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DPR 523J (9/2013) *Required information State of California - The Resources Agency Primary# DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial# Resource Name or #: 1700-1740 E. Garry Avenue Page 15 of 27 The post-WW II construction boom created a demand for more efficient construction methods, creating inroads for the tilt-up industry. The advent of high-capacity mobile cranes, portable welders (for rebar), custom lifting devices, structural wall bracing, and ready-mix concrete trucks enabled builders to erect tilt-up buildings quickly. Into the 1970s, engineers began developing designs to use tilt-up concrete walls as load- bearing structural elements. The proliferation of microcomputers enabled more sophisticated architectural treatments and complex panel shapes. These methods and systems were employed throughout the United States, including in Southern California where suburban business parks and commercial-office / business centers were constructed in isolated campus settings and along auto corridors radiating through cities between connecting highways. By the 1970s, Tilt-up construction was widely recognized by builders and commercial real estate owners as durable, with less opportunity for leaks, and an efficient construction process, making it the primary method of industrial and commercial buildings constructed in the 1970s and beyond, secondarily resulting in a monotonous horizontal landscape throughout Southern California’s commercial-industrial zones. By the mid-1980s the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) was formed from the Portland Cement Association to provide input to code bodies, develop technical information to meet the needs of the Tilt-Up industry, and promote the benefits of Tilt-Up. Originally led by Executive Director Don Musser, the TCA was originally funded by the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), with each association also providing organizational support.[1] In the contemporary period, the most significant examples of cast concrete, tilt-up, and modular construction generally originate from the Brutalist style. From the French phrase béton brut, meaning “raw concrete,” Brutalist architecture peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, but the style began several decades earlier, following World War II as Europe was in a state of rebuilding. The word “brutalism” in relation to architecture was coined in 1950 by Swedish architect Hans Asplund in reference to a home called Villa Göth. The style was designed for function and utilitarianism and was primarily used in social and institutional buildings. Mass- produced tilt-up buildings like 1700-1740 E. Garry represent the basest form of modular construction and are not regarded as examples of Brutalism, sharing only a common material and temporal dimension. Property Ownership History Between 1973 and 1974, the property was under the ownership of the Rodeffer Investments.15 Rodeffer Investments was a local land development company that was founded by Elmer Orion Rodeffer in 1967. During the 1960s and 1990s, the company purchased several investment properties and constructed both commercial and industrial-use buildings throughout the Orange County area.16 They were known for using the tilt-up concrete building method, which offered a fast, efficient, and economical way to build.17 From their main office in Newport Beach, the company designed custom office condominiums at affordable prices. By the 1980s, as the company expanded they established a partnership with the Hawthorne Development Company.18 Together they designed and constructed several commercial-use buildings in the Laguna Hills area.19 In 1981, the company was awarded the Construction Industry Award For Engineering Excellence for their work on an unidentified project in Sun City.20 Around this time, Rodeffer Investments served as the starting point for noted architect Mark Singer, who briefly worked at the company following his graduation from California State Los Angeles.21 Singer would go on to become an award-winning architect in Laguna and a fellow of the American Institute of Architect’s.22 Over the years, the property was acquired by different 15 Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1974. 16 Ibid; Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 23, 1997. 17 Ibid. 18 Ibid. 19 The Los Angeles Times, July 12, 1981. 20 Los Angeles Times, May 3, 1981. 21 Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2015. 22 Mark Singer, Mark Singer Architect: Awards. Website. http://www.marksingerarchitects.com/awards. 8/22/2022 Planning Commission 2 – 163