U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles)

U.S. Bank Tower, known locally as the Library Tower and formerly as the First Interstate Bank World Center, is a 1,018-foot (310.3 m) skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is, by structural height, the third-tallest building in California, the second-tallest building in Los Angeles, the 24th-tallest in the United States, the third-tallest west of the Mississippi River after the Salesforce Tower and the Wilshire Grand Center, and the 129th-tallest building in the world, after being surpassed by the Wilshire Grand Center.[8] However, the U.S. Bank Tower does surpass both the Salesforce Tower and the Wilshire Grand Center in roof height, making it the only building in California whose roof height exceeds 1,000 feet (300 m). Because local building codes required all high-rise buildings to have a helipad, it was known as the tallest building in the world with a roof-top heliport from its completion in 1989 to 2010 when the China World Trade Center Tower III opened.[9] It is also the third-tallest building in a major active seismic region; its structure was designed to resist an earthquake of 8.3 on the Richter scale. It consists of 73 stories above ground and two parking levels below ground. Construction 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.

U.S. Bank Tower
Location within Los Angeles
Former namesLibrary Tower
First Interstate Bank World Center
Record height
Tallest in California from 1986 to 2010[I]
Preceded byAon Center (4th)
Surpassed byWilshire Grand Center (since 2017)
General information
TypeCommercial offices
Architectural stylePostmodernism[1]
Location633 West Fifth Street
Los Angeles, California, United States
Coordinates34.0510°N 118.2542°W / 34.0510; -118.2542
Current tenantsSee Tenants
Construction started1987[2]
Completed1989
CostUS$350 million
OwnerSilverstein Properties, Inc.
LandlordSilverstein Properties, Inc.
Height
Architectural1,018 ft (310 m)
Top floor968 ft (295 m)
Technical details
Floor count73
2 below ground
Floor area1,432,540 sq ft (133,087 m2)
Lifts/elevators24
Design and construction
Architect(s)Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Ellerbe Becket
DeveloperMaguire Properties
Structural engineerCBM Engineers
James A. Knowles & Associates
Main contractorTurner Construction Company
References
[3][4][5][6][7]

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.[10][11]

On July 20, 2020, it was announced that Larry Silverstein (Silverstein Properties), the developer of the World Trade Center, purchased the building for reportedly 430 million dollars. The deal closed in late September.[12][13][14]

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.[15] 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.[16] On February 28, 2004, two 23 m (75 ft) “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.[17]

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 2006 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush asserted that American counterterrorism officials foiled a plot to fly planes into the tower.[18] 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.[19]

OUE Skyspace
Interior of the OUE Skyspace on the 71st floor of the U.S. Bank Tower looking northwest.

In July 2014, OUE Ltd. (OUE), the new owners of the skyscraper, announced construction of an observation deck named OUE Skyspace.[20] on the 69th and 70th floors and a restaurant named 71Above on the 71st floor.[21] The facilities opened on June 24, 2016,[22] following remodeling and construction costing $31 million[23] 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.[24] 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.[25]

OUE Skyspace closed temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. On October 26, 2020, it was announced that the closure was permanent.[26] In May 2021, it was announced that a renovation by the new owner of the tower would result in the conversion of the observation deck attraction back to office space and the removal of the slide, due to complaints from office tenants.[27]

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.[28]

