At 1431 Waverley St. in Old Palo Alto, a three-story house from the early 1900s sits among formal gardens that anyone can walk through for free.
The Gamble family
According to Gamble Garden, Edwin Percy Gamble was the youngest son of James Gamble, co-founder of Procter & Gamble. Edwin, his wife Elizabeth and their four children moved from Kentucky to Palo Alto in the early 1900s. Palo Alto Stanford Heritage (PAST) says the move came when their son James entered Stanford.
Both sources say the house was built in 1902 by San Jose contractor C. A. Bates for $6,039. It was so far out of town that special arrangements were needed to bring electricity to it. PAST describes the style as a mix of New England Colonial Revival and Colonial Georgian Revival.
Elizabeth's garden
The daughter, Elizabeth Frances Gamble, graduated from Wellesley in 1910, according to PAST, and returned to the house for the rest of her life. PAST says she plowed up the old pony ring and orchards for flower beds and built up a notable collection of irises and roses. Gamble Garden says the formal gardens were designed in 1908 by Walter A. Hoff, and that she added the Tea House in 1948. Irises were her favorite flower. In 1994 a friend, hybridizer Lois O'Brien, named an iris 'Elizabeth Gamble'.
From estate to public garden
Elizabeth Gamble died in 1981 at age 92 and left her house and garden to the City of Palo Alto. Gamble Garden says the gift came with no endowment. The City Council debated what to do with the property for four years; PAST says the period was sometimes called the War of the Roses. The Garden Club of Palo Alto led a campaign to restore the grounds, and in 1985 Gamble Garden opened as a public garden supported by a new nonprofit.
Visiting
Gamble Garden describes itself as a 2.5-acre public garden that is free and open during daylight hours. It also hosts classes and seasonal events, including a Winter Festival, so check its website for the calendar.