Published June 17, 2025
Between 1965 and 1968, the Hofmann Company built hundreds of homes in the Carlton Square housing tract in Livermore.
Developed during Livermore’s period of rapid growth, Hofmann offered homebuyers an alternative to the housing tracts by dominant homebuilders Sunset Homes and H. C. Elliott. With new homes in the first phase starting at just $15,950, Carlton Square was priced right in the middle of the competition. Carlton Square was promised not just as a place to live—but a place to really live. Think Westinghouse ovens that broiled meat on both sides, Formica counters that gleamed with a single wipe, and yards big enough for a slip ’n slide and a sandbox.
Mapping Carlton Square
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| Annotated aerial map of the Carlton Square housing tract in Livermore, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Carlton Square homes and architectural style
When Hofmann introduced Carlton Square 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 Livermore.
The original model homes provide a way to revisit that introduction. The guide below shows where Hofmann's models were located, preserves the original sales material where available, and explores the designs the builder offered to prospective buyers when the tract was new.
The first original model home complex (1965)
Hofmann initially presented four models on Robert Way. A fifth model arrived in 1966, and a sixth in 1967.
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| Annotated aerial map of the 1965 Carlton Square model homes on Robert Way. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Newcastle
This two-story model offered approximately 1,670 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| August 1965 Oakland Tribune ad—An entire floor devoted to the parents inside the Newcastle model. |
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| Original Newcastle model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Sheffield
This model offered approximately 1,392 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Sheffield model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Camelot (Plan 1140)
This model offered approximately 1,256 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| This 1967 newspaper ad for the Camelot model showcased a smart, family-oriented floor plan with all the mid-century charm and efficiency buyers expected from Carlton Square. |
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| Original Camelot model today (extended) via Google Street View. |
4. The Cambridge
This model offered approximately 1,256 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Cambridge model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Windsor (Plan 1704)
This model offered approximately 1,704 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Added in 1966. The home reflected feedback from prospective buyers and common household preferences of the period. With growing popularity of Spanish-colonial designs, Hoffmann took this exterior a style further with a Mission-inspired design.
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| Original Windsor model today via Google Street View. |
6. The Jamestown
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,600 sq. ft. This model offered approximately 1,048 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Added in March 1967. Designed by architect Justo Monillas.
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| Original Jamestown today via Google Street View. |
The second original model home complex (1967)
In late 1967, Hofmann rolled out a new model complex on Murdell Lane to sell homes in units 3 and 4.
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| Annotated aerial map of the 1967 Carlton Square model homes on Murdell Lane. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Berkeley Square (Plan 1991)
This tri-level model offered approximately 2,000 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Berkeley Square model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Huntington
This model offered approximately 1,600 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Huntington model today (expanded in front) via Google Street View. |
(Three additional models were offered, but records are scarce.)
Marketing Carlton Square
Advertising for Carlton Square emphasized modern amenities and an idealized suburban lifestyle.
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| October 1965 Oakland Tribune ad—The Hofmann Company sold Carlton Square as winning the jackpot. The payoff is Formica counters, underground utilities, and community TV aerial service. |
For the cooks in the house, every home in Carlton Square came with a Westinghouse No Turn Speed Broil Oven—a technological marvel that cooked meat from both sides at the same time. The simplified cooking method was positioned as a convenience-focused alternative to outdoor grilling.
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| July 1965 Oakland Tribune ad—The Hofmann company framing homeownership as a marker of stability and success. |
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| December 1965 Oakland Tribune ad—Hofmann offered free streak broil-outs to lure potential buyers who wanted to see the Westinghouse No Turn Speed Boil Oven in action. |
Legacy of Carlton Square
By 1968, Carlton Square’s final phase of homes had sold out, while Hofmann reported it was one of its best-performing developments. Hofmann then shifted its attention next door, launching the Tempo housing tract in 1969.
Today, Carlton Square’s original sign still stands proudly on Stanley Boulevard. Many homes have since been expanded or remodeled, while retaining their original structural layouts.
Carlton Square wasn’t just a place to live—it was a vision of a good life characterized by vinyl flooring, wall-to-wall carpeting, and postwar suburban optimism.
Carlton Square may not be flashy by today’s standards—but back in the 60s, it was the future.
Collection
Livermore — the making of a suburban city
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