Three Fountains neighborhood history — Livermore
One of Livermore’s most distinctive Sunsetown neighborhoods
The Three Fountains neighborhood in Livermore is one of Sunset Homes’ most unique and architecturally ambitious communities. Built between 1971 and 1973, Three Fountains combined spacious lots, dramatic home designs, and thoughtful suburban planning into a compact but highly memorable neighborhood in South Livermore.
Known for its wide streets, oversized lots, and striking collection of 1970s homes, Three Fountains showcased several of Sunset Homes’ most recognizable architectural series, including Wildwood, Quietwood, and Ripplebrook.
More than fifty years later, Three Fountains remains one of Livermore’s best-preserved examples of early 1970s suburban design.
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| A popular home in Three Fountains via Google Street View—the Magnolia from the Quietwood Series, known for its wide frontage, triples windows, and signature Sunset styling. |
Where is the Three Fountains neighborhood in Livermore?
Three Fountains is located in South Livermore and is bordered by Concannon Boulevard, Holmes Street, and Alden Lane. Its location placed residents close to parks, vineyards, schools, and some of Livermore’s most scenic walking and cycling routes.
The neighborhood is sometimes affectionately called “the planets” because of its space-themed street names, including:
- Saturn Way
- Orion Way
- Mars Road
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| Annotated aerial map of the Three Fountains neighborhood in Livermore, California. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
A neighborhood designed around space and style
Unlike many tract developments of the era, Three Fountains emphasized openness and individuality. Homes were carefully positioned on oversized lots that gave residents room for landscaping, gardens, patios, and outdoor living.
The neighborhood’s architecture reflected the growing design confidence of Sunset Homes during the early 1970s. Many homes featured:
- Dramatic rooflines
- Broad front elevations
- Large picture windows
- Indoor-outdoor floor plans
- Open living spaces
- Distinctive entryways
The result was a neighborhood that felt both upscale and relaxed—a distinctly California approach to suburban living.
Single-story homes like the Magnolia model from the Quietwood Series became especially popular for their wide façades, triple front windows, and signature Sunset styling.
Quietwood or Three Fountains?
Some longtime residents informally refer to the neighborhood as “Quietwood,” though Three Fountains was the official tract name. The confusion came from Sunset Homes placing the Quietwood model complex on Alden Lane within the neighborhood itself.
During this period, Sunset Homes encouraged buyers to mix and match home series across several Livermore neighborhoods as part of its larger “Sunsetown” vision — a connected collection of communities tied together through landscaping, architecture, and suburban planning.
The homes of Three Fountains
Three Fountains featured several Sunset Homes series, including Wildwood, Quietwood, and Ripplebrook. Together, they created an unusually varied streetscape for the era, ranging from large dramatic homes with vaulted ceilings to more compact designs focused on efficient indoor-outdoor living. Though different in size and layout, the homes shared Sunset’s signature styling: bold rooflines, expansive windows, and floor plans designed around casual California living.
Legacy of Three Fountains
Today, Three Fountains remains one of Livermore’s most architecturally interesting neighborhoods. Mature landscaping, oversized lots, and preserved mid-century and early-1970s design features continue to attract buyers who appreciate classic California suburban architecture.
The neighborhood reflects an important period in Livermore history, when Sunset Homes was redefining suburban development through creative floor plans, thoughtful neighborhood layouts, and distinctive home series tailored to different lifestyles.
Though smaller than some of Sunset Homes’ larger neighborhoods, Three Fountains packed remarkable design ambition into just a few streets—creating a neighborhood that still feels unique more than five decades later.
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