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palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Crescent Park, Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
A 1920s planned tract on the old Newell farm, bent around San Francisquito Creek east of Middlefield Road: about 1,200 single-family lots, large period-revival houses, and a flood map to read before you buy.
Crescent Park by the numbers
crescent park by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Crescent Park: Middlefield Rd, San Francisquito Creek, Newell Rd and Channing Ave (city neighborhood outline). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in crescent park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Crescent Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Crescent Park from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Crescent Park: Middlefield Rd, San Francisquito Creek, Newell Rd and Channing Ave (city neighborhood outline)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Crescent Park came to be
Crescent Park was farmland on the Palo Alto bank of San Francisquito Creek. Once part of Spanish-era land grants, it was bought in 1864 by Dr. William Newell, who planted some of the first Australian eucalyptus trees in the country. In 1907 Timothy Hopkins and his wife gave the city the strip along the creek that is now Hopkins Creekside Park, and in 1920 Palo Alto annexed much of the Newell farm as Crescent Park 1. The name comes from streets that curve with the creek.
The planned tract opened in 1924 with deed rules meant to fix its character: houses had to cost at least $10,000, lots averaged about half an acre, livestock and poultry were barred and setbacks were set. By June 1924 about 17 houses were under way, and a December 1925 newspaper report described more than 2,500 feet of sidewalk, electrolier streetlights and partly underground power lines, unusual for the time. A 31-acre strip along the creek was added in 1928, and more land was annexed in the late 1940s for postwar housing.
The western blocks near Middlefield Road are older than the tract. The John Adam Squire House at 900 University Avenue, a 1904 Classical Revival design by T. Paterson Ross, is California Historical Landmark No. 857 and has been on the National Register since 1972, and the 1906 Wilson House nearby at 860 University was listed in 1980. At 1023 Forest Avenue, an 1896 Queen Anne by C.H. Barrett is getting back the rooftop belvedere the 1906 earthquake tore off, with work expected to finish around October 2026. Inside the tract, Charles K. Sumner and Birge Clark set the tone; Clark's 1926 Dunker House at the creek end of Maple Street was one of Palo Alto's first two Spanish-style houses and has been on the National Register since 1982.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Crescent Park has two street patterns. West of Guinda Street, downtown's tilted grid simply continues across Middlefield Road: Lytton, Hamilton, Forest and Homer avenues with Fulton, Seneca and Guinda streets. East of there the grid turns to true north, with Lincoln, Addison and Boyce avenues and Center Drive running north-south and Dana, Pitman, Martin and Fife avenues running east-west, while University and Hamilton avenues cut diagonally toward the creek; Hamilton is the longest street here at about 1.1 miles. Along the water, Palo Alto Avenue follows the bank at the west end, and Crescent, East and West Crescent, Edgewood, Southwood and Island drives curve with the creek at the east end.
City parcel data counts about 1,200 single-family parcels on 379 acres, with a median lot of about 7,900 square feet; 369 lots are 10,000 square feet or more and 31 are 20,000 or more. The R-1(10000) zone covers 305 parcels, led by University Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, Edgewood Drive and the Crescent drives, and there are 83 flag lots. The roughly 70 multifamily parcels sit near Middlefield on University Avenue and Fulton Street. The city's 2020 tree-canopy figure for Crescent Park is 42 percent.
About half of the dated single-family parcels (583 of 1,187) record a year built before 1940, 142 date to the 1950s, and 171 record 2000 or later, so blocks mix 1920s period-revival houses, postwar houses and big new two-story houses. Seventy-two parcels carry a Category 1 to 4 listing in the city's Historic Inventory, five of them Category 1. The flood map shapes everything else: in the city's parcel data, 949 of the single-family parcels fall in FEMA A or AH zones, the shallow-flooding zones tied to creek overflow, while higher ground near the bank, along Edgewood and the Crescent drives, is mostly Zone X.
streets in crescent park
- University Avenue
- Hamilton Avenue
- Forest Avenue
- Homer Avenue
- Lytton Avenue
- Channing Avenue
- Middlefield Road
- Newell Road
- Palo Alto Avenue
- Guinda Street
- Fulton Street
- Seneca Street
- Hale Street
- Chaucer Street
- Lincoln Avenue
- Addison Avenue
- Boyce Avenue
- Center Drive
- Dana Avenue
- Pitman Avenue
- Martin Avenue
- Fife Avenue
- Crescent Drive
- East Crescent Drive
- West Crescent Drive
- Edgewood Drive
- Southwood Drive
- Island Drive
- Maple Street
- Kings Lane
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Crescent Park
- park
Eleanor Pardee Park, 851 Center Drive
A 9.6-acre park, the city's second-largest neighborhood park, given to the city in 1920. About half is lawn, playgrounds, a soccer field and picnic areas; most of the rest became community gardens in the early 1980s.
