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Birthplace of Silicon Valley in Shambles
CowTipperGore writes "Founded by William Shockley in the mid-50s, Shockley Semiconductor Lab is generally credited with starting the Silicon Valley boom. When he was unable to lure his former Bell Labs coworkers to join him, he filled his ranks with the best and brightest engineering school grads, including Gordon Moore and others who later went on to form Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.
The building at 391 San Antonio Road, Mountain View, California, is the original site of the company but, unlike the HP Garage, this building has received little protection or preservation. It recently housed a fruit stand, where visitors could find a small display about Shockley above baskets of fruit. The fruit stand is now closed, leaving the future of the building in the air."
Unlike the HP garage, which behind a reasonably cute house in a reasonably cute neighborhood (and HP has put up the money to buy and restore the house and garage), Shockley Semi was in a very unremarkable building. It's great to have a landmark sign there but do you really need to preserve the cheap building?
Just a few blocks away is another notable site:
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=21522
NO. 1000 SITE OF INVENTION OF THE FIRST COMMERCIALLY PRACTICABLE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - At this site in 1959, Dr. Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation invented the first integrated circuit that could be produced commercially. Based on 'planar' technology, an earlier Fairchild breakthrough, Noyce's invention consisted of a complete electronic circuit inside a small silicon chip. His innovation helped revolutionize 'Silicon Valley's' semicondutor electronics industry, and brought profound change to the lives of people everywhere.
Location: 844 E Charleston Rd, Palo Alto
It's also in a pretty unremarkable building.
Just a few blocks from the HP garage is another interesting site:
NO. 836 PIONEER ELECTRONICS RESEARCH LABORATORY - This is the original site of the laboratory and factory of Federal Telegraph Company, founded in 1909 by Cyril F. Elwell. Here, Dr. Lee de Forest, inventor of the three-element radio vacuum tube, devised the first vacuum tube amplifier and oscillator in 1911-13. Worldwide developments based on this research led to modern radio communication, television, and the electronics age.
Location: In sidewalk, SE corner of Channing Ave and Emerson St, Palo Alto
That building is already long gone. Unless there's something remarkable about the building or you have a sympathetic property owner, I say let progress march on.
Come visit Philadelphia sometime. It's nice.