Sunnybrae/19th Avenue Park

Centrally located and offering great value, Sunnybrae is a quiet residential neighborhood, one of San Mateo’s first to fully embrace the post-war suburban-style ethos. Despite its proximity to downtown San Mateo and all major commute corridors, Sunnybrae’s brand is quiet, family-friendly and safe. Homes here are typically single-story and sit on well-maintained lots of approximately 5,000 square-foot. Most were built in the 1940s (a majority of neighborhood homes were built in 1947 and 1948 by Williams and Burrows, the local construction giant that also built Capuchino High School and Mills-Peninsula Hospital) and 50s and have between 1,200 and 1,600 square feet of interior living space.

In 1953, the entire tract was owned by Leslie Salt. The already venerable salt company developed a real estate arm, called Concord Ranch Properties, to sell and develop its substantial property holdings. Eichler, who built 11,000 homes designed to bring California Modern design to middle-class homebuyers between 1950 and 1974, was just beginning to hit his stride when he built 19th Avenue Park.

Eichler’s 19th Avenue Park development is humbler than his later work in San Mateo, The Highlands. Homes in both communities share Eichler’s distinctive wood and glass construction, open floorplans, dramatic walls of glass and central atria. 19th Avenue Park is distinctive, even among Eichler tracts, however. As one of Eichler’s first large-scale developments, it is more centrally-located than most – certainly more so than The Highlands. 19th Avenue Park offers easy commute access (the neighborhood is cradled by the 92 and 101 freeways) and is close to downtown San Mateo.

19th Avenue Park real estate is also humbler than some of its nearby relations. Homes are smaller than those in The Highlands, with three to four bedrooms and somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet of living space. Residents send their children to well-regarded Sunnybrae Elementary School, Borel Middle School and Aragon High School.

Eichler lovers/bargain-hunters are attracted to 19th Avenue Park homes for sale because they command less than those in The Highlands. Single-family homes can be had for around $1.5 million and up, making 19th Avenue Park still one of the best deals in Eichlerland – and the tract most in line with Joseph Eichler’s original plan of providing stellar design to the masses -- but still a little bit dear for Sunnybrae, where non-Eichler homes have recently sold for a median of $1.35 million and a range of $1.1 to $1.55 million.

To view a detailed google map of the Sunnybrae and 19th Avenue Park neighborhood, click here. The MLS area is 418.