Photograph by Dai Sugano

Alastair Dallas' new book, 'Los Gatos Observed,' traces the history of local landmarks, including the corner turret of the La Cañada Building, which was added to the building in 1894 by developer James Hofstra, about 19 years after the building was built.

A local cat looks at Los Gatos landmarks

By Jeff Kearns

It may have been a labor of love, but it didn't take very long. From the time the seed was planted, Alastair Dallas' new paean to the town, his book Los Gatos Observed, took only 14 months to complete.

The book, which went on sale last week, takes a detailed look at the architectural history of Los Gatos, along with other town icons and local lore.

As far as local history is concerned, Los Gatos Observed is the first comprehensive source since George G. Bruntz' 1971 book, The History of Los Gatos, and Richard A. Beale's 1991 book, Highway 17: The Road to Santa Cruz, which chronicles the rise of the towns that grew up along the highway.

Los Gatos Observed also includes passages on the stories behind the Civic Center, the abandoned Guadalupe College, and Leo and Leona, the feline statues that guard the entrance to Poet's Canyon off Highway 17.

Mostly, the book breaks down the town by neighborhood and covers the history of the major and minor landmarks in each one.

The book begins with an overview of the town and a primer on its history, much of which is based on material from Bruntz's book and interviews with Los Gatos historian Bill Wulf and Weekly-Times columnist John Baggerly.

But while Bruntz's history served as a source for the author, Dallas takes a different tack on some issues than his predecessor. Alexander Forbes, for instance, was something of a "scalawag," says Dallas, while the town pioneer was portrayed more favorably by Bruntz.

For Dallas, growing up in Southern California made it hard not to appreciate Los Gatos when he first moved here with his family in 1990. "I grew up in L.A., and L.A. doesn't have the same kind of history as Northern California," he says. "If I'd been here all my life, I don't think I'd be as curious."

Dallas says his friend Mary Tomasi-Dubois, who serves alongside him on the Los Gatos Arts Commission, suggested the idea to him last year. "She was telling me about an idea she had for a book about the town," Dallas remembers. A few months later, he was putting together a database on buildings and houses in the town, and the book was starting to take shape.

Tomasi-Dubois wrote the book's foreword, and Planning Commissioner and Los Gatos High School teacher Kathryn Morgan wrote the introduction.

Dallas, a self-taught architect who once worked for Walt Disney Imagineering, now works in the high-tech industry as an information designer for an e-commerce website. Much of the book was put together digitally, with the help of co-worker Peter Conrad, who shot most of the book's photos with a digital camera.

The book was typeset digitally by Dallas' wife, Peggy. The two met in 1983 while both were helping design Tokyo Disneyland. They live in Los Gatos with their children, Jonathan, Kelley and Ann Marie.

And yes, their house is in the book, too.

For now, Dallas is selling the 192-page book, which he published himself, on the web at www.losgatosobserved.com. Orders can also be placed by calling 408/395-6767. Dallas says the book will be available soon at Borders Books and Music in Old Town and at the Los Gatos Library.

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