Published September 24, 2025
In March 1968, Oliver Rousseau Homes opened the Pleasanton Meadows housing tract, the first in the overall Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood conceived by Oliver Rousseau as a large-scale housing development in Pleasanton.
With prices starting at $24,950, buyers could choose from several floor plans with dozens of exterior elevations, reflecting Rousseau’s emphasis on architectural variety and curb appeal.
Pleasanton Meadows homes and architectural style
When Oliver Rousseau Homes introduced Pleasanton Meadows in 1988, prospective buyers encountered the housing tract through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in Pleasanton.
The original model homes provide a way to revisit that introduction. The guide below shows where Oliver Rousseau Homes' models were located, preserves the original sales material where available, and explores the designs the builder offered to prospective buyers when the tract was new.
First original model home complex (1968)
Oliver Rousseau Homes presented eight models on Weymouth Court. Although, nine designs were available for purchase. A separate sales office was located at the corner of West Las Positas Boulevard.
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| Annotated aerial map of the original Pleasanton Meadows model homes on Weymouth Court. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Plan 1 (unknown name)
This model offered approximately 1,622 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Joaquin Series
This model offered approximately 1,763 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In some plans, a chimney appears in the front inside of the window. In 1971, it was rebranded The Californian.
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| Original Joaquin Series model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Amador Series
This model offered approximately 1,936 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
The original Amador Series model is camera shy.
4. The Diablo Series
This model offered approximately 1,767 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| A Diablo Series home (original model is camera shy) via Google Street View. |
5. The Plan 5 (unknown name)
This model offered approximately 1,701 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 5 model home today via Google Street View. |
6. The Plan 6 (unknown name)
This model offered approximately 1,462 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
The original Plan 6 model is camera shy.
7. The Plan 7 (unknown name)
This model offered approximately 1,408 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
The original Plan 7 is camera shy.
8. The El Dorado Series
This model offered approximately 2,441 square feet with up to 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. If this home was built on a corner lot, the garage would be on the side rather than in front.
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| Original El Dorado Series model today via Google Street View. |
Second original model home complex (International Series 1969)
By late 1969 and 1970, Rousseau began reworking portions of the original lineup, introducing the “International Series” and renaming several existing models. New elevations inspired by Spanish, French, Nordic, and Mediterranean architecture gave Pleasanton Meadows an even wider visual variety while retaining the same underlying floor plans.
Six original models opened in September 1969 on Weymouth Court. Two additional designs were added in 1971.
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| Annotated aerial map of the original International Series model homes on Weymouth Court. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
The original model homes
1. The Roma Series
This model offered approximately 1,956 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Rebranded as The Delta in 1971.
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| Original Roma Series model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Castilian Series
This model offered approximately 1,936 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The same floor plan as The Amador Series from 1968. In 1971, it was rebranded The Cortez.
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| Original Castilian Series model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Tahitian Series
This model offered 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Tahitian Series model today via Google Street View. |
4. The Lafayette Series
This model with a Mansard roof offered approximately 1,924 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Lafayette Series model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Scandia Series
This model offered approximately 1,880 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In 1971, it was rebranded The Chalet. Very few were built, perhaps just two.
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| Original Scandia Series model today via Google Street View. |
6. The Windsor Series
This model offered approximately 2,471 square feet with up to 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The same floor plan as The El Dorado Series from 1968.
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| Original Windsor Series model today via Google Street View. |
Other homes rebranded from existing models
The Bolero
3 bedrooms. Added in 1971.
The Plantation
3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms.
Third original model home complex (1975)
After a brief housing moratorium, Rousseau resumed building in 1975, launching a final model show home at 3848 West Las Positas Blvd. Two new models were sold and it ran until mid-1976.
The original model homes
1. The Plan 604
This model offered approximately 1,978 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 604 model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Plan 603
This model offered approximately 1,576 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| A Plan 603 home as it appears today (not original model) via Google Street View. |
Marketing Pleasanton Meadows
Every Pleasanton Meadows home came with air conditioning, wall-to-wall carpeting, shake roofs, and membership in the new cabana and swim club— all modern luxuries for the time.
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| 1968 newspaper ad for the grand opening of Pleasanton Meadows in March 1968. |
Rousseau’s homes combined suburban practicality with touches of architectural flair uncommon in many tract developments of the era. Arched entryways, varied elevations, and distinctive rooflines helped Pleasanton Meadows stand apart from more uniform housing tracts being built elsewhere in the Tri-Valley.
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| May 1969 newspaper ad showcasing Rousseau’s 8 furnished models in Pleasanton Meadows. |
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| September 1969 newspaper ad—Rousseau announces the grand opening of the International Series of homes at Pleasanton Meadows. |
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| Newspaper ad for the grand opening of the 1970 Rousseau homes in Pleasanton Meadows. |
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| October 1975 newspaper ad announcing the grand opening of the 1975 line of homes in Pleasanton Meadows. |
Rousseau’s final housing tract was completed in 1976, closing an important chapter in Pleasanton’s suburban expansion. While these homes differed from the whimsical “storybook” architecture that made Rousseau famous in San Francisco, they still carried many of his signature ideas: varied elevations, dramatic arches, community-centered planning, and an emphasis on livable family spaces.
Today, the Rousseau homes of Pleasanton Meadows remain some of the neighborhood’s most recognizable designs. Their architectural variety, mature landscaping, and thoughtful layouts continue to attract buyers more than fifty years after the first tracts opened.
Collection
Pleasanton — building a suburban city
Continue exploring
- Galli Homes Pleasanton Meadows (Pleasanton, 1968)
- H. C. Elliott Homes Pleasanton Meadows (Pleasanton, 1970)
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