Published May 29, 2025 · Last updated October 12, 2026
Vintage Hills began in 1965 as a housing tract developed by Perma-Bilt Enterprises on part of the former Kottinger Ranch in Pleasanton. Set on rising ground within walking distance of downtown, the tract offered a hillside alternative to the developments spreading across the valley floor.
Boise-Cascade Corporation acquired Perma-Bilt and continued development in 1968, introducing a new group of model homes. The original Perma-Bilt tract and the later building phases became part of today’s larger Vintage Hills neighborhood.
Mapping Vintage Hills
Vintage Hills lies just east of downtown Pleasanton, extending into the hills on land once part of Kottinger Ranch.
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| Map showing the development of Vintage Hills in Pleasanton, from the original 1965 Perma-Bilt tract through later building phases. The neighborhood occupies land once part of Kottinger Ranch, near Kottinger Community Park. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Vintage Hills homes and architectural style
Vintage Hills developed in distinct phases, beginning with Perma-Bilt Enterprises in 1965 and continuing under Boise-Cascade Corporation from 1968. The model homes from these two periods show how the development’s house plans and architectural designs changed over time.
The 1965 Vintage Hills home designs (Perma-Bilt)
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of Vintage Hills' architecture. Perma-Bilt selected six models for the 1965 opening on Del Sol Avenue. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Perma-Bilt chose to put on display.
Plan 1
This design offered approximately 1,786 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 2
This design, with three Mediterranean arches, offered approximately 1,543 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| From a January 1966 Oakland Tribune photo—exterior of the Plan 2 with lush landscaping and three arches. |
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| Original Plan 2 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 3
This two-story design offered approximately 1,825 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 3 model today via Google Street View. |
The Malaga
This design offered approximately 1,428 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Malaga model today via Google Street View. |
The Isabella
This design offered approximately 1,940 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Isabella model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 6
This design offered approximately 1,609 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 6 model today via Google Street View. |
The 1968 Vintage Hills home designs (Boise-Cascade)
Boise-Cascade selected six models for the 1968 opening on Neal Place. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Boise-Cascade chose to put on display.
Plan 1
This two-story design offered approximately 2,220 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 2
This design offered approximately 1,522 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 2 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 3
This tri-level design offered approximately 1,951 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 3 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 4
This two-story design offered approximately 1,956 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 4 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 5
This design offered approximately 1,803 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 5 model today via Google Street View. |
Plan 6
This two-story design offered approximately 1,938 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 6 model today via Google Street View. |
Marketing Vintage Hills
Vintage Hills’ advertising emphasized its location as much as its houses. Perma-Bilt presented the hillside development as a way to enjoy a quieter pace of life without giving up the conveniences of downtown Pleasanton. Newspaper ads made proximity to shopping, schools, churches, and public facilities central to the appeal.
December 1965 — Grand opening
Perma-Bilt introduced Vintage Hills as a place where “country living” and the advantages of city life came together. The grand-opening ad promoted an “in town” location, with downtown shopping just a short walk away, and described Pleasanton as a small city less than 25 minutes from downtown Oakland. A photograph of Main Street illustrated the setting behind the promise.
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| December 5, 1965 Oakland Tribune grand-opening ad for Vintage Hills. Perma-Bilt promoted the development’s proximity to downtown Pleasanton, illustrating its “in town” appeal with a photograph of Main Street. |
August 1966 — A computer predicts rising home prices
Perma-Bilt turned to the language of technological authority in an August 1966 Oakland Tribune ad. A pictured computer supposedly calculated that buyers could save $3,143 by purchasing a Vintage Hills home that week rather than waiting a year. The calculation drew on current financing, land values, and construction costs, while the ad also promoted 5¾% FHA loans and the builder’s trade-in program.
The computer’s prediction was a sales claim, not evidence that prices would rise by that amount. Its role in the ad is revealing: a machine presented as a source of objective analysis gave urgency to the familiar message that buying now was a better investment than waiting.
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| August 14, 1966 Oakland Tribune ad for Vintage Hills. Perma-Bilt used an image of a contemporary computer to support its claim that buying immediately could save $3,143 compared with purchasing a home a year later. |
April 1968 — Boise-Cascade introduces a new era
After acquiring Perma-Bilt, Boise-Cascade promoted a new phase of Vintage Hills in an April 21, 1968, Oakland Tribune ad. Announcing that “Pleasanton enters a new era of excitement,” the company emphasized architectural design, construction quality, and the development’s elevated setting. The ad described the homes as the work of an architectural team that had spent nearly a year developing the designs, while continuing to sell the appeal of a “country-serene” setting minutes from downtown Pleasanton.
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| April 21, 1968, Oakland Tribune ad for Boise-Cascade’s new Vintage Hills homes in Pleasanton. The advertisement emphasized architectural design, construction, and the hillside setting, with a photograph of a church in town. |
Vintage Hills through its early development
Vintage Hills took shape in successive phases, beginning with Perma-Bilt’s 1965 housing tract and continuing under Boise-Cascade from 1968. The model homes show the range of designs introduced during those years, while newspaper advertisements reveal how the builders promoted the hillside setting, proximity to downtown Pleasanton, and changing expectations for suburban homeownership.
Sources
- Oakland Tribune. December 5, 1965. Vintage Hills grand-opening advertisement.
- Oakland Tribune. August 14, 1966. Vintage Hills advertisement featuring the $3,143 computer-based savings claim.
- Oakland Tribune. April 21, 1968. Boise-Cascade advertisement for new Vintage Hills homes.
Collection
Pleasanton — building a suburban city
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