In 1945, the Long Beach Hospital asked Breuer to design a residence for nurses, interns and office staff on a very limited budget of $50,000. Despite a ban on wartime construction, the hospital was allowed to proceed with the residence because they served military personnel from a nearby naval base. Breuer envisioned a long, rectangular volume raised on pilotis containing double and single rooms along with rooms for the supervisor and housekeeper. Another wedge-shaped intersecting volume housed the communal spaces and slid underneath the elevated portion of the building. Its roof supported a terrace accessible from the residential wing. Breuer was not yet licensed in New York and formed an association with Serge Chermayeff to allow him to practice there. However, the client stopped work on the project before it was built as a result of an existing commitment to anther architect. Breuer received a fee after a contractual dispute, but his design was not built. He resurrected the residence for the Ferry Cooperative Dormitory at Vassar.