Published May 26, 2026
In 1969, William Lyon Homes introduced one of the most ambitious housing tracts San Ramon had yet seen.
Called Danridge, the tract was marketed as “homes for country gentlemen” — a semi-rural enclave of large suburban houses with oversized kitchens, private bedroom retreats, and some of the biggest floor plans then available in San Ramon.
The development opened during a moment of enormous suburban optimism. But by the early 1970s, changing market conditions, rising costs, and shifting buyer demand forced William Lyon Homes to rethink the project entirely.
What was expected to be an upscale executive-style neighborhood, gradually transformed into something far more complicated: a blend of luxury homes, compact tract housing, and suburban market realities colliding in real time.
Mapping Danridge
The Danridge tract can be found between off Alcosta Boulevard. Familiar streets include Estero Drive, Casa Grande Drive, and San Luis Avenue.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Danridge tract in San Ramon, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Danridge homes and architectural style
When William Lyons Homes introduced Danridge in 1969, 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 San Ramon.
The original model homes provide a way to revisit that introduction. The guide below shows where William Lyon 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 model home complex
William Lyon Homes presented a number of models in a sales complex on Casa Grande Drive.
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| Annotated aerial view of the original Danridge model homes on Casa Grande Drive. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
Additionally, a William Lyon Homes welcome center was built near Alcosta and San Ramon Valley Boulevard to sell California Classics, Danridge, and American Classics homes.
The original model homes
1. The Plan 1
This model offered approximately 1,500 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
2. The Plan 2400
This model offered approximately 2,309 square feet with up to 5 bedrooms and up to 4 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 2400 model today via Google Street View. |
Marketing Danridge
Danridge opened in 1969 along the northeastern edge of San Ramon and immediately positioned itself above the surrounding tract developments.
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| May 1969 Oakland Tribune ad—"homes for country gentleman”—positioning Danridge as aspirational, private, and distinctly upper-tier. |
Advertisements emphasized privacy, large lots, and “country gentleman” living. The homes featured some of the largest floorplans William Lyon had yet built in the Tri-Valley, including expansive kitchens, separated family spaces, and the heavily promoted “parent saver retreat” — master bedrooms intentionally isolated from the rest of the house.
The homes also carried forward William Lyon Homes’ signature Terrace Kitchens, using walls of glass to brighten interiors and create a more open suburban feel.
For a brief moment, Danridge represented the upscale future of San Ramon suburbia.
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| July 1970 Contra Costa Times newspaper clipping—from countertop to backyard cocktails—because a good host never has to leave the kitchen. |
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| November 1969 Contra Costa Times newspaper clipping—designed for privacy. Perfect for introspection, polyester, and whatever was in that cocktail. |
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| From a June 1969 Oakland Tribune ad—William Lyons Homes' sold its Danridge housing tract based on the appearance of a home, not where it was located. |
The market shifts
Danridge’s timing turned out to be difficult.
As the economy tightened in the early 1970s, demand for larger upscale homes softened. William Lyon Homes had originally planned 111 Danridge homes, but only 51 were built before the company shifted direction.
Rather than continuing the original concept, William Lyon Homes began introducing smaller California Classics and American Classics homes into the surrounding area. The transition created tension with some existing homeowners, who worried that smaller homes would affect property values and change the character of the neighborhood.
The result was an unusually mixed suburban landscape: executive-style homes standing alongside compact starter houses, all built within the same expanding development.
The tract completed buildout in 1973 after the Larwin Group took over and finished the Danridge tract with Encore San Ramon.
Legacy of Danridge
Today, Danridge reflects a transitional moment in Tri-Valley suburban history.
The housing tract began as an ambitious upscale development during the height of late-1960s suburban expansion, then evolved alongside changing economic realities and buyer expectations.
Its large floor plans, private bedroom retreats, and oversized kitchens captured one vision of California suburban living. The later arrival of smaller infill homes captured another.
Together, they tell the story of how quickly suburban development could change during the early 1970s — even within the same tract.
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