Del Prado history: Pleasanton’s 1973–1974 Mackay homes
Mackay Homes returns to Del Prado By 1973, inflation was rising, gas was rationed, but Mackay still believed in giving buyers their casita de ensueño. After completing their 1969 line of homes, they opened a new set of homes closer to the swim club. These homes started at $48,950 and felt every bit as deluxe as their price tag suggested. Although the neighborhood opened in late 1973, it wasn't until early 1974 that five model homes were opened on Hansen Drive at Calle Reynoso. From a January 1974 Oakland Tribune ad—by 1974, even houses got the memo: compact, efficient, and a little boxier. Like a post-gas-crisis car, but with a wetbar and harvest gold appliances. Where these homes were built In 1974, a second wave of dream homes opened just down the way from the 1969 series. The floorplans were bigger, the finishes more refined, and the prices? Well, they reflected the times—but oh, what you got for it: beam ceilings, wall-to-wall shag, and sliding doors that turned patios into...