Published June 26, 2025
In 1965, Sunset Homes introduced a new collection of homes in Livermore marketed under the name Sunset. The builder had been developing Granada Village since 1958, marking a shift in how it identified this phase of construction. The neighborhood is now known as Sunset West.
The nine models introduced between 1965 and 1967 ranged from three-bedroom ranch-style homes to larger multilevel designs with courtyards and distinctive interior features. Their varied floor plans and architectural details reflected Sunset Homes’ expanding approach to suburban housing.
Where Sunset homes were built
Sunset homes were built in the Granada Village neighborhood of Livermore. Today, it is referred to as Sunset West.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Granada Village (Sunset West) neighborhood in Livermore, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Sunset homes and architectural style
When Sunset Homes introduced Sunset in 1965, prospective buyers encountered the series through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in Livermore.
The Sunset home designs
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of Sunset's architecture. Sunset Homes selected five models for the June 1965 opening on Catalina Drive. Two more were added in 1966, then two more in 1967. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Sunset chose to put on display.
The Castillo del Monico
This design offered approximately 1,250 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of a Sunset Homes’ 1965 Castillo del Monico design in Sunset (not original model). Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo Antigua
This design offered approximately 1,516 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1965 Castillo Antigua model (with second-story addition) in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo Fontenette
This design offered approximately 1,628 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1965 Castillo Fontenette model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo La Concha
This design offered approximately 1,679 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Descibed as a “Greek atrium design,” the home has a courtyard at its center.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1965 Castillo La Concha model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo de Oro
This two-story design offered approximately 1,900 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1965 Castillo de Oro model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo Marques
This tri-level design in a Mediterranean-styled exterior offered approximately 1,786 to 1,999 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Added in May 1966, this home helped Sunset break sales records. The 4-bedroom version has 2 windows on the second story front.
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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. |
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1966 Castillo Marques model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo Acapulco
This 1 1/2-story design offered approximately 2,189 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Added in October 1966.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1966 Castillo Acapulco model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo Primavera
This design offered approximately 1,513 to 1,650 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Added in May 1967.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1967 Castillo Primavera model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
The Castillo Shangri-La
This design offered approximately 1,680 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Added in April 1967.
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| Present-day view of the home that served as Sunset Homes’ 1967 Castillo Shangri-La model in Sunset. Imagery from Google Street View. |
Marketing Sunset
Sunset’s founder, Masud Mehran, brought in home designer Kenneth Gooch to create a collection that pushed beyond the standard suburban floor plan. Sunset introduced a level of architectural experimentation unusual for a tract builder, with terrazzo flooring, Sonoma stonework, mirrored closets, soaring fireplaces, atriums, and curved walls among its many distinctive features.
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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 imagined as “1972 homes” for buyers seeking tomorrow’s features today. |
Each model carried the name “Castillo”—Spanish for “castle.” The naming reinforced the idea that these homes represented something more elevated than the typical suburban tract house, combining familiar residential living with a sense of individuality and distinction.
Sunset also captured a broader shift in postwar home marketing. Earlier advertisements often emphasized the practical benefits of suburban life: more space, quieter surroundings, and a connection to nature. By the mid-1960s, builders increasingly highlighted the design and lifestyle possibilities within the home itself. Model homes became carefully staged environments, showcasing indoor-outdoor living, entertaining spaces, architectural drama, and specialized features that reflected changing expectations of suburban living.
Even everyday conveniences became part of the sales story. The Castillo de Oro featured Livermore’s first self-cleaning oven, while the Castillo Primavera introduced a built-in indoor barbecue and optional three-car garage—available for just $200 more. Features that once might have been considered upgrades became symbols of a new era of suburban design.
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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 a defining part of the modern suburban home. |
By 1968, Sunset Homes had moved on from the Catalina Drive model-home complex. Its next phase of Livermore development was Sunset East, where the builder continued to market new homes under a different development name.
Collection
Livermore — the making of a suburban city
Continue exploring
- Granada Village 300 Series by Sunset Homes — 1964 Livermore homes
- Sunset East 600 Series by Sunset Homes — 1968 Livermore homes
- Carlton Square, Livermore: Hofmann's 1965 housing tract
- Sunset Homes — how one builder transformed Livermore
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