Over the years, i've written volumes on Sun City homes and the unique and nearly unlimited options of styles, square footage and as Meeker called them, "modes of living." It's been fascinating to dive into the wacky world of how the initial offerings of homes were modest in size and price. DEVCO, via Joe Breen, Tom Ashton and L. C. Jacobson had decided the target market was low to moderate income retirees. Home sizes those first 5 years ranged from 800-1500 square feet, with the largest having three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There were also options that included single family homes, duplexes, garden court units and the Fairway apartments. By 1964 homes sales in Sun City had plummeted to 387 and the two other exact duplicate developments in Florida and California were dead in the water. Webb told his three guys to fix it, or the great social experiment would end and stay south of Grand Ave. They refused, claiming everything was fine and within three months all had moved on. Enter John Meeker and Sun City had changed forevermore. I could write a book on his efforts and accomplishments, but why bother? I've written ten's of thousands of words on the subject, mostly because i am a "floor plan junkie," and also i am intrigued by how intense and committed he was to making sure Sun City survived well after the company was gone. He was the reason behind Sun City's success story, but to be clear, in his journals he gave lofty credit and praise to the huge cast of characters that worked tirelessly along with him. More importantly, he recognized the true driving force behind it was the pioneers who bought here and adopted the community as there own. I will come back and fill in the blanks on just how unique our community is, but first let me chortle a bit; why in God's name would anyone question whether i knew what i was talking about when it comes to Sun City and so many aspects of our history? I have sitting on my desk, every new model home opening booklet. I have copies of the listings of the 246 various names of single family homes (11 names were repeated). I have a copy of a map of where every model home series opening was located. I have a list of the square footage, bedroom/bathrooms and the related number assigned to them and the release date. In many cases, i have copies of the original selling price. In addition i have access to the museum's collection of data including all of Meeker's journals. On one occasion i worked with a realtor to help tell people their name and model number along providing them with their floor plan, all i needed was their home address. Seems to me some 150 plus people reached out to us. All of the above caused me to smile and do a quick search on this site for articles i have written regarding Sun City housing. No surprise, there were several and they were written back in the day when we could download and post pictures and the like. I also saw at one point we had an administrator (dang, forgot about that). But alas, one poster told us i must be mistaken. Go figure. It's always worth reminding Sun City residents and potential buyers of the of the unique and varied housing options in our stunning community. And yes Virginia, there was indeed a pool in a living room on opening day in the Galleria '74 collection. It was in the H-108 series that came with 4 elevations, but the pool was only available in the S series, The Eldorado. The base price for the H-108 was $73,490 with the pool add-on a mere $3000 (only 8-10 were sold with pool). That model by the way was the largest home built in Sun City with 3464 sq ft and oddly enough it was only a 2 bedroom home. If you don't want to take my word for it, check with others on the site who spout off like they know what they are talking about. Do do at your own peril.
I mentioned in my remarks in the Galleria '74 collection were homes with some truly unique (some would say odd) non-traditional angles in the home design. Not all of the models by any means, but there were several. Here's a list: * The H-105 series and the 4 elevations: H-105 A-The Monroe. H-105 C-The Aurora. H-105 F-The Frontenac. H-105 S-The Alhambra. * The H-106 series and the 4 elevations: H-106 C-The Zodiac. H-106 D-The Chaparral. H-106 H-The Burgundy. H-106 S-The Prado. *H-107 series and the 4 elevations: H-107 A-The Madison. H-107 C-The Cosmopolitan. H-107 F-The Parisian. H-107 S-The Granada. And of course the H-108 series wrapped up the collection of the most unusual homes showcased at one time in Sun City. Click on the italicized links to open and see the related floor plan.
Bill, I recall looking at these with my family after we just moved out here back in the summer of 1974! I was just a teenager. I think they were located on Buccanneer, near Lakeview.
Here is a link to an example of one of the homes that contained an original indoor pool: https://www.flexmls.com/link.html?1whsblf9zwnm,12,2,24204
The models linked above were on Wheatridge Dr in phase 3 (1974 and 1976) the ones you visited on Buccaneer Way were the 1969 and 1971 releases. Some of those were quite spectacular as well; especially with the lake front back yards.
Very cool! This one looks like it was used as a koi pond. Wonder how many of the 8 still have this feature? Thx for posting.
It is easily one of the most enjoyable aspects of our history and it has been lost in the shuffle of all the other "bigger stuff." Tragic, because for anyone wanting something different, the community is filled with different. As i watch your posts on the Facebook Sun City Chat group page Eileen, i would love to have members post their version of changes, improvements or clinging to what was but amplified by the personal touches so many of us have incorporated.
I just posted one of my favorite model homes in phase one and easily in my top five across the entire community. Seriously, i have a lot of them, most often they are the ones unique and out of character for the more traditional models that were more reasonably priced and sold in the largest numbers. I like different, and the angles included in some of the Galleria '74, blew me away. It started in 1965/1966 with the 40 series that saw some of the models embrace a "Mediterranean" flavor. Here's a link to a TOSC page when we could download photos and stuff. The third post down shows that pretty clearly. Click here. It was in 1968 and the 50 series when Meeker and his architects went full blown unique. Here's a link to the 55-S Villarosa. It was really cool with the massive enclosed front atrium, the split master bedroom/bathrooms,the half bath on the living side of the house and the lanai walk out through three sliders. Plus, the house was a nicely manageable 1734 square feet. The more i look at the remarkable architecture, the more i want to start our own Facebook group with nothing but floor plans, improvements and what those living in Sun City love about it.
