san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Fairglen, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
218 Eichler post-and-beam houses built 1959-61 off Booksin Ave and listed on the National Register in 2019, plus the 1950s and 60s blocks around them.
Fairglen by the numbers
fairglen by the numbers · live from the mls
- for sale now…
- median list price…
- homes sold, last 12 months…
- median sale price, 12 mo…
- median price per sq ft, sold…
- sale price vs. list…
Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Fairglen: the Eichler streets west of Booksin Ave (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in fairglen · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Fairglen
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Fairglen from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Get alerts for new Fairglen and Fairglen Addition listings: open this neighborhood in our full search and tap Save Search.
Loading listings…
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 (Fairglen: the Eichler streets west of Booksin Ave (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Fairglen came to be
Fairglen is the name Joseph Eichler gave his south Willow Glen development, and it came in pieces. The first was a 30-unit tract south of Dry Creek Rd near Meridian Ave, begun in 1957 (City Tract 1818, today's Margot Pl and Adele Pl). The big one came next: the Fairglen Additions, Units 1, 2 and 3, 218 houses built from 1959 to 1961 south of what was then a newly built Curtner Ave arterial, on land the nomination describes as former orchard. The National Register nomination calls the Additions the largest Eichler housing tract in San Jose, part of 484 Eichler homes the company built in eight San Jose tracts between 1952 and 1963.
Timing explains the layout. City annexation records show the district's land annexed in 1952-54 (South Willow Glen Nos. 10, 11 and 19), during a stretch the nomination sums up with one statistic: San Jose grew from 17 square miles in 1950 to 67 in 1960. Unit 1's 73 lots started at the southwest corner of Curtner Ave and Booksin Ave in a grid broken up by cul-de-sacs; Unit 2's 61 lots continued west and curved along Fairlawn Ave; Unit 3's 84 lots ran from Fairorchard Ave down to Andalusia Way. Newspaper articles of the time described a larger plan with a community center and an Olympic-size pool that was never built, and tract maps show Eichler owned a fourth parcel south of Andalusia Way that was sold just before Unit 3 was finished.
The tract had its own events early. An 'Art in Our Alley' show in 1962 grew into the Fairglen Art Festival, which ran for 33 years until 1995; block parties took over in 2001. The State Historical Resources Commission approved the National Register nomination on February 1, 2019, and the National Park Service listed the Fairglen Additions on June 6, 2019, under the multiple property listing 'Housing Tracts of Joseph Eichler in San Jose, 1952-1963.' It was the third Eichler tract on the Register, after Palo Alto's Greenmeadow and Green Gables in 2005.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The district covers 46.8 gross acres between Curtner Ave and Andalusia Way, from Booksin Ave west to Briarwood Dr. Nearly every street name starts with 'Fair': Fairglen Dr, Fairwood Ave, Fairlawn Ave and Fairlawn Ct, Fairorchard Ave, Fairhill Ln, Fairdell Dr, Fairvalley Ct, Fairoak Ct and Fairgrove Ct, plus houses fronting Booksin Ave, Briarwood Dr and Andalusia Way. Lots are generally 60 by 100 feet with 25-foot front yards, and power lines run along the rear lot lines rather than the street.
Thirteen Eichler plans were built here. The nomination sorts them into L-shaped plans with a front courtyard between the garage and the living wing, and square plans with an atrium between the garage and the bedroom wing; and into low-pitched gable roofs with a one-car garage and carport versus flat roofs with a two-car garage. One Claude Oakland model sets an A-frame into the middle of a flat roof. Construction is post-and-beam with exposed tongue-and-groove roof decking, vertical-grooved redwood plywood siding, floor-to-ceiling glass toward the atrium and rear patio, and concrete slabs with radiant heating. The draft nomination counted 204 contributing houses and 14 noncontributing ones and notes roof changes and second-story additions on individual houses.
