If you've ever explored the quiet streets of south Livermore, you may have come across a striking group of mid-century homes unlike most others in the area. These are the 600 Series homes by Sunset Homes—a bold and forward-thinking experiment in suburban design.
Far more than just houses, these homes embodied a cultural shift. They reimagined the postwar American dream for a new generation of middle-class buyers, blending modern conveniences with evolving lifestyles. With open floor plans, innovative features, and distinct architectural character, they marked a turning point in East Bay residential design.
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| 1968 grand opening ad for Sunset East — This tri-level home helped launch Sunset Homes’ new Livermore neighborhood in February 1968. Marketed as a charming new suburb, Sunset East offered buyers comfort and modern style, with standard features like carpeting, G.E. Americana appliances, shake roofs, and zone air conditioning. |
Where the 600 Series homes were built
The 600 Series homes were built in the Sunset East neighborhood and the northern portion of the Whispering Pines neighborhood.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Sunset East and Sunset South (northern section of today's Whispering Pines) neighborhoods in Livermore, California, where Sunset Homes' 600 Series homes were built. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Sunset Homes heads east
By the mid-1960s, Sunset Homes had already made a name for itself with the development of Granada Village (now called Sunset West). With land acquisition stretching beyond Holmes Street into former farmland and ranches, the builder launched its next major phase—a new community called “Sunset East.”
In early 1968, Sunset debuted its new architectural lineup with the release of the 600 Series, originally marketed under the same name as the neighborhood: Sunset East. These homes were modern in both form and function, showcasing cutting-edge residential design for the time.
Selling the series
Architect Ken Gooch and decorator Joan Kann led the design of the 600 Series, delivering eight floorplans that blended theatrical design with functional family layouts. Gooch’s homes weren’t just variations on the ranch house—they were tri-levels, atrium-centered showpieces, and homes built for entertaining.
Each home came packaged with “Sunset East” standard features that felt upscale for the time:
Wall-to-wall carpeting
Full fencing and front landscaping
Fireplaces
Shake roofs
G.E. Americana appliances
Built-in dishwashers
Custom patios
Zoned air conditioning
All of this reflected an emerging suburban ideal: not just privacy and ownership, but comfort, design, and technological convenience—all prepackaged in a way that made homeownership feel like a curated experience.
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| 1968 Oakland Tribune—two sinks. Two ovens. An indoor BBQ. A dishwasher. And lighting worthy of a Broadway debut. This wasn’t just a kitchen—it was a stage for culinary excess. |
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| 1968 Sunset Homes newspaper clipping—Tomorrow’s kitchen today. With its open layout, curved countertops, and built-in modern appliances, this round kitchen captured the space-age optimism of late-'60s design. |
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| his January 1969 ad highlights Sunset’s Garden View Kitchen Nook, showcasing a curved counter and large windows designed to bring the outdoors in and allow parents to watch children at play. The woman on the wall phone reflects the era’s domestic multitasking, capturing how home design blended function, family, and modern convenience. |
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| 1969 newspaper feature, the Garden View Kitchen model’s master bathroom embodied suburban luxury with dual vanities, glowing pendant lights, and mirrored walls that expanded the sense of space—reflecting the era’s growing emphasis on comfort and style in everyday living. |
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| Artist’s rendering from a 1968 Oakland Tribune featuring a built-in wine rack and bar—reflecting Livermore’s growing reputation as California wine country and the era’s shift toward homes designed for entertaining and social gatherings. |
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| November 1969 newspaper photo—the Garden Villa model’s luxury shower offered a serene view into a private solarium, blending spa-like indulgence with mid-century privacy and design innovation. |
The Custom Design series: when Sunset went all in (1969)
In September 1969, Sunset introduced the Custom Design Series—a collection of 11 homes tailored to buyer feedback. Visitors had often asked, “Can I get the kitchen from this model in that one?” or wished that popular upgrades came standard. Sunset listened.
This series featured thoughtful enhancements to their classic 600 Series homes—like adding 315 square feet to the Kitchen-in-the-Round, or transforming one section of a 3-car garage into a fifth bedroom. It was a test: what if Sunset offered fully loaded homes, no customization required? Prices ranged from $33,750 to $39,950, giving buyers a taste of high-end without the hassle of add-ons. These homes were built around Sunset Park.
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| September 1969 San Jose Mercury—homes built and designed for the gods. Custom wallpaper you had to see to believe. |
Legacy of the 600 Series
The 600 Series models were retired in 1970, but many of their concepts—especially the Kitchen in the Round and open-plan designs—lived on in newer models across Livermore.
A single lot on Vancouver Way next to the former model complex remained empty until 1985—a quiet footnote to a neighborhood that was otherwise fully realized.
The 600 Series represents more than a homebuilder’s golden era. These homes reveal the values, aspirations, and evolving tastes of Livermore’s suburban pioneers in the late 1960s. They reflect a moment when suburban housing moved from purely practical to visually expressive, technologically equipped, and culturally aware.
Today, the homes are still lived in. And their stories continue—room by room, renovation by renovation, memory by memory.
Exploring the original 600 Series today
Although the sales office is long gone and the advertisements have faded, the original 600 Series model homes remain part of the neighborhood. These homes gave prospective buyers their first glimpse of Sunset's vision for suburban living in 1968.
Today, they provide a tangible connection to the 600 Series' earliest days. The guide below documents the original model home complex, the homes themselves, and how they appear today.
Original prices
- 1968: $31,800 - $34,950
- 1969: $29,950 - $38,950
- 1970: $32,950 - $39,700
Original model home complex
The 600 Series' eight original model homes were arranged on Vancouver Way around a temporary sales complex that welcomed prospective buyers during the neighborhood's grand opening in 1968. While the sales office disappeared long ago, the model homes remain, allowing visitors to trace the neighborhood's beginnings more than fifty years later.
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| Annotated aerial map of the original Sunset Homes 600 Series model home complex on Vancouver Way. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Ranch Kitchen - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,990 sq. ft.
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| Original Ranch Kitchen model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Kitchen in the Round (Design 620) - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,809 sq. ft. This one dropped jaws. A circular kitchen complete with a wet bar, indoor BBQ, and an atrium garden? It even had a cathedral ceiling with a built-in ash bookcase. No wonder it won awards.
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| Original Kitchen in the Round model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Garden View Kitchen (Design 610) - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,034 sq. ft. Later renamed The Lancaster, this home dazzled and won an "Award of Distinction"
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4. The Gold Patio Kitchen & Solarium (Design 630) - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,117 sq. ft. Featuring a private solarium, roman tub, and built-in wine rack. Later rebranded as The Imperial. A 5-bedroom adaption of this home became available in 1969.
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| Original Gold Patio Kitchen & Solarium (The Imperial) model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Gourmet Kitchen (Design 600) - 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,133 sq. ft.
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| Original Gourmet Kitchen model today via Google Street View. |
6. The Gold Kitchen Nook (Design 660) - 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1.973 sq. ft.
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| Original Gold Kitchen Nook model today via Google Street View. |
7. The Country Kitchen - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,624 sq. ft.
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8. The Garden Villa (Design 680) - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,838 sq. ft. Added in 1969.
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| Original Garden Villa model today via Google Street View. |
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