Granada Park history: Livermore's 1963–1972 homes & neighborhood legacy
Tucked near East Stanley Boulevard and Murrieta Boulevard, the Granada Park neighborhood quietly captures a key chapter in Livermore’s postwar growth. It wasn’t just a place where new homes popped up — it was one of the neighborhoods that helped define the city’s transformation from a rural outpost into a modern suburban community.
Opening in September 1963, Granada Park launched with four model homes and a buzzworthy promotion: visiting women received either a fresh orchid or a roll of Kaiser Aluminum Foil. It was quirky, but it worked — and it marked the start of nearly a decade of steady building in the area.
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| Location of the Granada Park neighborhood in Livermore. |
The bigger picture: a piece of Granada Village
Granada Park was a component of the larger Granada Village master plan, which Sunset Homes began in 1958. While Sunset focused on nearby tracts, Granada Park was built out by three separate developers over a nine-year period: LeoBilt Sales, Groyer Homes, and California Homes. Together, they turned these once-empty lots into hundreds of homes — all during a time when Livermore’s population was nearly tripling.
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| Vintage ad from 1963 promoting Granada Park, offering homes starting at $15,700 — an affordable alternative to Pleasanton and San Ramon. |
1963: LeoBilt Sales opens the first homes
LeoBilt launched the neighborhood with a model home complex at 177 Wall Street, featuring four home plans priced from just $15,700 — about $1,000 cheaper than comparable homes in Pleasanton or San Ramon Village.
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| Site of the LeoBilt 1963 model home complex on Wall Street in Livermore. |
The homes followed early 1960s trends: compact but livable layouts, mid-century rooflines, and modest footprints ideal for growing families.
Model plans included:
Plan 1 – 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,387 sq. ft.
Plan 2 – 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,204 sq. ft.
Plan 3 – 4 bed, 2 bath, 1,324 sq. ft.
Plan 4 – 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 1,077 sq. ft.
The site’s location on Wall Street made it one of the first modern model home centers in this part of town. It gave prospective buyers an instant snapshot of postwar optimism — four homes, four lifestyles, all grouped for comparison.
1963 Granada Park today
Here are the former model homes as they appear in 2024.
The Plan 1 today
This home is camera shy (for now).
The Plan 2 today
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| The original Plan 2 model home as it appears today. |
The Plan 3 today
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| The original Plan 3 model home as it appears today. |
The Plan 4 today
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| The original Plan 4 model home as it appears today. |
1964–1967: Groyer Homes continues the buildout
By the mid-1960s, Groyer Homes had taken over, and in 1964, opened a new model complex further down Wall Street. These new homes were slightly larger, with modernized floor plans, and came with competitive prices — often advertised as better values than homes in neighboring cities.
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| Site of the 1964 model home complex on Wall Street in Livermore. |
Groyer’s presence marked a shift toward volume building and more choice, as evidenced by an expanded model lineup:
Plan 1 – Both 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,296 sq. ft.
Plan 3 – 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,387 sq. ft.
Plan 4 – 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,392 sq. ft.
Plan 5 – 4 bed, 3 bath, 2,040 sq. ft.
Plan 6 – 4 bed, 2 bath, 1,589 sq. ft.
Newspaper ads from the era leaned into a price-conscious but stylish tone — “Compare price tags and value anywhere,” one 1967 Groyer ad said.
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| January 1967 ad for Granada Park by Groyer Homes, which had taken over from LeoBilt. The ad urged buyers to “compare price tags and value anywhere.” |
1964 Granada Park today
Here are the former model homes as they appear in 2024.
The Plan 1 today
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| The original 1964 Plan 1 model home today. |
The Plan 3 today
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| The original 1964 Plan 3 model home today. |
The Plan 5 today
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| The original 1964 Plan 5 model home today. |
1971–1972: California Homes brings the final touches
Even into the early 1970s, several empty lots remained on Nadine Street and Helen Way. That’s when California Homes stepped in with a small infill project, adding about 50 larger homes starting at $24,000 — a solid value compared to Sunset Homes’ offerings nearby.
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| California Homes ad from April 1972, marketing new infill construction in Livermore’s Granada Park neighborhood—nearly a decade after the original homes were built. |
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| Map highlighting the 1971–1972 California Homes infill lots within Livermore’s Granada Park neighborhood, showing where new homes were added nearly a decade after the original development. |
These homes reflected a slight stylistic evolution: they were roomier, with more square footage and proximity to the newly built Granada High School.
Among the plans offered:
Plan 4-C – 4 bed, 2 bath
Plan 8-G – 4 bed, 2 bath
Plan 7 – (details unknown)
While subtle in appearance, this final wave completed Granada Park and represented the tail end of the postwar suburban expansion in Livermore.
1971 Granada Park today
Here is a Plan 4-C home as it appears today.
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| A Plan 4-C home today (not original model). |
A living snapshot of Livermore’s growth
Granada Park’s nearly decade-long buildout mirrors Livermore’s journey in the mid-20th century — from agricultural edge town to suburban hub. Each wave of homes, and each builder’s contribution, adds a layer to the story: a transition from small ranch-style starter homes to larger, more modern designs reflecting the era’s changing tastes.
Today, many of the original homes still stand, some lovingly preserved, others expanded. But all retain hints of that early optimism and accessibility that drew the first buyers in 1963 — orchid or no orchid.
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