This impressive seventy-three-story skyscraper standing at 310 meters tall in the heart of downtown Los Angeles was originally known as the Library Tower, owing to its close association – both physically and historically – with the Central Library across the street from 1926. It’s the second tallest skyscraper in the city and also along the entire West Coast of the United States, making it one of the most characteristic and recognizable silhouettes in the skyline of LA.
The building was developed by Maguire Partners, who acquired air rights over the historic library to add more height to the tower. This acquisition also helped prevent the demolition of the library, contributing to funding its rehabilitation and expansion. Construction took place between 1987 and 1989. When completed, it was the tallest building in the world in a seismic zone.
Designed by Henry N. Cobb of the internationally renowned firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the building was specifically conceived to complement rather than overshadow the library. Based on concentric geometries, one circular and another composed of right angles, the round skyscraper features four ascending setbacks leading to a glass crown that glows like a beacon at night.
Its light-colored cladding and bright green glass starkly contrast with the surrounding structures in darker tones. Its richness of materials, stylized Art Deco imagery, and elegant ornamentation embody the variety and vitality of late 20th-century corporate design.
The U.S. Bank Tower has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, notably being destroyed in ‘Independence Day’ (1996), ‘2012’ (2009), and ‘San Andreas’ (2015). In the video games ‘Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’ (2004) and ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ (2013), the tower can be seen rebranded as the ‘Maze Bank’.
