builder filesfile 28 of 57designing Eichlers 1950s–1974boyenga team at compass
Claude Oakland homes
Claude Oakland joined Anshen & Allen in 1950 and soon became the principal designer for Joseph Eichler’s homes, per UC Berkeley’s archive. In 1960 he took the Eichler account to his own firm, Claude Oakland & Associates, and kept designing for Eichler until 1974, including the gabled atrium models found across Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Saratoga and Mountain View. Here’s what the records confirm and what the homes sell for.
- architect
- Claude Oakland, FAIA (1919–1989)
- trained
- Tulane University; Bruce Goff’s Berkeley office
- Eichler work
- principal designer at Anshen & Allen from the early 1950s; own firm from 1960
- firm
- Claude Oakland & Associates; Oakland & Imada from 1977
- clients
- Eichler Homes, J.L. Eichler Associates and later Eichler companies
- archive
- UC Berkeley Environmental Design Archives
- listings say
- “Claude Oakland designed”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- Eichler homes he designed, per an Eichler Network estimateabout 5,000
where they are
Where his Eichlers are
From UC Berkeley’s archive, the National Register and the Eichler Network, a specialist magazine; listing-only credits are marked.
| tract | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Heights | San Francisco | early 1960s | about 100 | Hillside Eichlers, many of them attached row houses, designed by Claude Oakland & Associates for the steep lots, per the Eichler Network. |
| Fairglen Additions | San Jose | 1959–1961 | 218 | A National Register district since 2019; its record lists Anshen & Allen, Jones & Emmons and Claude Oakland’s firm as architects. |
| Foster City Eichlers | Foster City | 1963–1968 | 200+ | Models by Oakland and Eichler’s in-house architect John Brooks Boyd, some with covered galleries in place of atriums, per the Eichler Network. |
| Eichlers of Saratoga | Saratoga | mid-1960s | 35 | Gallery and atrium models off Shubert Dr; the city added one house to its Heritage Resources Inventory, per the Eichler Network. |
| Fallen Leaf Park | Los Altos | 1967–1969 | 37 | Eichlers with loggias and galleries on a former cherry orchard, per the Eichler Network and UC Berkeley’s archive. |
| Grandmeadow | Mountain View | 1972 | 53 | Eichler’s 1972 tract off Trophy Dr; the Eichler Network discusses it with his work, and listings credit his firm. |
| Los Arboles Addition | Palo Alto | 1974–1975 | 30 | Eichler’s last tract, including original two-story models by Claude Oakland & Associates, finished after Eichler’s death, per the Eichler Network. |
| Sunnyvale tracts | Sunnyvale | late 1960s–1970 (listings) | — | Listings credit him with gabled atrium Eichlers on Lennox Way, Cumberland Dr, Olympus Ct and S Mary Ave; we couldn’t confirm the tracts from records. |
UC Berkeley’s archive files his firm’s Eichler drawings by model codes such as PA-134 for Palo Alto and L-244 for Los Altos. Many tract-level credits come from the Eichler Network, so treat them as well-sourced leads.
how to spot one
How to spot a Claude Oakland Eichler
From the Eichler Network and UC Berkeley’s archive.
- gables
Gabled atrium models
Steep gables over the front and rear wings with an open-air atrium between, or a flattened central gable broken around the atrium, per the Eichler Network.
- atrium
Atrium wrapped by rooms
In models like his 1965 Model 15, rooms surround the atrium on all sides.
- gallery
Galleries and loggias
Roofed galleries in place of or beside the atrium, as in Saratoga, Fallen Leaf Park and Foster City.
- bays
Prow-shaped bays
Some later models break the Eichler rectangle with polygonal or prow-shaped bays, like the 1968 L-244 in Los Altos.
- myth check
Which name is on the plans?
From 1950 to 1960 he designed Eichlers inside Anshen & Allen, so models from those years carry that firm’s name.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Claude Oakland sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names Claude Oakland, mostly in Sunnyvale, Los Altos and Saratoga. Hover a dot for the address, date and price.
- sales on record…
- median price…
- median $ per sq ft…
- latest sale…
one recorded salemedian for the yearprice per sq ft = sale price ÷ listed living area
| sold | address | price | $/sq ft | bd / ba | sq ft |
|---|
Listings sometimes guess the architect, and many of his Eichlers sell without his name, so treat each credit as a lead to confirm. Sales come from the MLS records available to us and include every sold listing whose description names the builder, so a few homes may be labeled by the listing agent rather than confirmed from tract records. Sold data is shown with the listing brokerage. Price per square foot uses the living area in the listing. Ask us for a full comparable-sales report on any address.
on the market
For sale now
Active listings whose description names Claude Oakland.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- Eichler guidelinesSunnyvale has Eichler design guidelines for its designated Eichler neighborhoods, and Palo Alto has voluntary Eichler guidelines and single-story overlays in some tracts, so check before changing a facade or adding a second story.
