Published June 10, 2025
Located in Dublin, Appletree was one of the early housing tracts built during the San Ramon Village development era. Developed by American Housing Guild in the mid-1960s, the tract was part of the suburban expansion that transformed the rural landscape between Dublin and San Ramon.
When the model home complex opened on July 4, 1965, the community was introduced under the unusual name California Home Show, a title that sounded more like a public exhibition than a residential neighborhood. Advertisements promoted its grand opening as “the greatest home event in East Bay history,” introducing buyers to a new collection of homes and models.
 |
| July 1965 newspaper advertisement for California Home Show, the first name of the housing tract later known as Appletree. The grand opening campaign introduced American Housing Guild’s slogan “the greatest home event in East Bay history.” |
The name did not last. Within months, the housing tract was renamed Redwing Valley before changing again to Appletree in 1967. While the reasons for each name change are unclear, the progression reflects the challenge of creating a lasting identity for a new suburban community. Between 1965 and 1968, American Housing Guild built approximately 161 homes, creating one of the more distinctive tracts of the San Ramon Village era.
Mapping Appletree
The Appletree tract shares an area with its larger neighbor, Ecco Park. Familiar street names include King Way and Prince Drive.
 |
| Annotated aerial map of the Appletree tract in Dublin, California. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
Appletree homes and architectural style
When American Housing Guild introduced Appletree in 1965, prospective buyers encountered the housing tract through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in Dublin.
The Appletree home designs
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of Appletree's architecture. American Housing Guild presented four models in a sales complex on Tyne Court, offering buyers a range of house sizes, floor plans, and architectural styles. A fifth model was added in 1967 when the tract was renamed Appletree. Together, the models document the different designs American Housing Guild chose to put on display when the tract opened in 1965.
The Spanish Hacienda
This Monterey-style design offered approximately 1,855 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
 |
| Original Spanish Hacienda model today via Google Street View. |
The New Pacifica
This design offered approximately 1,600 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
|
| Original New Pacifica model today via Google Street View. |
The Old San Francisco
This design offered approximately 1,473 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
 |
| Original Old San Francisco model today (with second-story extension) via Google Street View. |
The California Ranch
This design offered approximately 1,276 to 1,491 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
 |
| Original California Ranch model today (expanded in front) via Google Street View. |
The Room Maker
This 1 1/2-story design offered approximately 1,629 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Added in 1967. A flexible home came with an unfinished upstairs.
 |
| 1967 Oakland Tribune ad—this expandable house promised room to grow—just add drywall, a second bath... maybe a contractor. The potential? Staggering. The reality? Depends how handy you are. |
 |
| Original Room Maker model today via Google Street View. |
Marketing Appletree
American Housing Guild's marketing was often vague, relying more on ambiance than on specifics. Ads promised “beauty and charm,” but left out the part about the wall of windows or Monterey-style balconies. Prospective buyers had to see the homes in person to understand just how unique they really were.
 |
| October 1965 Oakland Tribune—before it was known as Appletree, it was known as Redwing Valley. The ad says the homes are beautiful, but you'd have to see for yourself. |
 |
| 1966 Oakland Tribune—the living room inside the New Pacific model, where the martinis are dry, the ceilings are high, and every lamp has a twin. |
By 1968, Appletree was fully built out. Though modest in size, the tract became one of Dublin’s most memorable enclaves, offering homes with enough personality to withstand the decades—and the remodels.
Collection
Continue exploring
- Ecco Park, Dublin: Proud Homes' 1965 housing tract
- Villa de San Ramon, Dublin: Duc & Elliot's 1965 housing tract
Comments
Post a Comment