By the early 1960s, the rapidly growing community east of the Dublin hills had no widely accepted name.
The old crossroads settlement of Dublin still existed near Highway 21, where a church, post office, taverns, and a handful of businesses served the surrounding ranch country. But most new suburban development was occurring elsewhere.
The region's largest planned community, San Ramon Village, stretched across much of present-day Dublin and southern San Ramon. Through extensive advertising, its builders introduced thousands of Bay Area homebuyers to a place called San Ramon, even though no city by that name yet existed.
The confusion ran deep. The San Ramon name had long described the valley itself, tracing back to Rancho San Ramón, while the neighboring Amador Valley took its name from José María Amador. Meanwhile, Dublin remained attached to a small crossroads community southwest of the new subdivisions.
As housing tracts spread across the valley floor, competing names described the same landscape, and few outsiders knew exactly what to call it.
Then, in 1962, Tom Gentry began building Silvergate in the hills west of San Ramon Village. Unlike many developers of the period, he chose to market his subdivision as being in Dublin.
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| A 1904 map places Dublin near the crossroads of Amador Valley, decades before suburban growth transformed the landscape. |
A community without a name
Long before Silvergate was built, the region was part of Rancho San Ramón, a massive Mexican land grant awarded to José María Amador in 1834. For decades, this expanse of open hills and grassland stretched across what would eventually become parts of two counties—Contra Costa and Alameda.
After California gained statehood, Contra Costa County was formed and originally included the territory of today’s Alameda County. In 1852, Amador sold 10,000 acres of his rancho to Leo Norris in what would become Contra Costa County. Around the same time, he also sold a large portion to James Witt Dougherty—land that spanned both sides of the soon-to-be-drawn county line. Just one year later, in 1853, Alameda County was carved out, and the new boundary cut straight through Rancho San Ramón. The result? A cartographic tangle that left the region with three different San Ramons: one in Amador’s original rancho, a second in Contra Costa (Norris’s land), and a third—eventually known as Dublin—on the Dougherty portion in Alameda County.
Meanwhile, to the south of the Rancho, a small crossroads community was emerging near a church, a cemetery, and a post office. Though technically part of Rancho Santa Rita, this little settlement became casually known as Dublin, thanks to its Irish settlers. Still, official maps labeled the area by the surrounding valley names—San Ramon and Amador—and for decades, Dublin remained unofficial, unlabeled, and nearly forgotten.
By the late 1950s, developers like Volk-McLain were actively promoting nearby subdivisions under the San Ramon name, further pushing Dublin into obscurity.
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| By the late 1960s, the historic Dublin name had reappeared over Silvergate and Briarhill while the larger San Ramon Village development retained its original identity. |
Selling Dublin
That changed in 1962 when developer Tom Gentry purchased approximately 250 acres of farmland west of San Ramon Village.
Unlike many builders of the era, Gentry wanted his project to stand apart from neighboring developments. Rather than continuing to market the area as part of San Ramon, he revived the historic Dublin name and used it prominently in advertising for his new subdivision: Silvergate.
At the time, this was a surprisingly bold marketing decision.
The San Ramon identity had already become closely associated with suburban growth in the Tri-Valley, but Dublin continued to be shaped and marketed as a distinct place. Through Silvergate’s newspaper ads, maps, and promotional campaigns, the Dublin name gradually re-entered wider public usage.
In many ways, Silvergate helped put modern Dublin back on the map.
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| From an August 1964 Oakland Tribune ad—Silvergate advertisements promoted the Dublin name to Bay Area buyers at a time when much of the area was still marketed as San Ramon. |
That decision, joined by neighboring developments such as Briarhill, helped reconnect the historic Dublin name to the area's new suburban growth. By the end of the decade, the balance had begun to shift.
Building Silvergate
Construction on Silvergate began in 1962, originally under the spelling “Silver Gate.”
Over the next six years, approximately 400 homes were built across gently winding hillside streets designed to follow the natural contours of the land. Silvergate introduced hundreds of ranch-style homes, sweeping valley views, modern conveniences, and a stronger local identity at a time when much of the region was still being marketed under the San Ramon name.
The homes reflected classic California mid-century suburban design, featuring:
- Open floor plans
- Attached two-car garages
- Large picture windows
- Spacious backyards
- Indoor-outdoor living spaces
- Ranch-style architecture
- Valley and hillside views
Some homes even included in-ground swimming pools, reflecting the growing Southern California influence on suburban living during the 1960s.
Silvergate homes were priced above nearby developments such as San Ramon Village, but buyers were drawn to the neighborhood’s elevated setting, architectural quality, and stronger sense of identity.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Silvergate neighborhood in Dublin, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Selling the dream
Silvergate advertisements sold more than floor plans and square footage. The neighborhood was presented as a modern lifestyle, with dramatic interiors, exposed beams, hillside views, and the promise of suburban sophistication.