- park
Hopkins Creekside Park
A narrow, mostly undeveloped strip of about 12.4 acres and 1.5 miles along San Francisquito Creek on Palo Alto Avenue, deeded to the city by Timothy Hopkins and his wife in 1907, with walking and bike paths.
- landmark
Squire House, 900 University Avenue
T. Paterson Ross's 1904 Classical Revival house, California Historical Landmark No. 857 and on the National Register since 1972. Private; view from the street.
- landmark
Dunker House, 420 Maple Street
Birge Clark's 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival house on the creek, on the National Register since February 19, 1982. Private; view from the street.
- shopping
Downtown University Avenue
Downtown's shops and restaurants start just west of Middlefield Road, under half a mile from the neighborhood's western blocks (approximate).
- shopping
Edgewood Plaza, 2080 Channing Avenue
East of Newell Road near US-101, the only shopping center Joseph Eichler developed, designed by A. Quincy Jones and renovated in the 2010s with a grocery as its anchor.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Crescent Park is served by the Palo Alto Unified School District. No public school sits inside the neighborhood lines. Duveneck Elementary (705 Alester Avenue) is just east of Newell Road, Walter Hays Elementary (1525 Middlefield Road) is south of Channing Avenue, and Addison Elementary (650 Addison Avenue) is across Middlefield near the southwest corner. PAUSD assigns schools by address and attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Getting around
- Palo Alto Caltrain (95 University Avenue) is about 0.7 to 1.7 miles from Crescent Park in a straight line; University Avenue runs from the neighborhood straight to the station.
- University Avenue also crosses the creek into East Palo Alto and reaches US-101 in under a mile from the middle of the neighborhood (approximate). Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway share an interchange with US-101 about 1 to 1.5 miles southeast (approximate).
- SamTrans Route 281 links East Palo Alto with the Palo Alto Transit Center and Stanford; check current stops near you.
- The Newell Road bridge to East Palo Alto closed May 22, 2026 for replacement; the new 80-foot-long, 42.5-foot-wide bridge, replacing the 1911 span, is due in spring 2027. The Pope-Chaucer bridge on Chaucer Street stays in service until downstream creek work is done.
- The Bryant Street bike boulevard starts at Palo Alto Avenue a few blocks west of Middlefield Road and runs south across town to East Meadow Drive.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Crescent Park: what we check
Buying here
- Start with the flood map. In the city's parcel data most Crescent Park houses are in FEMA A or AH zones; lenders usually require flood insurance there. Ask for the elevation certificate, the current premium and whether the parcel has a Letter of Map Amendment (about 90 parcels do, per city records).
- About 50 parcels near the creek are flagged by the city as possibly needing Valley Water review for work near the creek. Check before you plan additions, pools or grading on a creek-side lot.
- Know the creek project timeline: Newell Road bridge replacement is due in spring 2027, but the Pope-Chaucer bridge waits on downstream channel widening, with Army Corps design in 2028 and channel construction planned for 2030. Don't count on a flood-map change soon.
- Check historic status before you plan a rebuild: 72 parcels have Category 1 to 4 listings and others were found eligible in a 1998 survey. New two-story houses and second-floor additions of 150 square feet or more must meet the city's objective standards or go through Individual Review.
- Trees: oaks from 11.5 inches in diameter, coast redwoods from 18 inches and most other mature trees from 15 inches are protected, though blue gum eucalyptus is excluded from the mature-tree category. Get an arborist's report before you design.
Selling here
- Have the elevation certificate, flood insurance history and any LOMA ready before listing; buyers' lenders will ask for them in the first week.
- If your parcel is in Zone X, on the higher ground near the creek bank, show it with the city's parcel report and the FEMA map.
- Document any flood mitigation (raised equipment, flood vents, drainage work) with permits, and disclose past water events plainly.
- Lot size, frontage and R-1 versus R-1(10000) zoning drive rebuild value here; a survey helps, especially for one of the 83 flag lots.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Crescent Park questions, answered
Where are Crescent Park's boundaries?
The city maps Crescent Park between Middlefield Road, San Francisquito Creek, Newell Road and Channing Avenue. Some other sources draw it smaller, with Fulton Street or Edgewood Drive as edges.
Why is it called Crescent Park?
Its curving streets follow the bend of San Francisquito Creek. The city annexed the old Newell farm as Crescent Park 1 in 1920, and the tract opened in 1924.
Is Crescent Park in a flood zone?
Mostly. In the city's parcel data, 949 of about 1,200 single-family parcels are in FEMA A or AH zones, the shallow-flooding zones fed by creek overflow; some higher ground near the creek bank is Zone X. Check the current FEMA map and any LOMA for the exact parcel.
When will the creek bridges be replaced?
The Newell Road bridge closed in May 2026 and is due to reopen in spring 2027. The Pope-Chaucer bridge waits for downstream channel work; the Army Corps plans design in 2028 and channel construction in 2030.
Which school district serves Crescent Park?
The Palo Alto Unified School District. Schools are assigned by address and boundaries change, so confirm any address with PAUSD.
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