The rest of the guide area is other tracts. North of Curtner Ave, Mulberry Ln, Laurelwood Dr, Sweetbriar Dr, Gundersen Dr, Dorrance Dr and Georgetta Dr are mostly R-1-8 lots, with R-1-5 zoning around Mulberry Cir, Park Royal Dr, Dorrance Ct and parts of Georgetta Dr; the nomination describes the north side of Curtner as larger-lot subdivisions with a mix of custom and tract designs. West and south of the district, Andalusia Way, Aragon Way, Malaga Dr, La Mirada Dr, Catalonia Way, Cordoba Way, Morocco Dr, Trona Way, Nord Ln and Media Way run through four City tracts of 104 to 124 lots each, annexed in 1959 and 1960, and Fairdell Dr, Knollwood Ave and Tiffany Way fill a 100-lot tract next to Booksin Ave.
streets in fairglen
- Fairglen Dr
- Fairwood Ave
- Fairlawn Ave
- Fairorchard Ave
- Fairhill Ln
- Fairdell Dr
- Fairvalley Ct
- Fairoak Ct
- Fairgrove Ct
- Fairlawn Ct
- Andalusia Way
- Briarwood Dr
- Booksin Ave
- Curtner Ave
- Margot Pl
- Adele Pl
- Mulberry Ln
- Laurelwood Dr
- Aragon Way
- Malaga Dr
- La Mirada Dr
- Husted Ave
- Koch Ln
- Meridian Ave
- Dry Creek Rd
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Fairglen
- landmark
Fairglen Additions National Register district
The 218-house district between Curtner Ave, Booksin Ave, Andalusia Way and Briarwood Dr, listed June 6, 2019. All 218 addresses appear on the City's Historic Resources Inventory map.
- park
Kirk Park
A 9.4-acre City park at 1601 Foxworthy Ave, just south of Koch Ln and about 0.6 mile straight-line from the middle of the area, with a soccer field, tee-ball field, basketball court, horseshoe pit, play areas, picnic area and the Kirk Community Center.
- park
Wallenberg Park
An 8-acre City park at Curtner Ave and Cottle Ave, about 0.75 mile east, with a tennis court, play areas, picnic areas and a 1.2-acre community garden.
- shopping
Foxworthy Ave and Meridian Ave
Grocery and other stores along Foxworthy Ave near Meridian Ave, about 0.7 mile straight-line south; the General Plan marks this corner as the Foxworthy Av/Meridian Av urban village.
- library
Cambrian Branch Library
The San Jose Public Library branch at 1780 Hillsdale Ave is about 1.2 miles straight-line southwest.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Fairglen is in San Jose Unified School District for elementary, middle and high school (City and Census district maps, checked at several points). Booksin Elementary (1590 Dry Creek Rd) sits just across Dry Creek Rd at the northeast corner, and Willow Glen Middle and Willow Glen High are on Cottle Ave, a bit under a mile northeast. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Getting around
- VTA light rail: Curtner station (Blue Line, 602 Curtner Ave) is about 2 miles straight-line east along Curtner Ave.
- Caltrain: Tamien station, also a light rail stop, is about 2.4 miles straight-line north.
- Driving: Curtner Ave runs east to Almaden Expwy and SR 87; Meridian Ave runs north to I-280, about 2.4 miles away; SR 85 is roughly 2.4 miles southeast.
- Bikes: the City's bikeway map shows painted bike lanes on Curtner Ave, buffered bike lanes on Meridian Ave and a signed shared route on Booksin Ave.
- Trails: the nearest open stretch of the Los Gatos Creek Trail is about 1.5 miles north, near Leigh Ave and Meridian Ave.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Fairglen: what we check
Buying here
- Check whether the address is one of the 218 district houses. They are on the City's Historic Resources Inventory, so exterior work that needs a Single-Family House Permit or another planning permit with historic review is checked against the City's San Jose Eichler Neighborhood Objective Design Standards (planning file PP24-012), which went to the City Council for adoption on December 2, 2025. Ask the Planning Division for the current version before you plan work.
