You'd never notice the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" if you weren't specifically looking for it. Located at 367 Addison Avenue in a quiet and well-kept residential neighborhood in Palo Alto, Calif., the HP Garage — literally a humble little toolshed — is where Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett formed Hewlett-Packard in 1939 and jumpstarted what would become home to one the most predominant technology companies to ever be created.
With only $538, the two Stanford alumni set to work building an audio oscillator — the Model 200A — that would later become HP's first product.
Re-purchased by the company in 2004, HP restored the entire property to 1939-conditions as a private museum that is not open to the public. You're in for a treat because HP flew us and a bunch of other tech reporters out to the HP Garage for a peek. There's a lot to see and read in the gallery below so, without further delay, your journey back to 1939 starts now.
