Los Altos Heights — tract homes in Livermore (1966)

In the late '60s, Livermore wasn’t just growing—it was elevating itself, quite literally. On the south side, Masud Mehran’s Sunsetown was humming along nicely. But up north, things got fancy fast.

Enter Duc & Elliot, seasoned developers who arrived in 1966 with something more exclusive in mind: Los Altos Heights. The name said it all—elevated, aspirational, and just a little geographically confused.

Vintage newspaper advertisement from April 1967 for Los Altos Heights in Livermore. The ad features a stylized image of a Spanish-contemporary home with a low-pitched tile roof and arched entry, accompanied by the tagline: “…above the rest. View homes with a prestige address.”
“...above the rest. View homes with a prestige address.” A 1967 ad for Los Altos Heights in Livermore, featuring a Spanish-contemporary model home and promoting the neighborhood’s elevated setting and upscale appeal.

Where is Los Altos Heights in Livermore?

Perched just north of downtown Livermore, this hillside subdivision is at the corner of North Livermore Avenue and Portola Avenue.

Annotated aerial map showing the boundaries of the Los Altos Heights (The Meadows) neighborhood in Livermore.
Annotated aerial map of the Los Altos Heights tract in Livermore, California. Now considered The Meadows neighborhood. Base imagery from Apple Maps.

Selling the tract

Duc & Elliot leaned into luxury with big, Neo-Mediterranean homes on 8,500–10,000 sq. ft. lots. One ad featured a model so aspirational it was never actually built. But hey, it looked stunning in ink.

Really, it was the views that stole the show. On trip up there and you saw the valley as you've never seen it before. Breathtaking!

Vintage 1968 newspaper ad from the Contra Costa Times promoting Plan 4 in the Los Altos Heights development. The floor plan highlights a centrally located kitchen, marketed as a modern design feature. The tagline reads: “Enjoy the advantages of inner space!”
“Enjoy the advantages of inner space!” A 1968 ad from the Contra Costa Times featuring Plan 4 in Los Altos Heights, with a central kitchen layout that was considered ahead of its time.

Vintage 1966 advertisement for Los Altos Heights in Livermore. The ad features a rendering of a home with adobe-style detailing and wood trim, described as reflecting the “early California” look. The design emphasizes rustic textures and regional character.
A 1966 ad for Los Altos Heights in Livermore highlights the use of wood and adobe trim to evoke an early California architectural style—an approach that set the neighborhood apart in a period dominated by more conventional suburban designs.


Vintage 1966 newspaper ad for Los Altos Heights in Livermore. The ad features a Monterey-style home with a second-story balcony and tile roof. A promotional tagline reads: “The view from the top of the rainbow is Los Altos Heights of Livermore,” emphasizing the neighborhood’s scenic location and upscale image.
“The view from the top of the rainbow is Los Altos Heights of Livermore.” A 1966 ad showcasing a Monterey-style home, promoting the elevated setting and aspirational tone of this North Livermore subdivision.

Pricing history of Los Altos Heights homes

  • 1966: $27,500 - $30,950
  • 1967: $28,800 - $32,450
  • 1968: (second phase, January preview): $24,500 +
  • 1968: (February opening): $24,800 +

The homes of Los Altos Heights (1966—1967)

When Los Altos Heights opened, buyers toured a carefully staged collection of Duc & Elliot model homes showcasing the neighborhood’s mix of architecture, indoor-outdoor living, and family-oriented floor plans. Though individual elevations varied, these original models helped define much of the neighborhood’s visual identity.

The six original models opened in 1966 on Saint George Court. While homes were available for purchase, buyers could also buy lots and build their own custom homes.

Small aerial photograph showing the site of the 1966 Los Altos Heights model homes in North Livermore. The image captures the early layout of the subdivision and the cluster of model homes used to market the new development.
Annotated aerial map of the 1966 Los Altos Heights model home complex on Saint George Court. Base imagery from Apple Maps.

Model homes of Los Altos Heights

1. The Plan 1 - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2,425~ sq. ft.

2. The Mount Rushmore - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,003 sq. ft.

3. The Mount Whitney - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,710 sq. ft.

4. The Plan 4 - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,125 sq. ft.

5. The El Capitan - 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,256 sq. ft.

6. The Plan 6 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,739 sq. ft.

Current appearance of a Plan 1 home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
A Plan 1 home (original model is camera shy) via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original Mount Rushmore home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Mount Rushmore model today via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original Mount Whitney home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Mount Whitney model today via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original Plan 4 home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Plan 4 model today via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original El Capitan home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original El Capitan model today (expanded) via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original Plan 6 home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Plan 6 model today (expanded) via Google Street View.

The homes of Los Altos Heights (1968)

In a post-recession economy, even a perfect stucco archway couldn’t outrun lending restrictions. Sales stalled. 

So in 1968, the pivot came: three smaller, less grand homes were introduced on Briarwood Drive. The prices dropped (starting at $24,500), the square footage shrank, and the ad copy got just a little more practical.

Vintage 1968 newspaper ad from the Contra Costa Times promoting a new line of homes at Los Altos Heights in Livermore. The ad highlights a reduced starting price of $24,500, in contrast to the original 1966 models that began at $27,500. It reflects a strategic price adjustment and the introduction of updated home designs.
A 1968 ad from the Contra Costa Times previews the next phase of homes at Los Altos Heights, now starting at just $24,500—a surprising drop from the 1966 starting price of $27,500. The ad marked a shift toward more competitively priced models during a changing housing market.

Model complex: Briarwood Drive (1968)

A model complex of three homes opened on Briarwood Drive in February 1968.

A soft landing? Not quite. By April, the models were closed, the builders packed, and Los Altos Heights—at least as Duc & Elliot envisioned it—was mostly a memory.

Small aerial photograph showing the site of the 1968 Los Altos Heights model homes on Briarwood Drive in Livermore. The image captures the location of three display homes that previewed the development’s second wave of designs.
Annotated aerial map of the 1968 Los Altos Heights model home complex on Briarwood Drive. Base imagery from Apple Maps.

Model homes of Los Altos Heights

1. The Plan 1 - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,553 sq. ft.

2. The Plan 2 - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,579 sq. ft.

3. The Plan 3  - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,670 sq. ft.

Current appearance of the original 1968 Plan 1 home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original 1968 Plan 2 home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Plan 2 model today via Google Street View.

Current appearance of the original 1968 Plan 3 home in Livermore's Los Altos Heights.
Original Plan 3 model today via Google Street View.

A hillside of what-ifs

Of the planned 285 homes, only about 35 were ever built by Duc & Elliot. The rest? Sold off to local realtors and aspiring custom-home dreamers. What followed was a scatterplot of design choices—some bold, some bewildering—all tucked into winding streets with names like Wimbledon and St. George.

By the early '70s, Masud Mehran returned to pick up where Duc & Elliot left off, rebranding the area as The Meadows. The Los Altos Heights name quietly disappeared. But the bones remained.

Legacy of Los Altos Heights

Los Altos Heights today is a neighborhood with an identity crisis that somehow works. There are still original models—Mount Rushmores and Whitney types—mixed with custom homes built in the 1970s and beyond. Walk through and you’ll see decades of optimism layered in stucco, shake roofs, and bay windows.

It’s a living archive of a time when luxury living” meant double-door entries, scenic lots, and a very specific kind of debt.

The neighborhood didn’t quite become the Eden Duc & Elliot envisioned, but in its own way, it did reach the heights—it just took a few extra builders, and a whole lot of time.

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