Major tenants
  • Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
  • Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld[29]
  • Cornerstone Research[30]
  • Gordon & Rees LLP
  • Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
  • Perkins Coie[31]
  • Jenner & Block
  • Thomson West
  • U.S. Bancorp
  • White & Case
  • Littler Mendelson
  • Pizzaply Media[32]
  • In the 1990 film Predator 2, Danny Glover is seen chasing the Predator around different parts of Los Angeles.
  • In 1991’s The Guyver, the building is used as the headquarters for the villainous Chronos Corporation.
  • The building and the Los Angeles skyline is featured many times in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and other movies from the franchise.
  • In some of the Beverly Hills Cop movies.
  • In the 1993 film Falling Down, the tower can be seen in the distance. An incomplete U.S. Bank Tower is visible on the movie's cover.
  • The building made several appearances during the early seasons of the Power Rangers franchise before production was moved to New Zealand in early 2003.
  • The building made a notable appearance in the 1996 film Independence Day, in which the tower was the first structure to be destroyed during the beginning of a massive alien invasion.
  • In the 1996 film Escape from L.A., the tower is heavily damaged but still standing after an earthquake that separates Los Angeles from the mainland.
  • The U.S. Bank Tower has also appeared in Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2.
  • The building is also seen in the 1994 film Speed.
  • In the 2000 movie Disney's The Kid (2000), Bruce Willis's character, an image consultant, works in the building.
  • In the 2004 movie The Day After Tomorrow, the U.S. Bank Tower is severely damaged by the super tornado, but ultimately still standing.
  • The 2007 film Dragon Wars features a giant monster dragon that first destroys and rampages through the city and then climbs the tower.
  • In the 2007 movie Southland Tales, the building stands for US-IDENT, a Big Brother surveillance agency that is under the guise of a national security think-tank.
  • In the 2009 disaster film 2012, it is one of the many buildings in Los Angeles destroyed by a major earthquake.
  • In the 2015 disaster film San Andreas, the tower is among many high-rise buildings in Downtown LA that collapse due to a 9.1-magnitude earthquake striking the city. In one scene, protagonist Ray Gaines (played by Dwayne Johnson) barely flew his helicopter past the collapsing tower.
  • In the History Channel series Life After People, the U.S. Bank Tower is shown withstanding a giant fire that consumed nearly all of LA ten years after humans go extinct, and "The Big One", an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale after 50 years (though the top floors collapse due to fire damage and 50 years of neglect having weakened the structure). Finally, it collapses after a moderate earthquake 600 years after the disappearance of people.
  • The music video for the 1992 single Born of Frustration by James was partly filmed in downtown Los Angeles; in addition to other downtown buildings, the U.S. Bank Tower is shown up-close several times.
  • The 2002 music video for "Thug Lovin'" by Ja Rule and Bobby Brown was filmed on the roof of the tower.
  • The 2002 music video for "Drift & Die" by Puddle of Mudd was filmed on the roof of the tower shown in the last scene.
  • The building was featured as an unnamed tower in the city of Los Santos in the 2004 game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and then also features in the 2013 game Grand Theft Auto V as the Maze Bank Tower. It also serves as a buyable property in Grand Theft Auto Online.
  • The building collapses during a magnitude 10.5 earthquake in the TV miniseries 10.5.
  • Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 227[33]
  • Anne Boonchuy and King Andrias, two characters on the animated Disney show Amphibia, have a battle on the building in the episode, “All In”.
  • In Episode 4 Season 1 of the TV series Quantum Leap (2022), the U.S. Bank Tower is fully built and part of the cityscape of Los Angeles in July 1981, suggesting an alternate timeline.

Tallest roof-top helipad

The US Bank Tower was the world's tallest building with a roof-top helipad until the China World Trade Center Tower III in Beijing, which was completed in 2010 and whose roof-top helipad is 1,083 feet (330 m) high.[9]

As of March 2018, the world's tallest building with a roof-top helipad was the Guangzhou International Finance Center, which also was completed in 2010 and whose roof-top helipad is 1,439 feet (439 m) high.[34][35]

  • From The Maguire Gardens of the Los Angeles Public Library
  • From South Hope Street
  • Lit in purple and gold to root on the Los Angeles Lakers advancement into the 2009 NBA Finals
  • With the AT&T Switching Center to the left and CBRE Tower to the right
  • The U.S. Bank Tower is the third-tallest building west of the Mississippi River
  • From left to right: the Citibank Center, the U.S. Bank Tower, and the Gas Company Tower
  • From OUE Skyspace outdoor area
  • The U.S. Bank Tower towering over Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles
  • former OUE Skyspace entrance
  • former OUE Skyspace outside terrace

