U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles)

Overview

U.S. Bank Tower

former names	Library Tower First Interstate Bank World Center
highest region	California
highest prev	Aon Center (4th)
highest next	Wilshire Grand Center
highest start	1989
highest end	2016
location	633 West Fifth Street Los Angeles, California, United States
coordinates	34.051°N, -118.2542°W
groundbreaking date	June 23, 1987 ‡R1R‡
construction start date	January 30, 1988 ‡R2R‡
completion date	October 1989 ‡R3R‡
topped out date	April 18, 1989 ‡R4R‡
opened date	1990
architect	Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Ellerbe Becket
owner	Silverstein Properties Inc.
landlord	Silverstein Properties Inc.
cost	US$350 million
floor area	1432540 sqft
top floor	968 ft
floor count	73 (+2 below ground)
architectural style	Postmodernism‡R5R‡
references	‡R6R‡‡R7R‡‡R8R‡‡R9R‡‡R10R‡
pushpin map	United States Los Angeles Central
building type	Commercial offices
architectural	1018 ft
elevator count	24
structural engineer	CBM Engineers James A. Knowles & Associates
main contractor	Turner Construction Company
developer	Maguire Properties
public transit	Pershing Square
operator	Silverstein Properties, Inc.
current tenants	See tenants
website	http://usbanktower.com/

U.S. Bank Tower, known locally as the Library Tower and formerly as the First Interstate Bank World Center, is a 1018 ft skyscraper located in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles, California.

Construction of the tower began in 1987 with completion in 1989. The building was designed by Henry N. Cobb of the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and cost $350 million to build.

It is one of the most recognizable buildings in Los Angeles, and often appears in establishing shots for the city in films and television programs.

The building is the third-tallest building in California, the second-tallest building in Los Angeles, the 24th-tallest in the United States.[11]

Ownership

U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles was sold to OUE Ltd (OUE), a diversified real estate owner, developer and operator group, in 2013. OUE, a Singapore-listed company run by Indonesian billionaire Stephen Riady, acquired the tower and other related assets for $367.5 million. OUE acquired the 72-floor office building, the adjacent Maguire Gardens park, and a parking lot from a unit of Los Angeles–based real-estate investment trust MPG Office Trust Inc.[12]

History

The building was first known and is alternatively known today as the Library Tower because it was built as part of the $1 billion Los Angeles Central Library redevelopment area, following two disastrous fires at the library in 1986, and its location across the street.[18] The City of Los Angeles sold air rights to the developers of the tower to help pay for the reconstruction of the library. The building was also known for a time as First Interstate Bank World Center but the name Library Tower was restored after First Interstate Bancorp merged with Wells Fargo Bank. In March 2003, the property was leased by U.S. Bancorp and the building was renamed the U.S. Bank Tower.

The tower has a large glass crown at its top that is illuminated at night.[19] On February 28, 2004, two 23 m “U.S. Bank” logo signs were installed on the crown, amid controversy for their effect on the aesthetic appearance of the building, much like the previous First Interstate Bank logos were placed on the crown between 1990 and 1998.

Terrorist target

On June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission reported that the original plan for the September 11 attacks called for the hijacking of ten planes, one of which was to be crashed into the building.[20]

On October 6, 2005, House officials stated that the government had foiled a previously undisclosed second plot to crash a plane into the building in mid-2002. In his televised 2007 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush asserted that American counterterrorism officials foiled a plot to fly planes into the tower.[21] According to President Bush, Al-Qaeda leader Khaled Sheikh Mohammed's plan was to use Asian confederates from Jemaah Islamiyah recruited by Islamic militant Hambali for the hijacking. President Bush asserted the hijackers were going to use shoe bombs to breach the plane's cockpit door. Some counter-terrorism experts have expressed doubt that the plot was ever fully developed or likely to occur.[22]

OUE Skyspace

In July 2014, OUE Ltd. (OUE), the new owners of the skyscraper, announced construction of an observation deck named OUE Skyspace.[23] on the 69th and 70th floors and a restaurant named 71Above on the 71st floor.[24] The facilities opened on June 24, 2016,[25] following remodeling and construction costing $31 million[26] that included a makeover of the ground floor lobby as well as a separate second floor entrance for tourists, and a skylobby and exhibit hall on the 54th floor. Access to the observation deck cost $25 per person.[27] For an additional $8, visitors could take a trip down a transparent glass slide affixed to the outside of the building between the 70th and 69th floors known as the Skyslide.[28]

Silverstein Properties

With the building 78% leased, New York developer Silverstein Properties announced plans in 2021 to make changes to the building to attract tenants. The tourist attraction will be converted to office space or communal areas. The 71Above restaurant will remain open while the 54th floor, where people going higher must change elevators, will be turned into a co-working lounge with workstations, food and beverage options, and a catering kitchen for events.[31]

U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles)

Ownership

History

Terrorist target

OUE Skyspace

Silverstein Properties

Major tenants

Consultancy

Economic development

Engineering

Finance

Law

Media

Tallest rooftop helipad

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

External links

References