Morrison Pleasanton Valley Series (Pleasanton, 1964)

In June 1964, Morrison Homes opened Pleasanton Valley, a new suburban development built on what had only recently been open countryside at the edge of Pleasanton. Drawn by the town’s rural setting, small downtown, and growing connection to the East Bay, families arrived looking for something increasingly difficult to find in the Bay Area: space, quiet, and a slower pace of life.

Pleasanton Valley became the first major postwar subdivision in Pleasanton. Practically overnight, it reshaped the town’s western edge and nearly doubled Pleasanton’s developed footprint.

From an August 1964 issue of the Oakland Tribune, Morrison Homes sold Pleasanton Valley as a return to country living without sacrificing Bay Area convenience. In a playful scene staged atop hay bales, one boy hushes another while dad naps nearby — a reminder that open space, quiet streets, and room to breathe were becoming part of the suburban dream. The promise was simple: rural comfort just 35 minutes from Oakland. 

Selling the tract

Pleasanton Valley was marketed as an escape from the increasingly crowded East Bay. Advertisements promised clean air, quiet streets, and the feeling of country living without sacrificing access to Oakland or San Francisco. In the mid-1960s, that balance became a powerful selling point.

While Volk-McLain expanded into San Ramon and Dublin, and Sunset Homes pushed new growth into Livermore, Morrison Homes was building its largest vision yet for Pleasanton.

The homes themselves reflected the optimism of the era. Buyers were offered features typically associated with more expensive custom homes: oak parquet flooring, sunken living rooms, double vanities, and fully electric kitchens equipped with Waste King ovens, dishwashers, disposals, and ranges.

The neighborhood grew quickly around them. A swim club opened in 1965, while schools including Walnut Grove Elementary School and Harvest Park Middle School were either planned or under construction as Pleasanton prepared for a new generation of suburban families.

In a September 1965 Oakland Tribune advertisement, Morrison Homes targeted the fast-growing suburban family with the “Country House.” The copy leaned into the noise and chaos of mid-century family life — crying babies, running boys, and teenage phone calls — presenting Pleasanton Valley as a place where growing households could finally spread out. 

An October 1965 Oakland Tribune ad asked a question many Bay Area buyers were beginning to ask themselves: were small suburban lots enough anymore? Morrison Homes answered with the Monterey House, then the largest model in Pleasanton Valley, designed to give homeowners more land, more privacy, and a stronger sense of space. 

By January 1965, Morrison Homes expanded Pleasanton Valley with a fifth design known as the Terrace House. Marketed around privacy and separation of space, the floorplan reflected changing suburban priorities — formal living areas kept apart from the louder, everyday rhythm of family life.

Legacy of the Pleasanton Valley Series

The first phase of Pleasanton Valley helped transform Pleasanton from a small agricultural town into a modern suburban city. More phases would follow over the next several years, gradually filling former fields and orchards with winding streets, ranch homes, and growing families.

For many Bay Area residents in the mid-1960s, Pleasanton Valley represented an ideal balance: country living within commuting distance of Oakland and the expanding East Bay job market. The homes were larger than many competing subdivisions, designed with privacy in mind, and built for the changing rhythms of postwar family life.

In many ways, Morrison Homes didn’t just build houses in Pleasanton — it helped shape the modern city itself.

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Exploring the original Pleasanton Valley Series today

Although the sales office is long gone and the advertisements have faded, the original Pleasanton Valley Series model homes remain part of the neighborhood. These homes gave prospective buyers their first glimpse of Morrison's vision for suburban living in 1964.

Today, they provide a tangible connection to the Pleasanton Valley Series' earliest days. The guide below documents the original model home complex, the homes themselves, and how they appear today.

The original prices

• 1964: $20,300 +
• 1965: $20,750 - $25,600

The original model home complex

The Pleasanton Valley Series' five original model homes were arranged on Greentree Court around a temporary sales complex that welcomed prospective buyers during the neighborhood's grand opening in August 1964. While the sales office disappeared long ago, the model homes remain, allowing visitors to trace the neighborhood's beginnings more than fifty years later.

Annotated aerial map of the Pleasanton Valley Series model home complex on Greentree Court. Base imagery from Google Maps.

The original model homes

1. The Terrace House - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,970 sq. ft.

Original Terrace House model today via Google Street View.

2. The Country House - 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,540 sq. ft.

Original Country House model today via Google Street View.

3. The Arbor House - 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,716 sq. ft.

Original Arbor House model today (with second-story addition) via Google Street View.

4. The Garden House - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms.

Original Garden House model today (with addition) via Google Street View.

5. The Monterey House - 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2,047 sq. ft. Added in 1965.

Original Monterey House model today via Google Street View.

Related post

• Pleasanton Valley — the neighborhood that built modern Pleasanton