Published July 9, 2025
In October 1973, Sunset Homes opened its newest Livermore neighborhood: The Meadows. Built on a hilly site with panoramic views of the Livermore Valley, this project marked Sunset Homes’ strategic pivot during a period of model and neighborhood transitions.
At the time, Sunset Homes’ sales approach was refreshingly flexible: buyers could choose a home plan first, then decide which Sunset neighborhood to live in. Two home series were available—Wildwood and Quietwood.
There was just one catch: the model homes for Wildwood and Quietwood were nowhere near The Meadows. So in November 1973, Sunset Homes made things easier—and more marketable—by opening a new model home complex in The Meadows.
By June 1974, the Wildwood series was retired and replaced by a new model complex in the Shadowbrook neighborhood. Buyers could still choose a home plan from Shadowbrook and then live in The Meadows, where prices were lower.
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| April 1976 Daily Review ad—Sunset Homes pitched The Meadows as a neighborhood of mostly custom-built homes, because why settle for your neighbor’s floor plan when you can tweak your own on a hill with a view? |
Mapping The Meadows
The Meadows neighborhood can be found near the corner of North Livermore Avenue and Portola Avenue. Familiar streets include Cromwell Street, Farnsworth Drive, and Wellingham Drive.
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| Annotated aerial map of The Meadows neighborhood in Livermore, California. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The Meadows homes and architectural style
When Sunset Homes introduced The Meadows in 1973, prospective buyers encountered the neighborhood through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in Livermore.
The original The Meadows models
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of The Meadows' architecture. Sunset Homes selected five models for the 1973 opening on Cromwell Street. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Sunset chose to put on display.
The sales office (the Gardenia)
Visitors entered the model home complex in a converted Gardenia model.
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| Original sales office today in a Gardenia model, via Google Street View. |
The Escalonia (Plan 8600)
This model offered approximately 1,324 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. An updated version of the earlier Quietwood Series.
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| July 1976 Oakland Tribune ad—floor plan of the Escalonia model. |
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| Original Escalonia model today (expanded) via Google Street View. |
The Azalea (Plan 86000)
This model offered approximately 1,582 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A completely new design from Sunset—essentially an expanded Escalonia.
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| June 1974 Oakland Tribune ad—floor plan of the Azalea model. |
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| Original Azalea model today via Google Street View. Note original walkway. |
The Gardenia (Plan 8700)
This model offered approximately 1,466 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. An updated version from the earlier Quietwood Series.
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| April 1976 Oakland Tribune ad—floor plan of the Gardenia model. |
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| Original Gardenia model today via Google Street View. |
The Magnolia (Plan 880)
This model offered approximately 1,760 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. This popular model was known for its unique “Kitchen-in-the-Round.”
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| Original Magnolia model today via Google Street View. |
A new identity for a stalled development
Before Sunset Homes’ involvement, the area had been known as Los Altos Heights, a development that stalled before reaching its potential. Sunset Homes acquired the unbuilt portion of the development, branded it as The Meadows, and turned the site into a successful project by repositioning it within its established sales strategy.
Marketing The Meadows
Every home built in The Meadows came with Sunset Homes’ five-year warranty, adding peace of mind to the promise of hillside living.
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| April 1974 Oakland Tribune ad—“The best buy is today’s buy. Who can speak for tomorrow?” Sunset Homes leans into urgency with a touch of existential marketing. |
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| December 1975 Oakland Tribune newspaper clipping—the Azalea was the last new plan created by Sunset Homes. |
In August 1976, Sunset Homes put the model homes up for sale. By October, the neighborhood had essentially sold out, concluding a successful three-year run.
What began as a stalled development transformed into a neighborhood with strong views, strong sales, and a quietly strategic role in Sunset’s Livermore story.
Collection
Livermore — the making of a suburban city
Continue exploring
- Los Altos Heights: Duc & Elliot's 1966 housing tract in Livermore
- Shadowbrook: Sunset Homes' 1973 neighborhood in Livermore
- Sunset Homes — how one builder transformed Livermore
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