The United States of America is the country where the construction of tall buildings began. The term “skyscraper” was first used in the USA for tall buildings. The tallest building which was first called a skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois.
In almost all major cities of the United States, we can see skylines with tall buildings. We will take a look at the tallest buildings in Los Angeles, one of the most popular cities in the USA.
Top 10 Tallest Buildings in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a city in the California district of the United States. The first high-rise building in Los Angeles was the Braly Building built-in 1903 which was about 46 meters high.
However, from 1904 restrictions were implemented that no building could be taller than 46 meters. This law limited the construction of tall buildings during that time. But, in 1957 the rule was lifted and from then on new tall buildings were constructed at a rapid pace.
However, construction of such high-rise buildings has now declined because LA is considered the most likely an earthquake zone. This reason makes the construction of a tall building very challenging and costly as well.
Los Angeles has over 30 buildings that can be classified as skyscrapers(minimum height 150 m). At present, the tallest building in Los Angeles is Wilshire Grand Center. So let’s take a look at the 10 tallest buildings in Los Angeles as of 2024.
1. Wilshire Grand Center
Wilshire Grand Center is the tallest building in Los Angeles. It is located in downtown Los Angeles. It was completed in 2017 and since then has been on the top. The building is 335.3 meters(1,100 ft.) high up to the tip with a total of 73 floors.
The tower is used as a hotel, restaurant, office, and observatory. The construction of Wilshire Grand Center started in 2014 and its estimated cost is about 1.2 billion.
The chief architect of the building was AC Martin Partners. The developer and main contractor of the Wilshire Grand Center were Thomas Properties Group, LLC and Turner Construction respectively. The Hanjin Group is the owner of the building. Read Also: Top 10 Tallest Buildings In New York.
2. U.S. Bank Tower
In the second, we get the U.S Bank Tower which is also known as Library Tower locally. The tower is located in the downtown area of LA. The construction of Los Angeles’ second tallest building started in 1987 and was completed in 1989.
The tower is 310 meters tall and has 72 floors above ground level and 2 floors below ground level. The building is used for commercial offices. The U.S Bank Tower is California’s tallest building with a rooftop helipad. Until 2010 from its completion it was the tallest building with a rooftop heliport.
As it is located in an active seismic area, the building was designed in a way that it can resist up to 8.3 Richter scale earthquakes. Silverstein Properties, Inc. acquired the building in 2020 for about $430 million. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Ellerbe Becket we’re the architects of the U.S Bank Tower. The tower was constructed by Turner Construction Company. Read Also: Types of Buildings.
3. Aon Center
The third tallest building in Los Angeles is Aon Centre. Located on Wilshire Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles, it is 260 meters tall. The building has a total of 62 floors in it.
The building’s construction started in 1970 and by 1973, it was fully completed. When the Aon Center was completed, it was the tallest building in Los Angeles(LA) and held the record till 1987. The tower is used as a commercial office.
Owned by 707 Wilshire Fee LLC the estimated value of the building is about 712 million dollars. The building is a slender tower of rectangular shape which was designed by Charles Luckman. The main contractor of the project was CL Peck Contractor.
4. Two California Plaza
Fourth on the list of tallest buildings in LA is Two California Plaza, which is located in the Hill District of downtown Los Angeles. The height of this building is 230 meters with a total floor of 52.
The building was a part of a Plaza project which consists of a total of two skyscrapers. The construction of the project started in 1990 and within two years was completed. The building has 52 floors and is 229 meters tall. The tower is used for commercial offices mainly. CIM Group has owned the tower since 2014.
The work of designing the tower was done by Arthur Erickson AC Martin Partners. Hathaway Dinwiddie was the main contractor for the building and it was developed by Metropolitan Structures West. Read Also: Top 10 Tallest Buildings in the UK.
5. Gas Company Tower
Gas Company Tower is located on Bunker Hill, downtown Los Angeles. In the list of the tallest buildings of LA, it comes in 5th place. The tower is three decades old.
The construction of the tower started in 1988 and by 1991 it was completed. The tower is 228 meters tall and has a total of 52 stories. The total floor area of this building is about 1,313,360 sq ft. This building is also used as a commercial office.
The main architects of the tower were Richard Keating (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill). Thomas Properties Group and Maguire Properties have together developed this building.
The main contractor was Turner Construction. Gas Company Tower has been featured in the opening scene of the Hollywood movie “Speed” which was released in 1994.
6. Bank of America Plaza
Standing at 224 meters, Bank of America Plaza is the sixth tallest building in Los Angeles. The building is located in Bunker Hill, Los Angeles.
The construction work of the tower started in the year 1971 and in 1974, it was completed. The building is used for commercial offices and has a total of 55 floors. Brookfield Properties are the owner of the tower and they manage it as well.
The chief architects of this magnificent building were Albert C. Martin & Associates, Peter Walker & Partners. The construction of the building was done by the main contractor of Turner Construction Co.
7. 777 Tower
The seventh tallest building in Los Angeles is 777 Tower. The tower is also known as “Citicorp Center”. Starting in 1988, the construction of the building was completed in 1991.
The height of the tower is 221 meters and it is a 52 stories building. The estimated expenditure of the building is 250 million US dollars and is owned by Brookfield Office Properties.
César Pelli was the one who designed this beautiful tower. The main contractor of the project was Peck/Jones. South Figueroa Plaza Associates were the developers of this building. Read Also: Top 5 Tallest Buildings in Austria.
8. Wells Fargo Center
A twin tower complex that is located in downtown Los Angeles. The tallest tower of the complex is Wells Fargo Tower and is the eighth tallest building in LA. The tower stands 220 meters high and has 54 floors in it.
It is also a building used for commercial office purposes. The construction of the complex started in 1981 and by 1983 the construction of the tower was completed. The whole complex in which the tower is constructed is owned by Brookfield Office Properties Inc.
The main architects of the project were Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The developers of the tower were Maguire Properties and Thomas Properties Group. The main construction company was Turner construction.
9. Figueroa at Wilshire
Figueroa at Wilshire is the ninth-tallest building in Los Angeles. The height of this building is 218.54 meters. A total of 53 floors and 4 underground floors are there in the building. South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles is the location of the tower.
This property is also owned by Broomfield Properties as well. The construction of the building started in 1988 and within a couple of years, the construction was completed.
10. City National Plaza
The building which comes on the tenth spot is City National Plaza. It is located in South Flower Street, Los Angeles. The construction of the building started in 1969. In 1972, the tower was completed and opened.
The building is 213.3 meters high and has a total of 52 floors. It is used fully for commercial purposes. The owners of the building are the Commonwealth Partners. The main architect of the tower was Albert C. Martin & Associates.
Read Also: Tallest Buildings in Chicago.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the tallest building in Los Angeles in 2024?
The tallest building in Los Angeles as of 2024 is Wilshire Grand Center which is 335.3 m in height.
Where are the tallest buildings in LA?
Los Angeles’s tallest building Wilshire Grand Center is located in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Read Also: