Chet Holifield To Be Listed For Sale in October 2022

The historic and architectural significance of the “Ziggurat” in Laguna Niguel (24000 Avila Road, where it borders Aliso Viejo) was recognized earlier this year by Docomomo US when the preservation organization named the building one of the eleven most endangered Modern buildings in the country. The federal government tenants are now vacating the building and how it is to be used in the future is not certain but when the General Services Administration (GSA) lists it for sale later this year, a buyer will have to set up a conservation easement as a condition of the purchase.

The purpose of the easement- which involves a tax deduction for the owner and the participation of a long-term easement holder such as the California Preservation Foundation- would be to protect the “character-defining features” of the building, those features that are indispensable to understanding its historic meaning. As the illustration of the historic property boundary shows (fig. A) the building itself and a narrow corridor around it would be maintained and the remaining acreage (bright green) would be available for new construction. The specific character-defining features of the building that would be retained are shown in the images below. (fig. B)

Adaptive Reuse In Its Future A community design workshop held online in late 2021 produced a number of ideas especially useful for adapting the first and second floors, 314,000 and 210,000 square feet respectively. (fig. C) To see the five final concepts and the report of the design charrette, click here.

The GSA will begin promoting the property in October 2022 and conduct an auction in January 2023. Preserve Orange County will monitor the sale and the subsequent planning review process at the City of Laguna Niguel.

Fig. A The “historic property” boundary is outlined by the thick black line in the illustration above. It shows the section of the 89 acre property that is historic and would be conserved in a redevelopment plan. The current parking lot, landscaping, and some mechanical buildings (bright green area) would be available for new construction. Illustration courtesy of the General Services Administration, Nov. 2020.

Fig. B The “character-defining features” of the Chet Holifield Federal Building are shown in the photographs above. These are the historic features of the building exterior and interior that convey its historic and architectural significance, and that would be protected in a conservation easement. Slide courtesy of the General Services Administration, Nov. 2020.

Fig. C This is just one slide from the voluminous final report of the design charrette led by Griffin Enright Architects from October to December 2021. This slide was chosen to show the variety of recreational and commercial functions to which floors one and two (combined they make up over half of the total building square footage) could be adapted. Community Design Charrette, January 21, 2022, page 69.