Century Plaza Towers
Century Plaza Towers are two 44-story, 571-foot (174 m) twin towers in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. They are the tallest buildings in California outside Downtown Los Angeles and San Francisco.
| Century Plaza Towers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 2029 and 2049 Century Park East Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34.05865°N 118.41411°W |
| Construction started | April 1972 |
| Completed | 1975 |
| Management | CBRE |
| Height | |
| Roof | 571.0 ft (174.04 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 44 |
| Floor area | 2,300,000 sq ft (210,000 m2) |
| Lifts/elevators | 26 (each) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Minoru Yamasaki |
| Developer | Trammell Crow Company |
| References | |
| [1][2][3][4][5] | |
Commissioned by Alcoa, the towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki and completed in 1975.[6] The towers resemble Yamasaki's World Trade Center in their vertical black and gray lines and the use of aluminum exteriors. The towers have an unusual triangular footprint and are landmarks that are clearly seen around the Los Angeles Westside. Their prominence in the Century City skyline has been reduced in recent years with the addition of new skyscrapers that partially block their view. Nevertheless, the Century Plaza Towers remain the tallest buildings in Century City and the tallest skyscrapers in Southern California outside of downtown Los Angeles. The towers sit atop one of the world's largest underground parking garages with a capacity of roughly 5,000 cars.[7][8]
The Los Angeles Times reported that as of February 2020, the signature twin office skyscrapers are fully occupied for the first time.[9]
In popular culture
In television, the towers were the headquarters of the fictional private detective Remington Steele, the main character of the eponymous NBC series, which ran from 1982 to 1987. Nearly every episode included an exterior establishing shot of the towers.
The towers have also served as the backdrop for several television commercials, including adverts for Samsung, Buick, Volvo, and Kia Motors. In film, the towers were featured in 1988's Die Hard (shown at the end credits), 1990's Death Warrant, and 2011's The Green Hornet'’. They were also used as opening and establishing shots for the CBS series Family Law starring Oscar-nominated actress Kathleen Quinlan.
The base of the towers stood in for the Yamasaki-designed World Trade Center in the 1981 film Escape from New York starring Kurt Russell
The buildings were also used in Melrose Place as the office of Lexi Sterling's business, Sterling Advertising. They were also seen in Burke's Law.
The buildings were used for the album cover of Yes’s 1977 album Going for the One. In 1979, Olivia Newton-John filmed the music video for the title track of her album Totally Hot here. In 1981 the buildings were used in a bumper of the silver ball for Nickelodeon. The buildings were shown under construction in a 1974 episode of Barnaby Jones entitled "Dark Legacy".
In the 1990 TV movie, "The Great Los Angeles Earthquake" during 8.0 and 7.2 magnitude earthquakes both buildings sway violently, afterwards both buildings remain standing but are severely damaged.
References
- "Century Plaza Tower I". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
- "Century Plaza Tower II". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
- Century Plaza Towers at Emporis
- "Century Plaza Tower I". SkyscraperPage.
- "Century Plaza Tower II". SkyscraperPage.
- "Century Plaza Towers: History". Century Park. 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- "Century Plaza Towers: Directions / Parking". Century Park. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-28. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- "Stroock Parking Facilities flier" (PDF). Stroock Parking Facilities. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- Vincent, Roger (February 18, 2020). "Those massive Century Plaza Towers are fully leased for first time since the 1970s". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
