HP Garage
| Industry | Electronics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1939 |
| Founder | Bill Hewlett and David Packard |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto , United States |
| Products | Audio oscillator (HP 200A) |
The HP Garage is a privately owned museum located at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, California, recognized as the original site where Hewlett-Packard (HP) was established. This location is famously known as the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley".[1] During the 1930s, Stanford University’s Dean of Engineering, Frederick Terman, motivated faculty and alumni to initiate technology companies in the region. Among the earliest Stanford students to act on this guidance were HP co-founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard.[2]
Designated as a California Historical Landmark and included on the National Register of Historic Places, the garage is not accessible for public tours but can be viewed from the street.
History
Constructed in 1905, the home at 367 Addison Avenue was first inhabited by John Spencer, who became Palo Alto’s first mayor in 1909. By 1918, the property had been split into two separate apartments: numbers 367 and 369 Addison.[3]
In 1937, William "Bill" Hewlett and David "Dave" Packard met in Palo Alto for their initial business conversation. Both were Stanford graduates influenced by Dean Terman’s efforts to promote local electronics startups.[2]
By 1938, Dave and Lucile Packard resided in the ground-floor unit (367 Addison), while Bill Hewlett occupied the adjacent shed. The second-floor apartment (369 Addison) was home to Mrs. Spencer. Hewlett and Packard began their enterprise with just $538 and utilized the single-car garage as their workspace.
The duo officially formed their partnership in 1939 through a coin toss, choosing to name their company Hewlett-Packard.
Their inaugural product, created inside the garage, was an audio oscillator known as the HP 200A.[4] Among their early customers was Walt Disney Studios, which acquired eight oscillators to test sound systems for Fantasia (1940), one of the pioneering films released with stereophonic audio.[5]
Historical designations
- Registered California landmark since 1987
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007
External links
- ↑ The street’s name inspired the Hewlett-Packard employee credit union, initially called "Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union" before its 2011 merger and rebranding as "First Tech Federal Credit Union".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ HP’s First Product: The 200A
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