Designed and developed in Northern California during the late 1940s by developer Joseph Eichler, these single-story homes have become a distinctive part of local residential architecture. Because of the Eichler design, which often incorporates centrally located atriums and the extensive use of windows, the homes are well-suited to the temperate climate and sunshine that characterizes the Bay Area.

Cupertino's Fairgrove neighborhood, home to 220 Eichlers, has long celebrated their special character.

Bounded by Phil Lane to the north, Tantau Avenue to the east, Bollinger Road to the south and Miller Avenue to the west, the Fairgrove neighborhood was developed in 1960, according to Rick Kitson, Cupertino's public information officer.

Since 1997, as growth and development have intensified, the city and Fairgrove residents have worked to preserve the unique identity of the neighborhood.

According to city senior planner Aarti Shrivastava, a 1999 citywide survey concluded that the Fairgrove Eichler neighborhood contains architecturally significant homes and is worthy of preservation. The report soon led to the development of a program for preservation of neighborhood compatibility and privacy protection.

In November 2000, the city council adopted an "R1e" ordinance, which rezoned Fairgrove to a single-family Eichler district. Soon after, in January 2001, an Eichler design guidelines handbook was completed to direct Eichler homeowners toward successful design solutions that would preserve the identity of their neighborhood.

On Nov. 6, the city concluded the five-year combined efforts with a ceremony, which unveiled a special Eichler designation sign at the corner of Phil and Stendhal lanes. According to Shrivastava, the city plans to place three to five additional signs in and around the neighborhood in the near future.

Residents, whether longtime Eichler owners or recent buyers, have continued to enjoy the look and the convenience that their modernist homes provide.

"I love it," says Marie Ludemann, who has lived in her three-bedroom Eichler home on Hyde Avenue for 26 years. "It's very comfortable, like a vacation house."

Ludemann's favorite Eichler features are the big windows that line the walls of many rooms in her home.

"I like the openness," she adds. "There's a lot of light. I think it makes my small house seem larger and more spacious."

Openness is one of the many reasons Ludemann's neighbors across the street, the Levins, purchased their home seven years ago after relocating to the area from Massachusetts.

"When we saw this house, we immediately liked it," says Denise Levin, who lives in her four-bedroom Eichler with her husband and two children. "We knew it was right for us. I really like the openness, the light and airy feeling."

Levin adds that she enjoys the post-and-beam construction and radiant-heat floors.

"I guess the radiant heat from under the floor is more efficient because hot air rises," she says.

According to the Eichler Network, www.eichlernetwork.com, there are approximately 11,000 Eichler homes located throughout California, including many Bay Area cities, Sacramento and three small communities in Southern California.