By Bruce Barton

Officials from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills received personal tours Nov. 7 through the new Taaffe House, the former David Packard residence willed to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Since the foundation can’t sit on its assets, the 10,000-square-foot residence on Taaffe Road in Los Altos Hills was transformed into a meeting facility for the foundation and grantees sponsored by foundation members. The house now includes three conference rooms, and foundation officials said they took great care to leave the house as it was.

“We wanted to keep the character of the house intact, but maximize the functionality in terms of usage,” said John Pihl, director of workplace services.

Foundation officials named the house after the Taaffe family, which once claimed all of Los Altos Hills as their ranch. Officials said they wanted a historic reference.

Pihl said the number of guests at any one time would be limited to respect the quiet atmosphere of the surrounding environment. The house sits on top of 70 or so acres of apricot orchards that are tended to to this day.

Remodeling, which started in January, was completed in September.

Much of the house retains its late-1950s look, with an abundance of glass walls and almost Eichler-like feel. Packard’s study area was left much the same as before his death in 1996, with a large magnifying glass at his desk that helped with his reading and an uncompleted manuscript for a new book still filed behind his desk. Beautiful twin doors with stained glass mark the front entrance, with a noble portrait of David and Lucile Packard greeting visitors as they look right.

Included in last Wednesday’s gathering was Susan Packard Orr, one of two Packard daughters and chairwoman of the foundation board. Packard gazed over the surrounding apricot orchard as twilight started to settle in and remarked, “When we first moved here, we really tried to maintain the orchard and we intend to keep it as an orchard forever.” Applause followed, then Packard said, “Nothing like a fresh apricot off the tree.” Visitors took home small bags of dried apricots.

Los Altos Mayor King Lear made note of the Packard Foundation’s recent crossroads forced by the decline of its Hewlett-Packard stock value leaving several decisions, including expansion of its Los Altos headquarters, up in the air. Saying one option is moving out of Los Altos entirely, Lear implored foundation officials not to consider leaving.

Though Packard stopped short of obliging that request, she did say, “It’s fun to still be in Los Altos - our roots are really here.”