builder filesfile 06 of 42built 1927 to the early 1970sboyenga team at compass
McKeon homes
“McKeon” means two things in Bay Area listings. In San Francisco it’s Chris McKeon, who began building in 1927 and ran the Happy Homes Building Company in the Sunset. In San Jose and Campbell it’s the four-unit “McKeon” condo buildings from around 1970, credited to McKeon Construction. We haven’t found a record linking the two. Here’s what each one is and what the homes resell for.
- builder
- Christopher D. McKeon, born 1893
- san francisco firm
- Happy Homes Building Co., from 1936
- also known as
- McKeon Construction Co., per SF Planning
- first houses
- near McLaren Park, 1927
- sales office
- 550 Taraval St, still standing
- south bay
- four-unit condo buildings, c. 1970
- listings say
- “McKeon condo,” “McKeon unit”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- Bay Area homes and units, per SF Planningabout 15,000
where they are
Where the homes are
San Francisco entries come from SF Planning’s Sunset context statement; the South Bay entries come from resale listings.
| community | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivera Heights | San Francisco | 1936–1937 | dozens | Centered on 29th Ave at Rivera St, with an on-site sales office during the first sales, per SF Planning. |
| Happy Homes Sunset tracts | San Francisco | c. 1936–1955 | — | Wartime and postwar houses in the Sunset, sold from offices on 30th Ave and Taraval St. The 550 Taraval sales office still stands, per SF Planning. |
| McLaren Park area | San Francisco | from 1927 | — | McKeon’s first working-class houses as a carpenter-builder, per SF Planning. |
| Blossom Hill Estates and Blossom Valley complexes | San Jose | c. 1970 (listings) | 4 per building | Coy Dr, Blossom Hill Rd, Calmor Ave, Tradewinds and Tyhurst Walkways, Playa Del Rey and Hatfield Walkway. Listings describe shared laundry rooms, community pools and units numbered #1 to #4. |
| Hamilton Downs and downtown complexes | Campbell | c. 1971 (listings) | 4 per building | Watson Dr, Gomes Ct, E. Latimer Ave and N. 2nd St. One listing calls unit #2 “the largest of the McKeon units,” at over 900 sq ft. |
| Foster City | Foster City | — | — | One listing says a Monterey Ave home was “designed by McKeon Construction.” We couldn’t identify the community. |
Outside our area, SF Planning credits Chris McKeon with 154 houses in Berkeley’s University Gardens, and McKeon Construction built fourplexes around Sacramento. Agents also use “McKeon style” for any four-unit building of this type, so the name alone doesn’t prove the builder.
the homes
What the homes are like
From SF Planning and resale listings.
- 1936
French “chalet” marketing
McKeon advertised his San Francisco houses as “miniature chalets of France” and sold from furnished model homes, per SF Planning.
- design
No outside architect
SF Planning lists no architect for McKeon’s firm, and its biography names McKeon himself as designer.
- c. 1970
Four units per building
Listings describe a front #1 unit on one level with no stairs and larger units behind it, some on two levels.
- shared
Shared services
Listings mention laundry rooms shared by four units, shared garages and community pools.
- myth check
Two McKeons
SF Planning lists Chris McKeon’s firm as also known as McKeon Construction Co., but we found no record tying him to the McKeon Construction credited with the South Bay condos.
the sales ledger
Every recorded McKeon sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names McKeon, mostly condos in San Jose and Campbell. 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 also say “McKeon style” for similar buildings, and older San Francisco McKeon houses rarely sell with the name, so treat the ledger as a rough guide. 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 McKeon.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- HOA and shared systemsThe South Bay buildings are condominiums. Ask for the CC&Rs, budget, reserve study, insurance and minutes, and find out which systems the four units share.
- Balcony and stair inspectionsCalifornia requires condo associations to inspect balconies and exterior stairs. Ask whether the building’s inspection is done.
- San Francisco historic reviewExterior changes to older San Francisco houses can trigger historic review. Check the Property Information Map before planning changes.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Which unit?We confirm the unit number and plan, since the four units in a building differ in size and stairs.
- HOA reviewWe read the budget, reserves, insurance and minutes before you commit.
- InspectionsWiring, windows, insulation and drain lines in a building from around 1970. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
- The right comparablesWe compare against the same unit position in similar buildings first.
How we market one when you sell
- Name the unitBuyers ask for single-story #1 units by name, so we say which unit it is.
- Document the upgradesWe list the remodel work, which sets these units apart from one another.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets touch-ups before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of the same unit type.
questions
Questions we hear
Who was Chris McKeon?
A Mission District native, born in 1893, who began building in 1927, bought the Happy Homes Building Company in 1936 and built tracts in the Sunset, including Rivera Heights near 29th Avenue and Rivera Street, according to SF Planning. It says he built about 15,000 houses and apartment units in the Bay Area.
What is a McKeon condo?
Listings in San Jose and Campbell use the name for condos in four-unit buildings from around 1970, credited to McKeon Construction. Units are usually numbered #1 to #4 and differ in size and layout.
Did the same McKeon build both?
We haven’t found a record that says so. SF Planning lists Chris McKeon’s firm as also known as McKeon Construction Co., but the South Bay condos are credited only in listings.
What should I check when buying one?
Read the HOA documents, find out which systems are shared, ask about the balcony and stair inspection, and have an inspector check 1970-era wiring, windows, insulation and drain lines.
sources
Sources
SF Planning records, state law and resale listings, checked October 2026.
- SF Planning: Sunset District Residential Builders historic context statement (adopted 2013)Chris McKeon, Happy Homes, Rivera Heights and the 15,000-unit figuredefault.sfplanning.org/Preservation/sunset_survey/Adopted_SunsetHCS.pdf
- SF Planning: preservation biographies, M–OMcKeon as owner and designer of Happy Homessfplanning.s3.amazonaws.com/default/files/Preservation/biographies/Bios_MNO.pdf
- MLSListings: Blossom Hill Estates listingA “McKeon condo” in San Jose (listing)www.mlslistings.com/property/ML82053237
- California Civil Code § 5551Balcony and exterior stair inspections for condominiumscalifornia.public.law/codes/civil_code_section_5551
- SF Planning: Property Information MapHistoric status and permits for a San Francisco addresssfplanninggis.org/pim/
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
- 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
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- 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 McKeon home or condo?
We can confirm what you have, gather the HOA paperwork and value it against recent sales of the same unit type. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
