U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles)
| U.S. Bank Tower | |
|---|---|
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| Former/other names | Library Tower First Interstate Bank World Center |
| General information | |
| Location | 633 West Fifth Street Los Angeles, California |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1987-1990 |
| Use | Commercial offices |
| Height | |
| Roof | 310.3 m (1,018 ft) |
| Top floor | 294.92 m (967.6 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 73 |
| Floor area | 1,300,000 sq ft (120,000 m2) |
| Elevators | 24 |
| Cost | US$350,000,000 |
| Companies involved | |
| Architect(s) | Pei Cobb Freed & Partners |
| Structural engineer | CBM Engineers Inc. James A. Knowles & Associates |
| Contractor | Turner Construction Company |
| Owner | Library Square Associates LLC |
| Management | Maquire Properties |
| References: [1][2][3][4] | |
U.S. Bank Tower, formerly Library Tower and First Interstate Bank World Center, is a 310.3 m (1,018 ft) skyscraper at 633 West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is the tallest building in the state, the tenth-tallest in the United States, the tallest west of the Mississippi River, and as of December 2009, the 40th tallest building in the world. Because local building codes require the building to have a helipad, it is also the tallest building in the world with a roof-top heliport. Until the construction of Taipei 101, it was also the 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, often used in establishing shots for the city in films and television programs.
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History
The building is also known as Library Tower because it was built as part of the $1 billion Los Angeles Central Library redevelopment area following two disastrous fires in 1986, and its location across the street.[5] 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 U.S. Bank Tower. Residents, however, generally continue to refer to it as Library Tower.
The tower has a large glass crown at its top that is illuminated at night. The crown is lighted with red and green during the Christmas holiday season and lit red around Saint Valentine's Day. It is also lit with purple and gold when the Los Angeles Lakers are playing in the NBA Playoffs and blue and white on Opening Day for the Los Angeles Dodgers and when the Dodgers are playing in the playoffs. The crown was also lit with red, white and blue during the July 4 holidays, but that practice ended in 2003.
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. First Interstate Bank's “I” logo on the crown was in the 1993 Guinness Book of World Records for highest placed logo.
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.[6]
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 a televised speech on February 9, 2006, US President George W. Bush asserted that American counterterrorism officials had foiled a plot to slam planes into the building, which he incorrectly identified as the “Liberty Tower”.[7] 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.[8]
Controversies
Incidents of US Bank Tower security guards harassing people taking pictures of the building resulted, on 18 January 2009, in members of NPRO (National Photographers' Rights Organization) staging a photo shoot that resulted in verbal threats and attempts at physical intimidation from building security personnel.[9]
Major tenants
- McCormick & Schmick's
- Thomson West
- U.S. Bancorp
- White & Case
Gallery
 From The Maguire Gardens of the Los Angeles Public Library |
 From Hope and 8th Streets |
 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 Building to the left and Mellon Bank Plaza to the right |
See also
- 50 Tallest buildings in the U.S.
- List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles
- List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
References
- ↑ U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles) at Emporis
- ↑ U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles) at Glass Steel and Stone
- ↑ U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles) at SkyscraperPage
- ↑ U.S. Bank Tower (Los Angeles) at Structurae
- ↑ "First Interstate World Center (Library Tower)". Building Big. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/first_interstate_world.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ↑ Peter Baker; Susan B. Glasser (Friday, October 7, 2005). "Bush Says 10 Plots by Al Qaeda Were Foiled". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/06/AR2005100600455_pf.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ↑ George W. Bush (9 February 2006). "President Discusses Progress in War on Terror to National Guard". The White House. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060209-2.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ↑ Mark Coultan; Tom Allard; Mark Forbes (11 February 2006). "Bush seizes on al-Qaeda plot to hit Los Angeles". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bush-seizes-on-alqaeda-plot-to-hit-los-angeles/2006/02/10/1139542403036.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ↑ "US Bank Tower Guards Harass Photographers". WordPress. January 21, 2009. http://discarted.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/wasting-breath-with-us-bank-towers-security-team. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
External links
- U.S. Bank Tower website at Maguire Properties
- Outline of the 9-11 Plot (Staff Statement No. 16, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks)
- Building Profile
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