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| From a December 1963 Oakland Tribune ad—she’s lost in the moment—and possibly the floor plan. With her hair as high as the beamed ceilings and a staircase to nowhere behind her, she arranges flowers like the Cold War isn’t happening. |
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| From an August 1967 Daily Review ad—encouraging you to indulge a whim or two, this joint ad for Silvergate and Oak Creek advertises lush wall-to-wall carpeting as a feature included at no extra cost. |
The “New Silvergate” expansion (1965–1968)
Following the success of the original phases, Tom Gentry launched a second generation of homes in late 1965 known as “The New Silvergate.”
These newer homes embraced increasingly upscale suburban trends, featuring:
- Beamed ceilings
- Hardwood flooring
- Pecan wood breakfast bars
- Enhanced landscaping
- Built-in fencing
- Coaxial television cable
- Larger living areas
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| June 1966 ad for Silvergate in Dublin, promoting luxury "in the rolling foothills of Dublin.” These homes came fully featured with Pecan wood breakfast bars, Golden Oak hardwood floors, beamed ceilings, landscaped front lawns, fencing, and built-in coaxial TV cable—highlighting Tom Gentry's attention to modern comfort and suburban appeal. |
Wired for the future
Silvergate also became one of the first neighborhoods in the region to fully embrace cable television technology.
At a time when over-the-air television reception in the Tri-Valley was notoriously unreliable, Tom Gentry arranged for a master antenna system that delivered cable television service directly into Silvergate homes.
This was marketed as a major technological luxury during the mid-1960s.
For many residents, Silvergate represented not only architectural modernity, but technological modernity as well—a neighborhood literally wired for the future.
Legacy of Silvergate
Silvergate did not create Dublin. The historic name had survived for generations at the old crossroads. But at a moment when San Ramon appeared to be the region's emerging identity, Silvergate helped reconnect Dublin to the landscape of suburban growth.
By the time Dublin incorporated in 1982, the question had largely been settled.
Today, Silvergate survives not only as a collection of mid-century homes, but as one of the neighborhoods that helped determine what the city would become.
Exploring the original Silvergate today
Although the sales offices are long gone and the advertisements have faded, the original Silvergate model homes remain part of the neighborhood. These homes gave prospective buyers their first glimpse of Tom Gentry's vision for suburban living in 1962.
Today, they provide a tangible connection to Silvergate's earliest days. The guide below documents the original model home complexes, the homes themselves, and how they appear today.
The original prices
- 1962: $18,800 +
- 1963: $19,000 - $23,000
- 1964: $19,995 +
- 1965: $20,250 - $26,500
- 1966: $21,950 - $27,500
- 1967: $23,950 +
- 1968: $24,950 - $28,950
The first original model home complex (1962–1965)
Silvergate's five original model homes were arranged on San Sabana Court around a temporary sales complex that welcomed prospective buyers during the neighborhood's grand opening in late 1962. While the sales office disappeared long ago, the model homes remain, allowing visitors to trace the neighborhood's beginnings more than fifty years later.
Although five models went up for display, six designs were available for purchase. Designed by architect Norm Dyer, AIA, the homes were sold in Units 1 through 5 of the development.
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| Annotated aerial map of the 1962 Silvergate model home complex on San Sabana Court. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Castilian - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,760 sq. ft.
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| Original 1962 Castilian model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Plan 2 - 4 or 5 bedrooms, 2 or 2.5 bathrooms, 1,927 to 1,951 sq. ft.
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| Original Plan 2 model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Casa Camino - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2,035 sq. ft. Added in 1963, The Casa Camino became notable for introducing one of the region’s first Monterey Colonial-style elevations.
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| Original Casa Camino model today via Google Street View. |
4. The Plan 4 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,416 sq. ft.
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| Original Plan 4 model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Plan 5 - 3-bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,348 sq. ft.
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| Original Plan 5 model today (with addition) via Google Street View. |
The second original model home complex (1965–1968)
The second model complex opened at Castilian Road and Silvergate Drive, with a grand opening held in January 1966. The second model complex initially opened with four homes and eventually expanded to seven models by the project’s completion in 1968.
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| Annotated aerial map of the 1965 Silvergate model home complex on Castilian Road. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Plan 1 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,432 sq. ft.
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| Original 1965 Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Plan 2 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,477 sq. ft.
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| Original Plan 2 model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Plan 3 - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,522 sq. ft.
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| Original Plan 3 model today (with addition) via Google Street View. |
4. The Castilian - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,760 sq. ft.
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| Original Castilian model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Casa Camino - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2,035 sq. ft.
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| Original Casa Camino model today (with addition) via Google Street View. |
6. The San Antonio - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,623 sq. ft. Added in November 1967.
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| Original San Antonio model today via Google Street View. |
7. The Plan 7 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,499 sq. ft. Added in 1967.
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| Original Plan 7 model today via Google Street View. |
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