Introduced in 1965, the Castillos Series was Sunset Homes' most ambitious collection of model homes in Granada Village, Livermore. Drawing on the Spanish word for castle, the Castillos Series combined dramatic architecture, premium features, and imaginative marketing to redefine what suburban buyers could expect from a tract home.
The Castillos Series marked Sunset Homes' fourth major collection in Granada Village, where the builder had been developing homes since 1958. Rather than offering variations on a few floor plans, Sunset introduced a family of distinctive models that emphasized architecture and lifestyle as much as practicality.
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| July 1965 Oakland Tribune ad introducing Sunset Homes’ Castillos Series. Although the image continued Granada Village’s earlier promise of country living, the message looked toward the future: five new models designed as “1972 homes” for buyers seeking tomorrow’s features today. |
Selling the series
Sunset’s founder, Masud Mehran, brought in home designer Kenneth Gooch to help deliver homes with flair. And flair they had—terrazzo flooring, Sonoma stonework, mirrored closets, soaring fireplaces, atriums, and curved walls were just the beginning.
Sunset didn’t brand this lineup with a formal name, but every model carried the title “Castillo”—Spanish for “castle.” Buyers were invited to imagine a more elevated version of suburban living—where even a tract home could feel like a private retreat.
Even the kitchens reflected the era’s fascination with modern conveniences. The Castillo de Oro boasted Livermore’s first self-cleaning oven, while the Castillo Primavera offered a built-in indoor barbecue and optional three-car garage—yours for just $200 more.
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| 1967 Oakland Tribune newspaper clipping—the Castillo de Oro’s sun deck became a stage for the idealized suburban homeowner, elevated above the neighborhood and surrounded by the comforts of a modern retreat. |
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| 1965 Oakland Tribune newspaper clipping—the Castillo de la Concha’s private courtyard blurred the line between indoors and out, presenting outdoor living as an essential part of the modern suburban home. |
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| 1966 Oakland Tribune newspaper clipping—the Castillo Acapulco model transformed the fireplace from a practical feature into a focal point, using a dramatic two-story room to sell the idea of a more sophisticated suburban home. |
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| 1967 Oakland Tribune ad—the Castillo Primavera turned the family room into an entertainment space, with a built-in barbecue, Sunset’s Gold Patio Kitchen, and an optional three-car garage reflecting the era’s expanding vision of suburban luxury. |
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| June 1966 Daily Review ad—the tri-level Castillo Marques showed Sunset pushing beyond the traditional ranch home, with soaring ceilings, a 25-foot living room, Arizona flagstone fireplace, and even a “beauty center for milady” as part of its vision of luxury suburban living. |
A sales pavilion fit for royalty
Instead of a makeshift sales desk in a garage, Sunset opened a full-fledged pavilion at 797 Catalina Drive. Visitors could sip coffee in a lounge and explore construction samples. It felt more like a design studio than a housing office. Sunset offered the pavilion for sale in 1968, but it was ultimately demolished after no buyer emerged.
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| 1968 Oakland Tribune newspaper clipping—not of this neighborhood: Sunset’s Castillos sales pavilion arrived early—and boldly—in 1960s Livermore, offering buyers a design showroom experience instead of a simple sales office. |
Legacy of the Castillos series
The Castillos Series model complex closed in early 1968 and the homes were sold out by May. Meanwhile, Sunset Homes moved on to open its next neighborhood, Sunset East, where a new home series would be introduced.
More than 50 years later, the Castillos remain some of the most beloved homes in Livermore. Their distinct designs, architectural flourishes, and builder pride still turn heads—and attract homeowners. What started as a bold experiment in suburban dreaming has become a cornerstone of the city's midcentury charm.
Exploring the original Castillos series today
Although the sales office is long gone and the advertisements have faded, the original Castillos series model homes remain part of the neighborhood. These homes gave prospective buyers their first glimpse of Sunset's vision for suburban living in 1965.
Today, they provide a tangible connection to the Castillos series' earliest days. The guide below documents the original model home complex, the homes themselves, and how they appear today.
Original prices
- 1965: $17,995 - $24,600
- 1966: $19,950 - $28,650
- 1967: $19,950 - $28,950
- 1968: $21,700 - $30,750
Original model home complex
The model complex opened in June 1965 on Catalina Drive at Niagara Drive with five homes; four more joined over the next two years.
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| Annotated aerial map of the original Sunset Homes Castillos Series model home complex on Catalina Drive. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Castillo del Monico - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,250 sq. ft.
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| Model obstructed, instead another Castillo del Monico on Catalina Drive via Google Street View. |
2. The Castillo Antigua - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,516~ sq. ft.
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| Original Castillo Antiqua model today (with second-story addition) via Google Street View. |
3. The Castillo Fontenette - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,628 sq. ft.
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| Original Castillo Fontenette model today via Google Street View. |
4. The Castillo La Concha - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,679 sq. ft.
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| Original Castillo La Concha model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Castillo de Oro - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathroom, 1,900 sq. ft.
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| Original Castillo de Oro model today via Google Street View. |
6. The Castillo Marques - 3 or 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1,786 or 1,999 sq. ft. Added in May 1966, this tri-level home helped Sunset break sales records. The 4-bedroom version has 2 windows on the second story front.
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| Original Castillo Marques model today via Google Street View. |
7. The Castillo Acapulco - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2,189 sq. ft. Added in October 1966.
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| Original Castillo Acapulco model today via Google Street View. |
8. The Castillo Primavera - 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,513 or 1,650 sq. ft. Added in May 1967.
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| Original Castillo Primavera model today via Google Street View. |
9. The Castillo Shangri-La - 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,680 sq. ft. Added in April 1967.
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| Original Castillo Shangri-La model today via Google Street View. |
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