Eichler Home Drive-By Tours

Joseph Eichler was a 20th-century post-war United States real estate developer known for developing distinctive residential subdivisions of Mid-Century modern style tract housing in California. According to his son, Eichler was inspired by a short period of time when the family lived in a Frank Lloyd Wright–designed home in Hillsborough. Between 1949 and 1966, Eichler Homes built over 11,000 homes in nine communities in Northern California and three communities in Southern California. The largest contiguous Eichler Homes development is "The Highlands" in San Mateo, built between 1956 and 1964.

The Eichler homes in San Jose were built over a span of time ranging from 1951 to 1962 and are found in five separate tracts.  Three tracts, with over 300 Eichler homes, including the best-known San Jose Eichler community – Fairglen, are in the Willow Glen neighborhood.  Slightly to the north of Willow Glen, near San Jose City College is an unnamed tract of early Eichlers located in the Rose Glen neighborhood.  The 5th Eichler development, Fairhaven (sometimes referred to as Mossbrook), is on the outskirts of San Jose near Campbell.