- Ask what a second story or a roof change would need before you buy. The 2025 draft of the standards barred raising a roof above its original height, did not allow second-story additions that are prominent from the street, accepted rear additions, and called for keeping the original cladding.
- Radiant heat: the slabs were built with radiant heating. Ask whether the system still works, what was repaired or abandoned, and what replaced it if it is off.
- Roofs and insulation: original roofs are flat or low-sloped over exposed tongue-and-groove decking. Ask for the roof age, what insulation was added at the last reroof, and how the roof drains.
- Outside the district, houses are not on the Inventory unless listed individually; check the parcel's zoning (R-1-8 or R-1-5) and the City's ADU and SB 9 rules. The City's flood layer maps the whole outline as FEMA Zone D (possible but undetermined hazard); confirm with the current FEMA map and your lender.
Selling here
- Say whether the house is a contributor or noncontributor in the National Register district; buyers and their architects will ask.
- Gather records for radiant-heat repairs, roofing and insulation, electrical and plumbing updates, and any atrium enclosure or addition, with permits.
- Note the original features still in place, such as siding, slab entry doors, clerestory windows, aluminum hardware and cast address numbers; the nomination lists these as character-defining.
- If the house has a second story or attic addition, have the permit history ready, since the City's Eichler standards address street-visible additions.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Fairglen questions, answered
Is Fairglen on the National Register of Historic Places?
The Fairglen Additions (Units 1, 2 and 3), 218 houses between Curtner Ave, Booksin Ave, Andalusia Way and Briarwood Dr, were listed on June 6, 2019. Listing by itself does not restrict owners; local rules come from the City.
Who designed the Fairglen Eichlers?
The nomination credits Anshen & Allen of San Francisco and Jones & Emmons of Los Angeles with the site plans and houses, completed by Claude Oakland & Associates of San Francisco. Thirteen plans were built.
How many Eichlers are in Fairglen?
Primary sources give 218 in the Fairglen Additions and 30 in the original 1957 Fairglen tract on Margot Pl and Adele Pl. The other streets in this guide are separate tracts.
What rules apply to remodeling a Fairglen Eichler?
The 218 district houses are on the City's Historic Resources Inventory, and exterior work needing a Single-Family House Permit or other historic-review permit is reviewed against the City's Eichler Neighborhood Objective Design Standards. Confirm the current version with the Planning Division.
What school district serves Fairglen?
San Jose Unified School District. Booksin Elementary is across Dry Creek Rd; check the exact address with the district, since attendance boundaries change.
What ZIP code is Fairglen?
95125.
next door
More San Jose neighborhood guides
From the blog: Beautifully Remodeled Low-Gable Atrium Eichler in the Heart of Fairglen · San Jose Fairglen Eichler In Contract In 2 Days! · Fairglen: An Eichler Haven
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Fairglen? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
on the home styles field guide
Home styles in Fairglen
Fairglen shows up on these plates in our home styles field guide. Each plate shows how to spot the style from the sidewalk, with live listings opened to San Jose.
live market · san jose
San Jose right now
City-wide numbers read from the MLS each time this page loads. A neighborhood can trade differently from its city, so ask us for the sales on your street.
- homes for sale…houses, condos, townhomes
- new this week…by days on market
- median list price…of homes for sale
- median days on market…of homes for sale
- 12 months of sales…median sale price
Full San Jose dashboard in Market Pulse →Offer Lab for San JoseSan Jose neighborhoods rankedWhat’s my home worth?Get early access
Listing data comes from the MLS through our IDX feeds and is shown as reported; it isn’t guaranteed. Repeat listings from overlapping feeds are removed, and land and mobile homes are left out.
Questions about Fairglen? Send us a note.
Eric & Janelle Boyenga
Founders DRE01254725 / 01254724
Founders DRE01254725 / 01254724