See also
  • 50 tallest buildings in the U.S.
  • List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles
  • List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
  • List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
  • List of tallest freestanding steel structures

References
  1. "US Bank Tower". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  2. Myers, David W. (June 21, 1987). "L.A. Tower to Be Tallest on Coast: Ground Breaking Due Tuesday for 73-Story Downtown Building". Los Angeles Times.
  3. "U.S. Bank Tower". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  4. "Emporis building ID 116498". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015.
  5. U.S. Bank Tower at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
  6. "U.S. Bank Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  7. U.S. Bank Tower at Structurae
  8. Curwen, Thomas (June 27, 2017). "LA now has a new tallest building". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  9. "Tall Buildings in Numbers: Tallest Helipads". CTBUH Journal, 2014 Issue II. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  10. Ananthalakshmi, A.; Rodney Joyce (March 11, 2013). "U.S. Bank Tower, tallest building west of Mississippi, changes hands". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  11. "Indonesian billionaire Stephen Riady to buy U.S. Bank Tower for $367.5 mn news". Domain-b. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  12. "LA's US Bank Tower sold to World Trade Center developer". Fox Business. Associated Press. July 22, 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  13. "Silverstein Properties Closes on $430M US Bank Tower Buy". The Real Deal Los Angeles. 2020-09-16. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  14. Bergholz, William (August 6, 2020). "U.S. Bank Tower sold to Trade Center developer". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  15. "First Interstate World Center (Library Tower)". Building Big. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  16. "Second Library Tower: Construction Scheduled for Fall". Los Angeles Times. June 19, 1988.
  17. Baker, Peter; Susan B. Glasser (October 7, 2005). "Bush Says 10 Plots by Al Qaeda Were Foiled". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  18. Bush, George W. (February 9, 2006). "President Discusses Progress in War on Terror to National Guard". The White House. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  19. Coultan, Mark; Tom Allard; Mark Forbes (February 11, 2006). "Bush seizes on al-Qaeda plot to hit Los Angeles". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  20. Painter, Alysia Gray (July 15, 2015). "Look Up: U.S. Bank Tower's OUE Skyspace LA". KNBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  21. Balla, Leslie (June 29, 2015). "Get Ready to Dine Way, Way Above L.A." Los Angeles (magazine). Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  22. "Oue Skyspace La Celebrates Grand Opening Weekend: California's Tallest Open-Air Observation Deck Now Open". Multivu.com. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  23. "OUE unveils OUE Skyspace LA and first-of-its-kind Skyslide at U.S. Bank Tower" (Press release). OUE. June 25, 2016. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved 2021-01-29 – via PR Newswire.
  24. Vincent, Roger (July 16, 2014). "L.A.'s tallest skyscraper to get observation deck". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  25. Khouri, Andrew (March 1, 2016). "Glass slide suspended from 1,000 feet up? It's coming to U.S. Bank Tower in downtown L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  26. "OUE Skyspace LA, California's 'Tallest Open-Air Observation Deck,' Permanently Shutters". whatnowlosangeles.com. October 27, 2020.
  27. "Thrill is gone: Los Angeles skyscraper slide won't reopen". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  28. Vincent, Roger (2021-05-21). "Bye, Skyslide. U.S. Bank Tower will get a $60-million redo that nixes the tourist attraction". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  29. "MPG Office Trust Signs Approximately 25,000 Square Feet Lease At U.S. Bank Tower With Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP" (Press release). MPG Office Trust. July 27, 2011. Retrieved 2021-01-29 – via Business Wire.
  30. U.S. Bank Tower Signs New Tenant
  31. Los Angeles Offices
  32. Segal, David (2020-10-28). "A Podcast Answers a Fast-Food Question That Nobody Is Asking". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  33. "Tallest Building – Visiting (227) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University".
  34. "Tall Buildings in Numbers: Tallest Helipads". CTBUH Journal, 2014 Issue II, page 48. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  35. pinnacleadmin (21 October 2015). "The World's Highest Helipads". ThorTech.com. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
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