John Calder Mackay

Joseph Eichler's son Ned Eichler stated in a 2001 interview, "There were Kaufman and Broad, there was Mackay Homes, and there were local builders wherever we were building," when asked about competition in the residential building market in the early years.

In the 1950s, Mackay-manufactured homes often represented moving from farmland or remote locations into the newly developed suburbs. For some, this was a dream that had spanned multiple generations and ushered them closer to middle class.

In 1948 John Mackay built the first commercial building in downtown Menlo Park, California (on Santa Cruz Avenue). He founded the home building company Mackay Homes in 1950.

John Calder Mackay (April 20, 1920 - November 21, 2014) was an American post-war real estate developer, best known for his modernist tract homes built by the company he co-founded, Mackay Homes. He also served on the board of directors for the Children's Health Council and was one of the founders of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Mackay was born April 20, 1920 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Stanford University from 1939 to 1942, and graduated in 1942 with a degree in Pre-Legal. In 1942 he married Ellen Ann Evans and later had four children with her. From 1942 to 1946, Mackay served in the US Navy during Asiatic-Pacific Theater. He returned to Stanford University and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1948.