The Surfrider Condominiums

Place

The Surfrider Condominiums

Built in 1970, The Surfrider was the first high-rise development on the Redondo Beach Esplanade.

Place Details

Address

565 Esplanade Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Year

1970

Designed by visionary South Bay architect Bill Burchfield, AIA.聽When constructed, The Surfrider was the first residential聽high rise on the Redondo Beach Esplanade.

The Surfrider was designed聽for the Bri Jed Company in 1968 and completed in 1970. Sitting directly on the bluff overlooking the beach the development was originally聽built as luxury apartments. However, after a year, the building was converted to condominiums in 1971 by the Butler Housing Corp.聽

Built during the late Mid-Century聽Modern period, The Surfrider was inspired by the surfing culture of California. Burchfield's聽love of the beach lifestyle聽emphasized designed聽his聽structure with聽floor to ceiling聽windows, open floor plans, and a unique curvilinear balcony design that provided every unit having a beach聽view.聽

Orange Metlox Pottery tiles cover the majority of the two building鈥檚 primary facades. 聽Originally designed with 2鈥 x 4鈥 tiles, Metlox Potteries was unable to manufacture the large-scale tiles. As a result, construction utilized the 4鈥 x 6鈥 bright orange tiles seen today.

Boasting the Gold Medallion Home Award for a total electric home, The Surfrider originally featured electric fireplaces and fully electric kitchens.聽聽

The complex houses 64 units split between two five-story buildings with parking below. In the center of the complex is a courtyard that allows direct beach access for the units.

The success of The Surfrider as Redondo鈥檚 first聽high-rise development on the Esplanade聽marked the beginning of a development boom that converted parcels of single-family homes into multi-story high rises.

The Surfrider Brochure - Cover
Via Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider Brochure - Info
Via Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider Brochure - Back Cover
Photo by Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider - North Tower
Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider - South Tower
Via Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider Interior Plan B
via Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider Interior Plan C
via Sharon Margolis | The Surfrider Interior Plan D
Tarquin Ross | Rear view of the Surfrider