Chet Holifield Federal Building

The Chet Holifield Federal Building, colloquially known as “the Ziggurat Building”, is a United States government building in Laguna Niguel, California. It was built between 1968 and 1971 for North American Aviation/Rockwell International, and designed by William Pereira. In 1973 it became a U.S. Federal Building. A few years later it was renamed for U.S. Representative and congressional adviser on nuclear weapons testing, disarmament and atomic energy. View the interactive history by Cyark.

Ziggurats are massive, tiered temple platforms constructed by ancient Mesopotamian civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. These stepped pyramids served as a religious structure, a place for temples and rituals, and were believed to connect the earth to the heavens. Ziggurats are characterized by their stepped, platform-like structure, rising in tiers with a temple on top. Some call them “wedding cake” pyramids.

Mary Ringhoff of Architectural Resources Group oversaw a HABS documentation with Dennis Hill, Content Creation contributing the large format black and white photography.