) from the sidewalk as the garage remains a private residence, but the historical marker provides context about this birthplace of Silicon Valley. The building dates to 1924 and was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1987. The narrow garage sits behind a simple stucco house, its blue wooden doors now permanently closed but still bearing the weight of tech history. Street sounds from busy Addison Avenue mix with rustling leaves from mature oak trees that have grown tall since the 1930s, while the faint scent of eucalyptus drifts from nearby Stanford campus. Standing on the sidewalk, you can almost imagine the buzz of electrical equipment and late-night conversations that once echoed from this unassuming space that helped launch the modern tech age. The California Historical Landmark plaque was added in 1987, and HP bought the property back in 2000 to preserve it as a piece of tech history. While you can't go inside the garage itself, the site represents something bigger than just a company's origin story - it's become a symbol of the garage startup culture that defines Silicon Valley. The fact that it's still just a regular residential street makes the whole experience feel more authentic than you might expect from such a famous landmark.

The garage is located at 367 Addison Avenue in a residential neighborhood of Palo Alto. If you're driving, street parking is available but can be limited - be respectful of the residential area. From downtown Palo Alto, it's about a 10-minute walk west. The Caltrain station is roughly a mile away, making it accessible by public transit. Most people actually combine this with other Silicon Valley landmark visits since it's so close to Stanford University and other tech company headquarters.