Projects by Name

Breuer's second industrial building for the Torin Corporation was located in Van Nuys, CA. on a site near a railroad and an airport. The Torin Corporation, formerly the Torrington Manufacturing Company, produced air-moving equipment and had its headquarters in Torrington, CT. Breuer's friend and client, Rufus Stillman, was the vice-president of the company and later became the chairman of the board. For the Western Division of the company, Breuer produced an easily expandable, two-story 50,000-square-foot building of modular metal-frame construction on a concrete base. The east and west facades were 18 bays long and were clad in prefabricated aluminum panels. A strip window ran the length of the façade, protected by detachable solar-glass sun filters. The shorter north and south elevations were only 9 bays long and featured cinder block infill with sliding windows. Breuer created an open-plan interior with offices grouped at the northern end of the building. An undulating wooden pergola shaded the tables and benches provided for the employee terrace. A long, low perforated masonry wall marked the edge of the terrace and ran alongside the parking lot. The building was sold in 1984 and repurposed for the new owners.