The suburban office park that launched Silicon Valley

&gt; “Varian Associates signed a lease to build a $1m company headquarters […] Eastman Kodak signed a lease in 1952 to build a photo processing plant.”<p>Photo processing chemicals.<p>I’m interested to juxtapose the nostalgic glow of this development and the 2025 proposed change to the Endangered Species Act which appears to remove habitat destruction as a vector:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;2025&#x2F;04&#x2F;17&#x2F;nx-s1-5366814&#x2F;endangered-species-act-change-harm-trump-rule" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;2025&#x2F;04&#x2F;17&#x2F;nx-s1-5366814&#x2F;endangered-spec...</a><p>As a personal aside, I moved from the East Bay to Long Island. My adopted home had a history of light industry, now completely gone some 20 years. About 10 years ago they broke ground on a Superfund site and former factory which produced tungsten for the war effort in 1940’s. Now there’s luxury condos (789k 1Br) and a brew pub.

The emphasis on using the outside green environment to inspire productivity should be rediscovered.

The transcript of the Alf Brandin interview is here - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;exhibits.stanford.edu&#x2F;shs&#x2F;catalog&#x2F;pk029xq7977" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;exhibits.stanford.edu&#x2F;shs&#x2F;catalog&#x2F;pk029xq7977</a> . The in-browser viewer was a bit difficult from my point of view but you can download a PDF. For some reason the first eight pages are missing.

Who remembers when route 237 was country road with a flashing signal at Maude Avenue? The Bier Garten (not sure of the spelling) on the corner was a favorite lunch hangout with awesome cheeseburgers.

No wonder Varian is still here after all these years. A prepaid 99 year lease for $41k!

I&#x27;m a bit sad I never got to see the orange groves.

&gt; Around the country, as companies have returned to cities or promoted hybrid work schedules, many suburban office parks have gone the way of the drive-in movie theater and the mall.<p>This is a bigger trend. Fifteen years ago the YC companies might be headquartered in Palo Alto or another suburb, but these days many of the YC companies are in San Francisco. I think we are seeing a revival of cities on a scale akin to the flight to suburbs in the 1950s.

Just recalled my first tech company was within the borders of Stanford Research Park. Fond memories.

<i>The Code: Silicon Valley and the remaking of America</i> by Margaret Pugh O&#x27;Mara is a pretty book worth checking out.<p>* <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.penguinrandomhouse.com&#x2F;books&#x2F;534709&#x2F;the-code-by-margaret-omara&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.penguinrandomhouse.com&#x2F;books&#x2F;534709&#x2F;the-code-by-...</a><p>* <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;blogs.lse.ac.uk&#x2F;lsereviewofbooks&#x2F;2019&#x2F;07&#x2F;18&#x2F;book-review-the-code-silicon-valley-and-the-remaking-of-america-by-margaret-omara&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;blogs.lse.ac.uk&#x2F;lsereviewofbooks&#x2F;2019&#x2F;07&#x2F;18&#x2F;book-rev...</a><p>Also goes into things like why Boston (New England) had some promise but ended up fizzling out (or at least not reaching the same scale as SV).

Been here for 27 years and had no clue. Thank you.

To potentially save folks a click: it’s Stanford Research Park.

I recognize Terman from the names of places at Stanford but never knew he played such a big role in the early days of Silicon Valley.