builder filesfile 04 of 18built c. 1950sboyenga team at compass
Mackay homes
In the 1950s, builder John Calder Mackay hired Anshen and Allen, the architects behind many Eichlers, to design modern tracts in Santa Clara and Mountain View. Here’s where they are, how a Mackay differs from an Eichler and what they sell for.
- builder
- Mackay Homes
- founder
- John Calder Mackay
- architects
- Anshen and Allen
- modern tracts
- 1950s
- tracts
- Maywood, Santa Clara; Oakwood in Monta Loma, Mountain View
- later
- The Villages, San Jose, from 1966, with Guy F. Atkinson Co.
- listings say
- “Mackay,” “Mackay home”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- architectsAnshen and Allen
one we listed
A Mackay we listed in Maywood Park
385 Cronin Dr in Santa Clara, built in 1956: a low gabled roof with glass at the peak, vertical siding and a front court. Photos from our 2026 listing, after the sellers’ updates.
where they are
Where the tracts are
These Mackay tracts are confirmed by city, neighborhood or landscape-archive records.
| tract | city | built | homes | streets and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MaywoodMaywood Park area | Santa Clara | 1950s | — | Built by John Mackay in the 1950s. In 2015 the city left identifiable tract-home areas out of its proposed historic preservation ordinance, and the Maywood houses weren’t on the city’s historic inventory. |
| OakwoodMonta Loma neighborhood | Mountain View | 1955–1956 | 200+ | Mostly 3-bedroom, 2-bath flat-roofed houses of about 1,104 to 1,389 sq ft; almost half on slabs, the rest on raised foundations. Next to Eichler’s Fairview tract and Mardell Manor. |
| The VillagesEvergreen | San Jose | from 1966 | started with 227 | Co-developed with Guy F. Atkinson Company on about 1,200 acres, with a site plan by Sasaki, Walker and Associates. Not one of the 1950s modern tracts. |
Sunshine Meadows (Santa Clara) and Sunshine Glen (Palo Alto) were Anshen and Allen tracts built in 1952–1953 that won 1954 AIA Merit Awards, according to the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. They’re often credited to Mackay, as are Fairmede in Santa Clara and Ross Park in Palo Alto, but we haven’t found a primary record naming the builder. We found no record of a Mackay tract in Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Altos or Campbell.
how to spot one
How to spot a Mackay
The most detailed record comes from Monta Loma, where Mackay and Eichler tracts went up side by side in 1954–1956 and the neighborhood association compared them.
- architects
The same architects as many Eichlers
Palo Alto’s Eichler design guidelines note that Anshen and Allen also designed modernist tract homes for John Calder Mackay.
- roofs
One-story flattops
In Monta Loma, the neighborhood association describes Mackay’s houses as one-story flattops, mostly 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.
- walls
Sheetrock walls
Mackays have sheetrock walls where Eichlers have Philippine mahogany paneling.
- ceilings
Painted ceilings
Painted fiberboard (Celotex) ceilings, where Eichlers have wood plank.
- heat
Wall furnace or forced air
No radiant slab heat. Mackays were built with a wall furnace or forced air.
- foundation
Slab or raised
In Monta Loma almost half the Mackays are on slabs and the rest on raised perimeter foundations, so check each house.
- plan
A garage and a family kitchen
One- or two-car garages, and a “family kitchen” rather than the Eichler living-dining combination.
- myth check
Not every Mackay is raised
Listings often say Mackays have raised foundations and forced air. The Monta Loma record shows that isn’t true of every house.
side by side
Mackay vs. Eichler
Same architects, different builders and different finishes.
| Mackay | Eichler | |
|---|---|---|
| ceilings | painted Celotex | wood plank |
| walls | sheetrock | Philippine mahogany panels |
| floors | hardwood or asphalt tile | vinyl tile |
| heat | wall furnace or forced air | radiant, steel pipes in the slab |
| foundation | slab or raised perimeter | slab only |
| parking | one- or two-car garage | two-car garage or carport |
| kitchen | “family kitchen” | living-dining combination |
The Monta Loma Neighborhood Association’s comparison of the two builders’ houses in Monta Loma. Other tracts may differ.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Mackay sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing calls the home a Mackay. Hover a dot for the address, date and price. The orange line is the median price per square foot for each year.
- 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 |
|---|
Some listings outside the documented tracts also use the name. 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 Mackay.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- No historic designationSanta Clara left identifiable tract-home areas out of its proposed historic preservation ordinance in 2015, and we found no historic designation for any Mackay tract.
- Zoning before plansWe found no single-story overlay naming a Mackay tract. Check the parcel’s zoning with the city before planning a second story.
- Original heatIf the house still has its original wall furnace, have it inspected and budget for an upgrade.
- Slab or crawlspaceAsk which foundation the house has. It changes the inspection, how plumbing is reached and what a remodel costs.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Mackay or Eichler?In mixed neighborhoods we confirm the builder, since walls, heat and foundations differ.
- Foundation and heatWe order the right inspections for a slab or a crawlspace and check the heating system. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
- AdditionsWe match the permit history to the listed size, since many 1950s houses have grown.
- The right comparablesWe price against other Mackays first, using the sales ledger on this page.
How we market one when you sell
- Name it correctlyWe describe it as a Mackay by Anshen and Allen, with the tract and year, so mid-century buyers find it.
- Show the court and the glassPhotography built around the front court and gable glass, the way we shot Cronin Drive.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets the repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from the ledgerWe set the price from recent Mackay sales and the wider market.
Mackay Homes built only a few modern tracts. Where a listing says “Mackay,” we confirm the tract before we rely on it for pricing.
questions
Questions we hear
Is a Mackay an Eichler?
No. John Calder Mackay was a separate builder who hired the same architects, Anshen and Allen. In Monta Loma, Mackays have sheetrock walls, painted ceilings and a wall furnace or forced air, where Eichlers have mahogany paneling, plank ceilings and radiant heat.
Where are Mackay homes?
Confirmed tracts include Maywood in Santa Clara and the Oakwood tract in Mountain View’s Monta Loma neighborhood. Mackay Homes also co-developed The Villages in San Jose from 1966, which isn’t a 1950s modern tract.
Did Mackay build in Sunnyvale or Cupertino?
We haven’t found a record of a Mackay tract there, though some listings use the name.
Are Mackay homes on slabs?
Some are. In Monta Loma almost half are on slabs and the rest on raised perimeter foundations.
sources
Sources
City, neighborhood, archive and news records, checked October 2026.
- City of Palo Alto: Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines2018 council draft; Anshen and Allen and John Calder Mackaywww.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/planning-amp-development-services/eichler-neighood-design-guidelines/2018-03-14_pa-eichler-design-guidelines_final-draft_mark-up_revised-for-city-council.pdf
- Monta Loma Neighborhood Association: home stylesOakwood tract and the Mackay–Eichler comparisonwww.montaloma.org/monta-loma/home-styles/
- Silicon Valley Voice: Santa Clara historic preservation ordinanceOctober 21, 2015; Maywoodwww.svvoice.com/?p=25159
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation: The VillagesMackay Homes and Guy F. Atkinson Company, from 1966tclf.org/landscapes/villages
- Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Sunshine Meadows Housing TractUniversity of Washingtonpcad.lib.washington.edu/building/11431/
- Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Sunshine Glen Housing TractUniversity of Washingtonpcad.lib.washington.edu/building/11426
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.
- Doelger1927–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
talk to a property nerd
Own a Mackay?
We listed one on Cronin Drive. We can value yours against other Mackay sales and plan the prep. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
