The following is from the Centennial Buildings Tour, prepared by The City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board for the Centennial Building Celebration, April 16, 1994. The houses included on the tour were all identified as at least 100 years old:

The Downing House, built by W. Matlock Campbell for T.B. and Margaret Downing, is probably the most flamboyant Queen Anne still in Palo Alto. Built in 1894 and restored as offices in the 1970's, it is on The National Register of Historic Places and abounds with gingerbread, decorative shingles, gables, and a witch's hat tower. A member of the original City Council, Downing erected the Downing Block at Hamilton and Emerson.

Reference: Palo Alto Stanford Heritage