Downtown Los Angeles is getting a significant (read: very tall) new landmark that promises to draw more visitors to heart of the business district: the 73-story Wilshire Grand, a hotel and office skyscraper designed by locally-based AC Martin Partners. At 1,100 feet (including the spire and a sail-shaped architectural feature), it will become the tallest building west of Chicago when it is completed in 2017, surpassing the nearby 1,018-foot-tall U.S. Bank Tower, designed by Henry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.
According to the final plans released last week for the $1 billion project, by the developer Korean Air, the new glass-clad tower will feature 900 hotel rooms, 400,000 square feet of office space on 30 floors, and 45,100 square feet of ground floor retail. High speed elevators will transport hotel guests to the lobby on the 70th floor; the 71st floor will house a restaurant. The roof will feature a pool and lounge area with views of the Pacific Ocean, Hollywood Hills, and the San Gabriel Mountains.
The site of the new building, 930 Wilshire Boulevard, was home to the 1952 Wilshire Grand hotel, which was demolished starting last year.
