US Bank Tower Visitor's Guide
Sprawling Los Angeles is far from being a totally vertical city, but our thriving downtown does host its fair share of skyscrapers. The tallest? The US Bank Center at 1,018 feet high. Consider the following information regarding this monumental high-rise.
US Bank Tower
633 W. 5th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 894-9000
www.usbanktower.com
Now ranked as the West coast's highest building, the US Bank Tower, which was incarnated from both the Library Tower and the First Interstate Bank World Center, ranks number 13 as far as the tallest edifices in the country and number 65 in the world. This Los Angeles landmark, artfully designed by noted architect Henry N. Cobb, boasts 73 stories, and is often used to identify the City of Angels in both small and large screen endeavors.
The newest and most noteworthy feature of the US Bank Tower is its outstanding Observation Deck, called OUE Skyspace LA. This public access amenity takes in 360-degree views of the City of Angels on two different levels. Even more awesome, though, is its thrilling Skyslide. Yes, that's right. We said slide. Not only do you free fall (well, sort of) from one floor to the other but the contraption that lets you do that is made of thick glass and sits along the outside of the original building. At forty-five feet long and about four feet wide, this is an intimate (and, for some, scary) experience for takers who glide down between the 70th floor and the 69th floor. Dare you try this? For sure! It's a bragging moment just waiting to be captured.
Although the West was spared from the tragedies that happened on the other side of the country on September 11, 2001, the 9/11 Commission has reported that the original plan was for ten planes to be hijacked. Scarily, one of those ten was intended to crash into this Los Angeles landmark. In addition, in 2002, another plane had been said to be aiming for the US Bank Tower but the US Government reportedly intervened. Not every authority believes this latter piece of information to be the actual case.
The US Bank Tower was immortalized on film in a whole bunch of notable flicks. Among them, these celluloid offerings include "Independence Day," "2012"and "San Andreas" (in both of which the edifice was destroyed by an earthquake), and "The Day After Tomorrow" (in which the edifice was almost destroyed by a tornado).
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This prestigious skyscraper features a large glass crown at its top. At night, that top, called the Crown Lights, is lit up in different colors to celebrate a slew of different occasions. For example, red and green are used to mark the winter holiday season, pink and red for Valentine's Day, red and gold during the Chinese New Year, orange on Halloween, and red during Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Crown Lights incorporates a sophisticated LED lighting system that produces unique patterns, all real eye-catchers.
Although the US Bank Tower is today's highest building in LA and the West, that distinction will soon change when the Wilshire Grand hotel and office complex debuts in 2017. The fresh skyscraper in going up at the corner of Wilshire and Figueroa and will boast a roof top deck, an infinity pool and a fine dining restaurant.
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