home stylesplate 03 of 09built c. 1915–1940boyenga team at compass
Spanish & Mediterranean homes from Palo Alto to the Sunset
Red clay tile, stucco, arches and wrought iron. The Spanish revival took off in California after the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, and through the 1920s and 1930s it shaped Birge Clark's Palo Alto houses, San Jose's Hanchett Park and San Francisco's Sunset tracts. Here is how to read one, where to find them, and every one listed for sale now.
- for sale now · live…
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- selling silicon valley since1996
how to spot one
How to spot a Spanish revival from the sidewalk
Six details give it away. Hover or tap a number on the drawing to match it to the list.
Red clay-tile roof
Low-pitched roofs covered in half-round red clay tile.
Stucco walls
Smooth stucco painted white or beige, or thick textured plaster meant to suggest adobe, with little or no eave.
Arched openings
Doors, windows and entries set in round or chamfered arches, often a big arched window on the living room.
Wrought iron
Iron grilles over windows, small iron balconies and railings.
Shaped parapet
On Mission Revival and some Mediterranean houses, a curved or stepped parapet rises above the front wall, often capped in tile.
Tile accents
Tile vents in the gables, decorative chimney caps and, on some houses, colored tile at the entry.
on the market
Spanish and Mediterranean homes for sale now
Every active listing in our service area that the MLS tags Spanish or Mediterranean, or whose description says Spanish revival, Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean, Mission Revival or Monterey Colonial. The MLS also uses Mediterranean for newer stucco-and-tile houses, so the year built tells you which is which.
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How homes land here: we read each active listing’s MLS style field and its description, then check the year built. “MLS-tagged only” keeps the homes whose listing agent picked this style. Orange pins are MLS-tagged. Some listings record a style only in fields this search can’t filter on, so a few may not appear here; ask us for a full search. Listing data comes from the MLS and is shown with the listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent.
where to find them
Where Spanish and Mediterranean homes cluster
Neighborhoods where our guides, city inventories and planning documents record Spanish, Mission and Mediterranean revival houses. Each name opens the full guide.
Palo Alto
- Old Palo AltoBirge Clark designed every house on Coleridge Avenue between Cowper and Webster streets.
- Crescent ParkClark's 1926 Dunker House on Maple Street, one of Palo Alto's first two Spanish-style houses, is on the National Register.
- ProfessorvilleGeorge Washington Smith's Pettigrew House on Cowper Street was the other of those first two.
- Leland Manor & Garland1930s houses from Tudor Revival to Monterey Colonial, some designed by Birge Clark.
- College TerraceSpanish Colonial Revival bungalows among Victorians and early Craftsman houses.
San Jose
- Hanchett & Hester ParkSpanish Eclectic, Mediterranean Revival and Mission Revival houses among the Craftsman bungalows.
- Palm HavenA 1913 residence park with Mission Revival and Spanish/Mediterranean Revival houses.
- Rose GardenSpanish Eclectic and Pueblo Revival designs of the 1910s–30s on the city inventory.
- Naglee ParkSpanish Revival designs among bungalows, Queen Annes and Prairie houses.
- BurbankA 1932 Mission Revival court on the city's historic inventory.
Peninsula
- Hayward Park, San MateoA 1989 survey found the 1920s Glazenwood subdivision eligible as a historic district.
- Baywood, San MateoA 1930 Monterey Colonial Revival model home, 'The Californian,' still stands on Fordham Road.
- San Mateo Park, San MateoSpanish Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival houses, with French Eclectic ones.
- Howard Park, San CarlosSpanish-style cottages from the 1920s in the flats on the tree-named streets.
- Burlingame Park, BurlingameMediterranean and Tudor styles joined the Craftsman houses by the mid-1920s.
South Bay
- Heritage District, SunnyvaleSpanish Revival is the most common style.
- Montalvo & Horseshoe, Saratoga1910s–30s houses on Hill Avenue and Bonnie Brae Lane in Mediterranean, Spanish Colonial and Monterey Colonial styles.
- Downtown CampbellSpanish Colonial and Mission Revival houses from about 1915 through the 1930s.
- Fairview Plaza, Los GatosMission Revival/Mediterranean is one of the district's contributing styles.
- Old Mountain ViewMission and Spanish Colonial houses on the historic-homes walking tour.
San Francisco
- Outer SunsetHenry Doelger's first tract, 1927: a row of barrel-front Mediterranean Revival houses on 39th Avenue.
- Sea CliffFernando Nelson's row of Mission Revival houses north of California Street between 15th and 16th avenues.
- Ingleside Terraces1920s stucco Mediterranean houses on Monticello, Estero and Corona.
