The Survey Award of Excellence is given for the Preserving Eichler Neighborhoods projects, which took place in Palo Alto, California and Orange, California. After World War II, developer Joseph Eichler offered middle-class Californians a slice of the ‘American Dream’ with high-style, modernist, suburban homes at affordable prices. What Eichler offered was rare – tract homes designed by notable, talented architects like Anshen & Allen, Jones & Emmons, and Claude Oakland, and landscapes by Thomas Church, Kathryn Steadman, Robert Royston, and others. The two projects sought to address the question of how the ‘American Dream’ has aged in the context of these Eichler neighborhoods. Although the two cities faced different challenges, critical to both efforts was giving residents the opportunity to voice their opinions and to shape the approach to preservation. Page & Turnbull’s historians and designers hosted community-wide educational workshops in both cities to seek the residents’ views and priorities and test options for acceptable changes. They tailored additional efforts to each city, such as walking tours, advisory committees, and online surveys. The result was two documents offering a range of approaches, enabling the communities to manage change while preserving the essence of their neighborhoods. The jury was impressed by the robust community engagement element and dynamism of the project. 

City of Palo Alto, CA

City of Orange, CA

Page & Turnbull (with Janus Consulting for Orange, CA)