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An open
door to
extraordinary
leadership
The offices of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard
1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California
HP Corporate Archives
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The offices occupied by Bill Hewlett and Dave
Packard from 1960 until their deaths, in 2001
and 1996 respectively, stand as a testament to
the character of both men.
Described as a “museum of non-pomposity,”
the offices perfectly reflect their late owners’
no-nonsense attitudes and belief in simplicity.
But while Bill and Dave were definitely more
substance than style, the rooms’ design and
decoration give a special insight into their lives
and pioneering vision.
Next to Bill and Dave’s offices is the
original HP board room. The room’s
functional design and location allowed
the founders a quick commute to
executive and board meetings.
Maintaining its original walnut
finishes, the room is accessed from
the executive reception area and
shares the patio garden with Bill
and Dave’s offices.
Today, both the board room and
the patio area continue to serve
HP employees and customers for
meetings and events.
Right: The original board room, 1960.
Cover: Now the entrance to HP’s
central research laboratories,
this facility was the company’s
headquarters from 1958 to 1981.
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A historic treasure
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were the kind of people who rolled up their sleeves and got
involved in projects. So when architects Clark, Stromquist, Ehrlich & Potter came on board to
design Hewlett-Packard Company’s headquarters, HP’s founders had some strong opinions
about their offices that they wanted to share with the firm.
Bill and Dave told the architects to keep their offices austere. They were sensitive about
executive perks that the rest of the staff wouldn’t have. Dave said, in 1993, “We never felt like
we needed a lot of fancy trappings around us.” So cork tiles were used for the flooring instead of
carpets, which both men felt looked too luxurious.
As well as their lack of ostentation, the rooms also reflect Bill and Dave’s pioneering ideas
about how to run a business. The doors to both offices, for example, were never shut. Both
men wanted to encourage an atmosphere of openness, where even the highest level of
management was accessible and visible to other staff at all times.
The sunny, spacious corner of Building 3 Upper has changed very little since Bill and Dave
worked there. The unpretentious offices, homely compared to most executive suites, are a
treasured piece of HP history.
Even when this building was renovated in the early 1990s, Bill and Dave declined to upgrade
their offices or the adjacent reception area. Neither thought it was necessary.
When corporate headquarters moved to Building 20 at 3000 Hanover Street in 1981, Bill and
Dave opted to stay. It was partly symbolic. They were making the transition into retirement from
hands-on management, and they wanted the new executive team to be independent.
Besides, they were just plain comfortable there.
Dave Packard (left) and Bill Hewlett in
front of then-corporate headquarters at
1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto (1961).
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Bill’s office
Bill surrounded himself with reminders of things he loved: family, friends, the company, the community, education,
engineering, and nature. Some of Bill’s belongings have been returned to his family, but notice the replica of the 7x12
foot patchwork quilt, which hung prominently in his office and commemorated many local landmarks. His bookshelves
were crammed with personal photos of family and friends, HP annual reports dating back to the ’50s, a dog-eared copy
of the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, and other books and catalogs.
View 1
1A portrait of Bill upon his induction
into the National Inventors Hall
of Fame.
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2Replica of an original Maynard Dixon
painting of the Southwest — printed
on an HP printer.
3
3HP’s first patent, the audio oscillator,
January 6, 1942.
View 2
4 The doors were always open—
evidence of HP’s “open-door” policy.
Note the floor and wall behind them
have not faded.
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5 The quilt Bill’s children commissioned
for him. A replica hangs in its place
since his death.
6 The two black chairs at the ends of
the conference table were gifts from
the Harvard Business School Group of
Northern California, honoring
Bill as Business Statesman of the
Year, 1970.
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View 3
7The shared patio and garden provided
the north view from Bill and Dave’s
offices. They often entertained
employees, customers, and
dignitaries there.
8 Translucent fiberglass panels from
Hexcel Corp. were used on the walls
at Bill’s request—he served on
Hexcel’s board.
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Dave’s office
Dave’s love for the environment, his support of conservation, and his years of public service are evident throughout
his office. The oil landscapes depict the San Felipe Ranch, 35 miles south of Palo Alto, that he and Bill owned. They
frequently invited employees there for picnics and work sessions in HP’s early days.
Dave routinely hosted U.S. and world leaders as the head of HP. Visitors to the offices over the years included President
Charles de Gaulle, President Herbert Hoover, King Gustav of Sweden, Prince Philippe of Belgium, President Ronald
Reagan, and broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite.
View 1
1 Streambed painting of San Felipe
Ranch by Robert C. Rishell.
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2 Dave and Bill could see each other
at their desks through the alwaysopen internal corridor doors.
View 2
3 Foothills painting of Bill and Dave’s
ranch, also by Rishell.
4 Memorabilia from Department of
Defense (DOD).
5 Inscribed photo from former U.S.
President George H.W. Bush.
3
6 Signed photo of Queen Elizabeth
and Prince Philip, presented when
they visited HP in 1983.
7 Medals and citations from DOD,
1971.
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8 Another medal for distinguished
service from DOD, 1972.
9 National Medal of Technology with
inscribed photo from former U.S.
President Ronald Reagan, 1988.
10 Landscape painting of San Felipe
Ranch by A. Dzigurski.
11Inscribed photo from former U.S.
President Herbert Hoover.
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View 3
12 Bruce Lattig print from California
Nature Conservancy.
13 Chevron Conservation Award, 1989.
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Desktops
Top: Bill’s desk with his HP-25
calculator.
Bottom: Dave’s desk with mementos
of his service as U.S. Deputy Secretary
of Defense.
“We never felt like we needed a lot of fancy trappings
around us.”
—Dave Packard
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Right: The Toro lantern in the garden
behind Bill and Dave’s offices.
The garden
Bill and Dave’s view from their offices was of a serene patio garden. This area and all of the
landscaping for the site were designed by renowned Stanford landscape architect Thomas
Church, a pioneer of the “California Style” of landscape architecture. Church’s outdoor designs
blended perfectly with the Postwar Modern buildings.
Based on a 1,000-year-old design, the five-part lantern
represents fire, earth, water, sun, and sky.
The Toro lantern situated at the center of the garden was a deeply symbolic gift from the
people of HP’s first joint venture, Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard, in 1971. Based on a 1,000-yearold design, the five-part granite sculpture represents fire, earth, water, sun, and sky. The lamp
itself carries symbols for the earth, moon, and sun.
A dwarf maple and a large stone, meticulously placed nearby, combine with the lantern to
symbolize heaven, earth, and mankind.
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© Copyright 2010, 2016 HP Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products
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4AA1-8326ENA, May 2016, Rev. 2
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