Dora Williams in her garden, 1930s
Williams Gardens, circa 1932
This page last updated November 18, 2009
| When Dr. Thomas Williams and his wife, Dora Moody Williams, built this house in 1907, it was open countryside covered only by a few native trees. Early photographs show an open vista with an unobstructed view of the house and the beginnings of landscaping. Dora Williams' interest and proficiency in gardening developed along with her garden until it reached a height of complexity in the 1920's and 1930's. |
Dora Williams in her garden, 1930s |
Called a rare true representation of an early 20th Century residential landscape, the garden of that 1930's featured "outdoor rooms" delineated by rock walls and border plantings and punctuated by ornamental fountains and ponds. |
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Williams Gardens, circa 1932 |
At the same time the garden served the more utilitarian functions of vegetable garden, clothes drying, and composting. It is thought to be the only historically preserved landscape in Palo Alto, and one of the few in California. The rehabilitation of the Williams House Garden is nearly complete, and in 2009 the restored planting areas were dedicated as the Ruth Bell Lane Memorial Garden. |
This page last updated November 18, 2009
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