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April 8, 2026

DISCOVER LOST GATOS: The Historic Hofstra Block

Hofstra block
The iconic La Cañada building on the corner of West Main Street and North Santa Cruz Avenue, with its circular bay window and signature “witches hat” turret, has been a prominent feature of our historic downtown business district almost since the day it was...

Discover LOST Gatos: The long lost Hotel Lyndon

Hotel Lyndon postcard
The former Hotel Lyndon may be the most notable Los Gatos landmark lost to history. This magnificent hotel was built by one of our town’s earliest and most prominent citizens John Weldon Lyndon who many consider to be the “Father of Los Gatos.”  With velvet...

The Los Gatos ‘Ming Quong’ campus (Discover LOST Gatos)

Ming Quong gate
It was a chilly morning in January, 1953 when 11-year-old Elena Lim arrived in Los Gatos. Her widowed father decided that he was unable to care for her so he surrendered her to the missionaries at Ming Quong. Elena was unkempt, malnourished and had been...

What a shoebox full of old papers taught me about my grandparents

composite of old photographs and documents
When I was a child in the 70s, Los Gatos was filled with Italians. I remember seeing the older women walking in town, dragging behind them their wire utility carts filled with groceries down Santa Cruz Avenue. My grandparents, Adam and Albina Contardo, were...

Discover LOST Gatos: The landmark La Cañada building

Hofstra Block
Let’s welcome the newest addition to our vibrant downtown dining scene, Heritage Pub & Chop House, with a brief look at the history of their iconic home. With its second-story circular bay window topped by what’s known in architectural circles as a “witch’s hat” roof,...

Discover LOST Gatos: The Historic Tait Avenue Fire Station

4 Tait Fire Station
The old fire station on the corner of Tait Avenue and West Main Street is a familiar sight to those of us who live on the West side of town. The Spanish Revival style building, with its stucco walls, low hip roof clad in...

Discover LOST Gatos: Lost stories of local schools

first school and students
As a new school year begins, let’s take a look at what a typical school day was like in our community years ago. You’ll be astonished by how much has changed!  In 1863, a one-room schoolhouse was built to accommodate 25 or more students from...

Discover LOST Gatos: The railroad era pt. 1

locomotive group photo
Of all the events in Los Gatos’ history, none had a more lasting impact than the arrival of the railroad. In this two part series, we’ll explore how the “iron horse” became the driving force behind the transformation of our town from an obscure...

Town’s efforts to acknowledge earliest residents fraught with challenges

Lillian Camarena during a ceremony
Earlier this year while tweaking the history section of the Draft General Plan, Los Gatos planning commissioners suggested zooming-out from the previous version, which only told the story of settler expansion, to also share the history of the original inhabitants. What may have seemed, to...

Discover LOST Gatos: Remembering the Pageants of summer

nymphs
Summer has arrived, and there’s no shortage of live music for us to enjoy here in Los Gatos, from regularly scheduled Jazz on the Plazz and Music in the Park concerts to special events like the multi-cultural Drums in the Park celebration. Our tradition of...

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