Hi Bill, Thank you for your kind words. I enjoy interior decorating. I worked for 2 large new home builders during my working career. The one thing that is fantastic about living here in SC, is that these homes are very easy to renovate, update and make it your own! The interior products of today are so diverse that you can use many different types of finishes in flooring, wall treatments, woodwork finishes. You can truly take a SC floor plan like you've pointed out here and remake it to look like a stunning home. Wouldn't it be nice to see if we could have residents submit photos of how they recreated there SC home! I like to post pics of how you can update your spaces with the products we have today. I love some of those plans you are showing with your class! Eileen
I chided a Realtor friend of mine long ago to start a book on Sun City homes he and his wife were selling to chronicle the remodeling jobs done and to use as a reference point as potential buyers viewed some of the more vintage models. I know, it was more work on top of their really busy schedule, but the endgame would have been an amazing collection of transformations. I saw the Japanese garden photo you posted and the comments were spot on, with our winds playing havoc. Your answer, in an enclosed courtyard might be best, and even then our winds would prove challenging. That said, there is so much opportunity to do small updates and incorporate personal touches. I drove around in Phase 3 yesterday for a bit and the number of redone homes was astounding. Over the 22 years we've lived here, and after all of the discussions and comments about Sun City, the one most often cited lament was "ya but the homes are old and dated." Mostly it came out when i would mention the expensive/expansive updates done via the PIF. All the more reason for us to showcase what has been done on the residential side and what can be done with Sun City properties. Someday we may well figure it out, or perhaps not. I do know, given the potential with social media, we have a limitless amount of ways to reach buyers and that we simply don't do a very good job with it. The unique range of options, styles, square footage and large lots makes Sun City a blank canvas. We need to be more creative, to make it fun and exciting to move to Sun City. You know, like DEVCO/Meeker did.
Probably the reason for the footnote on the spreadsheet I mentioned yesterday. So many homes have been remodeled with additions, walls removed especially on those that had many tiny rooms. that the original models still intact are probably few.
Thanks Bill for your kind words. The Zen garden works if you don't use sand but larger stone. I have some japanese elements in my own home here. I know realtors tell you it is about location, location, location. SC is a fantastic location to live up here in the NW valley and so close to freeways. Nothing wrong with buying an older home and making it your own, especially since we have a wonderful location and our Rec center and amenities. Why would you not want to buy in Sun City! The one store I highly recommend to everyone is the Floor and Decor store. We updated all our f looring in the past few years, and that store has the finest selection and wonderful prices. They show the most current styles of all kinds of flooring possibilities, tile and trims. I just want to let you and the readers know about that store. We like the one in Prasada off of the 303.
Hi Bill, I didn't know if you knew this piece of SC trivia, but Del Webb also had his mother living in one of the unique patio home units across the street from Lakeview. It is 'Astro' court sits right there on Del Webb and T-bird. My husband and I looked at a couple for sale about 12 years ago. It has a wonderful serene courtyard. His mother must have been very happy living there! Just wanted you to know!
Close kiddo; that was Del's first wife, Hazel who he divorced in the early 50's but remained close friends with. True story; after the housing bust in 2009, the Patio Home she had lived in went into foreclosure. Nope not Webb's, it had long since been sold and was owned by a Realtor who lost her husband. They had remodeled it, but was still in need of some love. My wife and i walked through it, the doors had been left unlocked and the foreclosure sale was coming up. You are spot on, it had two great courtyards, as do all 72 of the Patio homes. The center one had a pool and sliders to it from at least 4 different rooms. I tried to talk my wife into buying it so we had a home "down south." She thought i was nuts, she might have been right. The unit was listed as going up for bid with a starting price of $152,000. That's what it sold for. It was a steal and a handful of years later, the buyer had renovated it completely and it sold for well over $400,000. Truly a high point for a non-golf, non-lake property at the time. By the way, those units came with 3 floor plans and three sizes with each having jumps in the neighborhood of 100 sq ft. Plus, they are the only attached homes in Sun City without an HOA and that's because they have no common grounds. Every time i drive by the unit (sitting on the corner of Del Webb Blvd) i always thing, what if?
I liked those units too, but thought the monthly hoa was too steep. Maybe not though, California monthly has are really really high!
I think you and Eileen are talking about two different properties, Bill. The Astro Court that she is referring to is south of the 72 patio homes you mention here. It has a central courtyard, larger than most in the area, which is probably why they have high HOA fees. I walk by it often. I live in one of those without an HOA even though mine is attached on both sides. Love it, the neighborhood, and the close proximity to Lakeview Recreation Center and Hillside Park (or whatever it is named).
I saw that when Eileen mentioned the high HOA fees. The Patio homes (like you have) are often confused with the Patio Apartments. Yours is the only one of the attached units that don't have their own home owners association. Those Patio apartments have some really cool features including some that are massive and with unique design features.
Bill, When I return in the fall, you will have to come visit my patio home. The woman who completely remodeled it 12 years ago did a fantastic job.Unfortunately I have been told her cancer returned during the remodel and she was only able to spend a couple of nights here. Another owner was here for eight years before I fortunately stumbled on it online during Covid. I especially like the front and back courtyards where there is a portion of synthetic grass that softens the look. (Yes, I occasionally have to go out and weed my artificial grass!) The other feature I appreciate is the fencing and gate in the front courtyard and enclosed back one. No coyotes roaming my property! Janet
