Published October 3, 2025
By 1973, inflation was rising, gas was rationed, but Mackay Homes still believed in giving home buyers their casita de ensueño. After completing its 1969 housing tract, which Mackay also marketed under the name Del Prado, the builder opened a second Del Prado housing tract farther into the Del Prado neighborhood, closer to the swim club.
Although sales began in late 1973, it wasn't until early 1974 that five model homes opened on Hansen Drive at Calle Reynoso. Valley Avenue hadn’t been completed then, so Hansen was the primary route into the tract.
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| 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 the 1973 Mackay Del Prado tract is located
Mackay Homes’ 1973 housing tract was built around Calle Reynoso in the Del Prado neighborhood. Some of Mackay’s earlier homes Del Prado homes also stand in this section.
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| Annotated aerial map showing the location of Mackay Homes' 1973 Del Prado housing tract within the Del Prado neighborhood in Pleasanton. |
Selling the dream
By 1974, Mackay Homes’ Del Prado homes had entered truly premium territory. With base prices beginning at $48,950, they stood well above the national median home price of about $35,900. That gap tells us something: buyers weren’t just paying for shelter—they were buying status, style, and innovation. The homes boasted features that helped set the tract aparts: self‑cleaning ovens, master retreats, optional fireplaces, furniture‑style wood cabinets, and fully insulated walls. In its ads, Mackay Homes didn’t merely sell a house; it sold an elevated lifestyle, promising comfort, elegance, and long‑term value.
Compared to Mackay Homes’ earlier housing tract in Del Prado, this new tract had larger homes and more refined finishes. And this time, the tract came with a cabana and community pool.
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| February 1974 newspaper ad for Mackay Homes’ new tract in Del Prado, Pleasanton, promoting “The Distinctive Homes of Del Prado” with upscale features like energy-saving insulation, natural wood cabinets, food disposers, and membership in the Cabana Swim Club. The image shows an aspirational vision of suburban luxury in the mid-1970s. |
By the end of 1974, Mackay Homes had wrapped up its work in Del Prado. A few years later, the builder was absorbed into the short-lived Kaiser-Aetna partnership, which spun off into Ponderosa Homes.
The homes of the 1973 tract remain part of the Del Prado neighborhood today, along with earlier Mackay homes built under the Del Prado name.
The original models and sales materials for Mackay's 1973 Del Prado tract
When Mackay Homes introduced its second Del Prado housing tract in 1973, prospective buyers encountered the development 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 Mackay 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.
Original 1973 model home complex
Mackay's five model homes for the 1973 Del Prado tract were arranged on Hansen Drive around a temporary sales complex that welcomed prospective buyers during the tract's grand opening in January 1974.
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| Annotated aerial map of the original Del Prado model homes on Hansen Drive. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Original advertised prices
- 1973: From $48,950
- 1974: From $48,950
Former model homes
1. The Valencia - This model offered approximately 1,892 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Valencia model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Barcelona - This model offered approximately 1,897 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Barcelona model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Seville - This model offered approximately 1,800 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Seville model today via Google Street View. |
4. The Granada - This model offered approximately 1,836 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Granada model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Monterey - This model offered approximately 2,266 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
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| Original Monterey model today via Google Street View. |
Collection
Pleasanton — the places that built a modern city
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