- ParksideMediterranean Revival and Picturesque Period Revival tracts on Planning's survey lists.
- Oceanview, Merced & InglesideDetached 1920s–30s Mediterranean Revival houses with tile roofs.
inside
What you find inside
- plan
Turned toward a patio
The Dunker House's National Register nomination describes houses that turned away from the street, with main rooms opening onto a patio.
- detail
Arches, plaster and oak
Rooms that flow together through arches, textured plaster walls, wide-plank oak floors and beamed living-room ceilings.
- plan
Living over the garage
In San Francisco's Sunset tracts, the garage takes the ground story and the living rooms sit above it.
- plan
Roof patios and side stairs
Oliver Rousseau's 1932 plan with an open-air top-story patio was copied by other Sunset builders.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Clay-tile roof systemHave a roofer who works with clay tile check for broken or slipped tiles, the flashing and the underlayment beneath the tile.
- StuccoLook for cracks, bulges and staining, and check for moisture behind the stucco at windows, parapets and the base of walls.
- Flat roofs and parapetsWhere a flat roof sits behind a parapet, confirm the drains or scuppers work, the membrane is sound and the parapet caps are watertight.
- Foundation and boltingConfirm the foundation type and any bolting and cripple-wall bracing. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers retrofit grants for wood-framed houses built before 1980 on raised foundations in designated ZIP codes, with registration open for a limited time each year. A Mediterranean-style house built in 1980 or later falls outside that age rule.
- Lead paintFor houses built before 1978, sellers must disclose known lead-based paint and give buyers the federal pamphlet, and buyers get a 10-day window to inspect.
- Asbestos before remodelingSuspect materials can't be identified by sight. EPA advises sampling by an accredited professional before a remodel disturbs them.
- Confirm the actual ageMediterranean in a listing can mean a 1920s revival house or a much newer one. Check permit and assessor records for the year built and for additions.
- Historic reviewCheck for historic district or inventory status, since changes to tile, windows and stucco can need review.
How we market one when you sell
- Show the materialsPhotograph the tile, stucco texture, ironwork and arches in raking light so the texture reads.
- Feature the patioShow how the main rooms open to the patio or courtyard.
- Document the roofRoof age, underlayment history and tile repair records answer the first questions inspectors ask.
- Clarify the vintageState the year built and whether it is a 1920s–30s revival or a later Mediterranean-style house. Buyers compare the two differently.
- Disclose any Mills Act contractContracts transfer to new owners, so buyers need to see it.
Palo Alto's Ramona Street, with Birge Clark's 1924 Early California storefronts, is a local historic district, and his Dunker House (1926) and Norris House (1928) are on the National Register. San Jose requires a Historic Preservation Permit for exterior work on City Landmarks and in landmark districts, and Los Gatos treats houses in its historic districts as potentially historic. We read the rules for a specific address before you plan changes.
questions
Questions we hear
What's the difference between Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival?
San Francisco Planning dates Mission Revival to 1890–1915 and spots it most easily by the shaped parapet on the front. Spanish Colonial Revival, 1915–1935, uses smooth stucco, red tile roofs, molded trim around doors and windows, and wrought-iron grilles.
What is a Monterey-style house?
A two-story variation of the Spanish Colonial Revival, built mostly from 1925 to 1940, with a cantilevered second-story balcony under the main roof, often on simple wood posts.
Who was Birge Clark?
A Palo Alto architect who opened his own practice in 1922. He designed the 1926 Dunker House and the Early California stores on Ramona Street, and saw the style as suited to indoor-outdoor living.
Why are so many Sunset District houses built over a garage?
From the mid-1920s the standard Sunset house was stucco, on a 25-foot lot, with an integrated garage at the ground story and living rooms above.
Is a 1990s Mediterranean the same as a 1920s Spanish revival?
Not necessarily. They share stucco and tile, but construction methods, codes and seismic-program eligibility differ by age, so confirm the year built first.
all home styles
Every style in the field guide, by era
Bars show the years each style was mostly built here. See the full field guide.
- 01Victorian & Edwardian1870s–1910s
- 02Craftsman & bungalow1905–1930
- 03Spanish & Mediterranean1915–1940
- 04Tudor, storybook & traditional1920s–1940s
- 05California ranchlate 1930s–1970s
- 06Mid-century modern1945–1975
- 07Eichler1949–1974
- 08Modern & contemporary1970s–today
- 09Modern farmhouse & new construction2005–today
talk to a property nerd
Own a Spanish revival, or want one?
Call us for a value, a plan for the tile, stucco and historic-review questions buyers ask, or a tour of the neighborhoods where they cluster. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
Questions about Spanish & Mediterranean homes? Send us a note.
