Set within Sunset Homes' master-planned Granada Village community (Sunset West), Granada Woods opened in August 1963 as Livermore's premier executive-home neighborhood. Inspired by San Francisco's St. Francis Wood, the 65-home subdivision occupies only a small portion of Granada Village, yet it represented Sunset Homes' most ambitious residential offering in the city. Winding streets, oversized lots, landscaped medians, and architect-designed entrance monuments created an upscale setting aimed at professionals, including many working at the nearby Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.
Builder Masud Mehran, president of Sunset Homes, described Granada Woods as "an oasis of urban relaxation in a world where gracious living has become almost a rarity."
Rather than offering a handful of standardized floor plans, Sunset encouraged architectural variety. Buyers could select one of the featured home designs or commission a custom residence, provided it met the subdivision's architectural standards. The emphasis was on custom construction within a carefully planned neighborhood.
Three showcase homes opened on Avenida de las Palmas in 1963, introducing buyers to Granada Woods' custom-home concept. Priced as high as $60,000—among the most expensive new homes in Livermore at the time—they were followed by a more affordable semi-custom collection in 1964. By 1966, additional builders had joined the neighborhood, continuing its emphasis on custom residential design.
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| August 1963 grand opening advertisement for Granada Woods, promoting the 65-home executive subdivision's landscaped streets, one-way drives, oversized homesites, and architect-designed entrance monuments. |
Where is Granada Woods?
Granada Woods is a subdivision within Livermore's Granada Village (Sunset West) neighborhood.
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| Annotated aerial map showing the location of Granada Woods within Livermore's Granada Village neighborhood. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
Creating an executive neighborhood
Granada Woods was marketed as the prestige address within Granada Village. Newspaper advertisements emphasized quarter- to one-third-acre homesites, landscaped streets, one-way drives, and architect-designed entrance monuments, distinguishing the subdivision from Sunset's larger production neighborhoods.
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| The original Granada Woods entrance monument on El Caminito remains one of the subdivision's defining architectural features more than sixty years after it was built. |
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| October 1963 advertisement featuring the Florentine, one of the original showcase homes that introduced Granada Woods to prospective buyers. |
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| In 1964, Sunset Homes introduced four lower-priced semi-custom homes to broaden Granada Woods' appeal. The Emerald was one of the new designs. |
Other builders join custom-home building
Although Sunset Homes established Granada Woods, the subdivision soon attracted other custom builders. By 1966, Jim Knuppe Homes and other custom builders were constructing residences throughout the neighborhood, offering buyers the opportunity to personalize floor plans and finishes. Knuppe's Spanish-inspired designs featured adobe fireplaces, tile roofs, and unusually luxurious touches such as fireplaces in the primary bedroom.
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| By 1966, Jim Knuppe Homes and other builders were constructing custom residences in Granada Woods, expanding the neighborhood beyond its original Sunset Homes offerings. |
Legacy of Granada Woods
Granada Woods remains one of Granada Village's most distinctive enclaves. Its generous lot sizes, curving streets, mature landscaping, and custom homes continue to distinguish it from the surrounding subdivisions, preserving Sunset Homes' vision of an executive residential district more than sixty years after it opened.
Exploring the original Granada Woods
When Sunset Homes introduced Granada Woods in 1963, prospective buyers encountered the community through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in Livermore.
The original model homes provide a way to revisit that introduction. The guide below shows where Sunset Homes' models were located, preserves the original sales material where available, and explores the designs the builder offered to prospective buyers when the community was new.
Original advertised prices
- 1963 (opening): Showcase models $36,500 – $42,950; custom homes from $29,000 to $60,000
- 1964: $25,950 – $29,600
- 1966 (Knuppe Homes): $33,950 – $37,300
Original model home complex
Unlike many Sunset subdivisions, Granada Woods was never defined by a large model home complex. Three showcase homes opened on Avenida de las Palmas in 1963 to introduce the community, but the emphasis quickly shifted to individually designed custom homes rather than mass-produced plans.
Original model home designs
Sunset Homes The Florentine
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| The original Florentine model home still stands in Granada Woods, preserving one of the subdivision's first showcase designs. Image via Google Street View. |
Knuppe Plan 1186
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| The original Knuppe Plan 1186 model home survives in Granada Woods, reflecting the neighborhood's later phase of custom-home construction. Image via Google Street View. |
Collection
Livermore — the places that built a modern city
This collection explores the new-home communities, builders, and neighborhoods that transformed Livermore during the decades when ranches, orchards, and open fields gave way to the neighborhoods that define the city today.
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