FOUNDED: William Lyon, along with his father and brother, founded the company in Fullerton in 1954.
LEGACY LEADERSHIP: William Lyon grew a small postwar homebuilding business into one of the largest residential developers in the western United States. Often referred to as “The General” due to his service in the military. Later, his son William H. Lyon led the company as it expanded into several states including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Washington and Texas.
OC SIGNIFICANCE: Helped shape Orange County’s suburban growth during the post-World War II housing boom. Built thousands of homes throughout Orange County, including communities in Anaheim Hills, Irvine and other master-planned developments. Specialized in designing and building entry-level, move-up and master-planned residential communities across the western United States.
DEFINING MOMENT: In 2019, Taylor Morrison Home Corp. bought William Lyon Homes for $2.4B, creating the nation’s fifth-largest homebuilder and marking the end of an Orange County homebuilding dynasty that lasted nearly 70 years.
BY THE NUMBERS: 100K homes built in 60 years. $1.2B peak revenues reached in 1991.
QUOTABLE: Bill Lyon “was fantastic at buying land. He got right to it, tying up these spectacular parcels in Southern California.” —Peter Ochs
“That was his biggest skill. He had a sense for where demand would be, and he could make good deals because of his local connections, which larger, national companies lacked.” —Mike Meyer, retired managing partner of EYKenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group in Orange County
FUN FACTS: Started Lyon Air Museum, which features a 1939 Mercedes-Benz Model G4 Offener Touring Wagon used by Adolph Hitler. The Georgian styled family estate in Coto de Caza went up for sale for $125M last year. Built in 1986, the estate hosted distinguished guests like President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan and features a helipad, equestrian facilities and a tennis court. The home was re-listed earlier this year with a drop in price of $59M after the parcel was shaved from 137 acres to 73 acres.
