Published September 26, 2025
In 1966, Morrison Homes introduced the Pleasanton Valley – Walnut Grove Series, a new group of homes within the growing Pleasanton Valley development. Built between 1966 and 1968, the homes were sited on generous lots — many measuring over 11,000 square feet — and often came with a quiet legacy: up to six mature walnut trees left from the original orchard. These weren't just new homes; they were new roots planted in old soil.
By the mid-1960s, Pleasanton Valley was becoming one of the clearest signs of Pleasanton's suburban transformation. New schools, growing families, larger homes, and expanding streets were replacing the open fields and orchards at the town's western edge, even as the neighborhood retained reminders of the agricultural landscape that came before it.
Mapping Pleasanton Valley
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| Annotated aerial map of the Pleasanton Valley neighborhood in Pleasanton, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Walnut Grove Series homes and architectural style
When Morrison Homes introduced the Walnut Grove Series in 1966, prospective buyers encountered the homes through a collection of model houses at Meadowwood Court. The models showcased the floor plans, features, and architectural styles available within this new section of Pleasanton Valley.
The original Walnut Grove Series models
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of the Walnut Grove Series' architecture. Morrison Homes selected six models for the 1966 opening on Meadowwood Court, with two more added in 1967, and a final model in 1968. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Morrison chose to put on display.
Two Walnut Grove Series models — the Heritage House and Holiday House — returned to production in spring 1970.
The Country House
This model offered approximately 1,752 to 1,912 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| 1968 newspaper ad for the Country House emphasizes community connection and thoughtful construction—a hallmark of the Walnut Grove Series at Pleasanton Valley. |
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| Original Country House model today via Google Street View. |
The Gatewood House
This model offered approximately 2,103 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| February 1968 Oakland Tribune advertisement for the Gatewood House showing the 4-bedroom home. |
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| Original Gatewood House model (expanded) today via Google Street View. |
The Heritage House
This model offered approximately 2,560 square feet with up to 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| 1966 newspaper ad for the Heritage House invites buyers to a serene Pleasanton setting—and one of the largest models available at the time. |
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| Original Heritage House model today via Google Street View. |
The Terrace House
This model offered approximately 1,540 to 1,732 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| The 1966 newspaper ad for the Terrace House playfully quotes Webster’s to underscore the home's lasting value. |
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| Original Terrace House model today via Google Street View. |
The Holiday House
This model offered approximately 2,179 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| “You have to be decisive,” warned this 1966 Holiday House newspaper ad—one of Pleasanton Valley’s more sought-after plans. |
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| Original Holiday House model today via Google Street View. |
The Monterey House
This model offered approximately 2,085 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| This 1968 newspaper ad for the Monterey House reminded buyers that “community is to house as leather is to shoes.” |
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| Original Monterey House model today via Google Street View. |
The Arbor House
This model offered approximately 1,854 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Added in 1967.
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| Introduced in 1967, the Arbor House was touted as “the newest concept of 1967”—a model ahead of its time. |
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| Original Arbor House model today via Google Street View. |
The Casual American House
This model offered approximately 1,730 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Designed by George A. Swallow, AIA, and added in 1968.
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| Designed by George A. Swallow, the 1968 Casual American House offered a refined but livable setting for mid-century families. |
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| Original Casual American House model today via Google Street View. |
The Portico House
This model offered approximately 2,227 square feet with up to 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. A tri-level home designed by George A. Swallow, AIA, added in 1968.
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| The 1968 Portico House ad showcased Morrison’s tri-level triumph—“space-craftsmanship” in Pleasanton Valley’s Walnut Grove Series design. |
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| Original Portico House model today via Google Street View. |
Marketing the Walnut Grove Series
A 1967 Oakland Tribune ad by Morrison Homes posed a question to busy Bay Area families: “Are you ready?” The campaign promoted “family-size floor plans” and “intelligent storage,” targeting households that were outgrowing smaller postwar homes.
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| March 1967 newspaper ad for Morrison Homes' Walnut Grove Series at Pleasanton Valley asks, “Are you ready?”—a call to growing families looking for space, storage, and a fresh start in suburban Pleasanton. |
The Walnut Grove homes offered more bedrooms, more storage, larger lots, and, in many cases, two-car garages. Morrison Homes was selling more than additional square footage. It was selling the idea that a growing family could have room to spread out while still enjoying the suburban setting of Pleasanton Valley.
Walnut Grove and the changing Pleasanton Valley
The Walnut Grove Series extended Pleasanton Valley's original suburban vision into a new phase. The homes were larger, the lots were generous, and the surviving walnut trees connected the new neighborhood to the orchards that had occupied the land before development.
Morrison Homes continued to introduce new designs as Pleasanton Valley expanded. Walnut Grove therefore became part of a much longer sequence of home series within the same neighborhood, each reflecting changing expectations about house size, architecture, family life, and suburban living.
Collection
Pleasanton — building a suburban city
Continue exploring
- Pleasanton Valley: Morrison Homes’ 1964 housing tract in Pleasanton
- Pleasanton Valley – Something Special Series by Morrison Homes — 1969
- Pleasanton Valley – Executive Series by Morrison Homes — 1976
- Creeks Bend: Morrison Homes' 1978 housing tract in Pleasanton
- Morrison Homes — how one builder helped shape modern Pleasanton
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