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Published on 12/14/1998 All articles from this issue

City hall started in a stable downtown, old-timer says

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Voice of the Past

Ruth McMahon came to Los Altos in 1940 as the 19-year-old bride of Merritt McMahon. Her husband was an accomplished artist and painted Los Altos landscapes and portraits of "just about every child in Los Altos."

Ruth's father-in-law was Mac McMahon, owner of Mac's Tea Room in downtown Los Altos. Merritt helped his father operate the business by working in the bar at Mac's.

Ruth told the following stories about Mac's Tea Room during a 1997 interview with Don McDonald. Ruth currently lives in Los Altos Hills.

When my father-in-law bought the property at Mac's - and the one where the Dairy Belle is now located - downtown lots were $75. Someone would buy a lot one week, and the next week it would go up a thousand dollars. They would sell it to get the thousand dollars. Everybody thought that was great.

I rode my horse all over this area, probably over everyone's back yard in Los Altos. I rode all over Main Street and the business area. My horse was stabled downtown in what became the first Los Altos city hall. It's where the bank is now. So city hall started in a stable.

Where the Koo Koo Roo is now was Taylor's Bakery. The Taylors were wonderful bakers and outgoing people. The bakers baked there, of course, at night - 2, 3, 4 in the morning - and when Mac's closed, people went there and continued partying in the bakery.

Mac's was the gathering place for the whole town. I remember my husband telling me about one night in 1941. All the regulars were there, and some cowboys came down from the hills. One cowboy had a gunnysack full of rattlesnakes. He opened the bag, and they all slithered across the bar. Everyone was feeling quite good by that time, and Mr. Carlson, who owned the radio shop next to Mac's said, "Look at that," and shook his finger at the snakes. One bit his finger. They finally got the snakes back in the bag, and everyone celebrated telling Mr. Carlson that all he needed to cure his finger was another drink. That went on for quite awhile, but they finally took him to the hospital. My husband never forgot that incident.

When the train used to come through town, going to Los Gatos at night, the engineers would park the train, and go to Mac's for dinner. All the people going to Los Gatos just sat in the train and had to wait while the trainmen had their dinner.

In 1996, after Merritt passed away, our friends and family held a memorial gathering at Mac's Tea Room, and, of course, we displayed Merritt's artwork.

- Courtesy of Donna Shoemaker and the Oral History Program of Los Altos History House.