The Chet Holifield Federal Building, better known as the Ziggurat for its pyramid-like silhouette, is once again available for purchase in Laguna Niguel.
The General Services Administration previously held two auctions to get the building — named in 1978 after the longtime congressman from California — off the federal inventory rolls, but has now partnered with CBRE, a real estate firm, to sell the 1,000-square-foot building and 90-acre property.
“GSA is taking a targeted approach to reducing the bloated federal real estate portfolio,” Edward Forst, an administrator with the agency, said in a statement on Friday. “By eliminating long-term liabilities, including delinquent maintenance costs, we are saving taxpayer money, while focusing our limited resources on our core assets.”
Officials say the property would provide its buyer with a rare opportunity to acquire a landmark with “unparalleled potential” in Southern California.
The building, constructed in 1971, looks like a Mesopotamian ziggurat temple. It was designed by William Pereira, the architect behind San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid and parts of the UC Irvine campus.
Once home to numerous U.S. government offices, including about 2,000 employees of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, it was only about half-full when it was first put up for auction in March 2023 with a required starting bid of $70 million.
“CBRE will apply its deep market expertise and reach to market this unique property for sale,” Chris Connelly, CBRE Executive Group President of Advisory Services in the U.S. and Canada, said in a statement. “This is the latest step in CBRE’s many years of supporting the GSA in fulfilling its mission.”
During the first auction attempt in 2023, the GSA included a requirement that the building be preserved. There were no bidders. In a second attempt in 2024, without the preservation requirement, bidding exceeded $160 million, but the sale ultimately was not completed.
Laguna Niguel Mayor Gene Johns said the city is very excited about the new prospect of a sale.
“We’re looking forward to whoever the new owner may be,” he said. “It’s over 90 acres, which is prime real estate in South Orange County, so whoever gets this, it will be a tremendous addition to our city with whatever is built in that area. We are truly looking forward to whoever it is.”
Johns said the city’s staff would sit down with a new owner and look at their plans, which he hopes will blend with the feel of the area and fit the city’s needs. “You would assume whoever purchases that would understand how South Orange County is, how our city is and you would assume they would come in with plans that would fit that.”
“When you look at the potential sales of the last group, it was a myriad of different people with different ideas for the property,” he said. “We’re open to discuss the building with the new owner as soon as they take over.”