- Historic listingsThe Fairglen Additions in San Jose is a National Register district, and Saratoga lists at least one of these houses on its Heritage Resources Inventory.
- Eichler-era systemsRadiant slab heat, low-slope roofs, single-pane glass walls and possible asbestos in older materials call for specialist inspections. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
- Original plansHis firm’s drawings are in UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives, filed by model code, which helps when restoring or adding on.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Confirm the modelWe match the house to its tract and model code, since listings often guess the architect.
- Permits and historyWe check the permit history for additions and conversions before you plan a remodel.
- InspectionsRoof, foundation and systems matched to the home’s age. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
- The right comparablesWe compare against similar homes in the same neighborhood first.
How we market one when you sell
- Document the designA documented Claude Oakland model is part of the value; we gather the records that prove it.
- Photograph the atriumGables, atrium and glass, shot to show the design.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of similar homes nearby.
questions
Questions we hear
Who was Claude Oakland?
An architect (1919–1989) who trained at Tulane, worked in Bruce Goff’s Berkeley office and joined Anshen & Allen in 1950, where he soon became principal designer for Joseph Eichler’s homes, per UC Berkeley’s archive. He founded Claude Oakland & Associates in 1960, designed for Eichler until 1974 and was named a Fellow of the AIA in 1979.
How many Eichlers did he design?
The Eichler Network has estimated about 5,000 of roughly 11,000 Eichler homes, more than any other Eichler architect; treat that as an estimate.
What is a double-gable or A-frame atrium Eichler?
Listing shorthand for his later models with steep gables over the front and rear wings and an open-air atrium between them.
How do I confirm a Claude Oakland Eichler?
Match the house to its tract and model code. UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives holds his firm’s drawings, and we can help track down the record.
sources
Sources
UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives, the National Register and the Eichler Network, checked October 2026.
- Online Archive of California: Oakland & Imada collectionHis career, Eichler clients and model codesoac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8tf02wx/admin/
- UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design: Claude Oakland and Kinji ImadaBiography and archiveced.berkeley.edu/?p=13804
- National Park Service: Fairglen AdditionsNational Register record, San Josenpgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/d06ce6c1-514d-4ec8-9284-95bfcaeaa6be
- Eichler Network: Experiment in InnovationHis Eichler models and the 5,000-home estimate (secondary source)www.eichlernetwork.com/article/experiment-innovation
- Eichler Network: Diamonds in the RoughDiamond Heights (secondary source)www.eichlernetwork.com/article/diamonds-rough
- Eichler Network: Welcome to ParadiseFallen Leaf Park (secondary source)www.eichlernetwork.com/article/welcome-paradise
- Eichler Network: Eichler’s Last StandLos Arboles Addition (secondary source)www.eichlernetwork.com/article/eichlers-last-stand
builder files
Every builder file, by era
Bars show the years each builder was building here. See all builders or the home styles field guide.
- Fernando Nelson1880–1920s
- Ernest Coxhead1890–1930s
- Willis Polk1890s–1920s
- Frank Delos Wolfe1892–1926
- Henry Gutterson1914–1954
- Gellert (Sunstream)1922–1972
- Birge Clark1922–1970s
- Stoneson1920s–1960s
- Doelger1927–1960s
- McKeon1927–early 1970s
- Gardner Dailey1930s–1960s
- William Wurster1930s–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Bohannon1936–1955
- Cliff May1950s
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Goodwin Steinberg1950s–1980s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- Anshen & Allen1940s–1960
- Jones & Emmons1951–1970s
- Claude Oakland1950s–1970s
- Owen Signature Homes1970–today
- Swatt | Miers1975–today
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Citation Homeslate 1970s–2010s
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- Kelly Gordon2000s–2010s
- Feldman Architecture2003–today
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- Davidon Homes2010s
- The New Home Company2014–2018
- Dividend Homes2010s–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Brookfield1990s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
- D.R. Horton2010s
- Tri Pointe Homes2012–today
- K. Hovnanian2014–2018
- Meritage Homes2010s
talk to a property nerd
Own a Claude Oakland Eichler?
We can help document the model and value it against recent sales nearby. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
