City National Plaza

City National Plaza
Paul Hastings and City National Towers
Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area City National Plaza (California) Show map of California City National Plaza (the United States) Show map of the United States
Former names	ARCO Plaza (1972–2005) ARCO Center ARCO Plaza North Tower ARCO Plaza South Tower Atlantic Richfield Towers Bank of America Tower
Alternative names	Los Angeles Twin Towers
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	Bunker Hill, Downtown LA
Address	505-555 South Flower Street
Town or city	Los Angeles
Country	United States
Coordinates	34°03′03″N118°15′25″W / 34.0508°N 118.2569°W / 34.0508; -118.2569
Construction started	1969
Completed	1972
Owner	CalPERS CommonWealth Partners
Management	CommonWealth Partners
Height
Roof	213.3 m (700 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	52
Floor area	206,000 m2 (2.22 million sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	64
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Albert C. Martin & Associates
Main contractor	Robert E. McKee, Inc.
Website
www.citynationalplaza.com
References
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

City National Plaza is a twin tower skyscraper complex on South Flower Street in western Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. It was originally named ARCO Plaza upon opening in 1972.

History

Richfield Tower

Further information: Richfield Tower

The present complex is on the site of the landmark Richfield Tower, that was designed in the Art Deco style by Morgan, Walls & Clements, and completed in 1929. It was the headquarters of the Atlantic Richfield oil company. It was demolished in the spring of 1969. ^[10]

ARCO Plaza

The current skyscraper complex was built as the ARCO Plaza, with a pair of 213.3 m (700 ft) 52-story office towers. The northernmost tower became the new world headquarters for the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), the present day TCW Tower. The southern tower became the Los Angeles headquarters of the Bank of America. ^[11] There was a 2-floor underground shopping complex, which could be accessed by the buildings' elevators and escalators. ^[12]

Upon completion in 1972, ^[13] the ARCO Plaza towers were the tallest buildings in the city for one year before being overtaken by Aon Center, and were the tallest twin towers in the world until the completion of the World Trade Center in New York City. ^[14] The towers are the tallest twin buildings in the United States outside of New York City, where the 55-floor Time Warner Center stands at 750 ft (230 m). ^{[15] [16]}

In 1986, joint owners ARCO and Bank of America sold the buildings to Shuwa Investments Corp., the American subsidiary of Shuwa Co. of Tokyo, for $650 million while both remained tenants in their respective named towers. ^[17] Shuwa later sold the property in 2003 to Thomas Properties Group and other investors for $270 million. ^{[18] [19] [20] [21]}

The towers are constructed of steel frames covered with polished panels of forest green granite and panes of bronze glass. In 2016, the exterior of the top two floors and the service roof of The Paul Hastings Tower were modified on the north, east, and south flanks to house their upgraded headquarters and offices. This modification features silver trim and panes of light green glass panels. ^{[22] [23]}

City National Plaza

The ARCO Plaza complex was renamed City National Plaza in 2005, ^[24] and the south and north towers, respectively, were renamed City National Tower and Paul Hastings Tower. ^[25] The low-rise building at the back of the plaza is known as the Jewel Box, and is occupied by the Gensler architectural firm. Gensler moved from Santa Monica to the Jewel Box in 2011. ^[26]

The plaza includes a monumental sculpture-fountain, Double Ascension , by artist Herbert Bayer. ^[27]

Tenants

Jewel Box

• Gensler—architecture firm. ^[28]

Paul Hastings Tower

Photograph of the Paul Hastings Tower from ground level in October 2013

• Boston Consulting Group
• Crowell & Moring ^[29]
• BDO USA, P.C.
• RSM US
• Northwestern Mutual - Los Angeles
• Paul Hastings
• Regus ^[30]

City National Bank Tower

• City National Bank
• Foley & Lardner ^[31]
• Norton Rose Fulbright ^[32]
• Jones Day ^[33]
• Katten Muchin Rosenman ^[34]
• Kroll ^[35]
• Rottet Studio ^[36]
• Squire Patton Boggs
• Turner Construction ^[37]
• White & Case LLP ^[38]

Shopping center

ARCO Plaza opened with a 220,000 sq ft (20,000 m²) 2-floor underground shopping center, ^[39] which gained attention for the novelty of a shopping center within an office tower complex and for its sleek design of brick walkways, tiled and mirrored escalator wells and fresh flowers. ^[40] There were over 40 shops and services and over 10 restaurants including “François”. ^[40] During the 2004 renovation, the lower shopping level was converted to parking and today the one remaining level is a food court. ^[41]

In popular culture

• Featured extensively throughout the 1971 movie The Omega Man (which was filmed during the Plaza's construction phase), shown in various stages of completion. ^{[42] [43]}
• Plaza area and water sculpture featured in the 1976 film, Marathon Man . ^{[42] [43] [44]}
• The complex was also extensively featured in the 1976 NBC mini-series, The Moneychangers , ^[43] which starred Kirk Douglas , Christopher Plummer , Susan Flannery , Anne Baxter and Timothy Bottoms . The Bank of America branch then located in the jewel Box was rebadged as the First Mercantile American Bank (FMA) main branch for both exterior and interior filming. Multiple exterior shots of the ARCO tower (now the Paul Hastings Tower) were used to suggest it as the location of FMA's executive offices.
• Both towers were prominently featured in a couple of shots from the 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi
• The north "Paul Hastings" tower was depicted as being struck by an air-to-air Sidewinder missile (a shot which utilized a detailed miniature of both towers), in the 1983 film, Blue Thunder . ^[42]
• In the 2015 film San Andreas , the twin towers were shown swaying violently during an earthquake and in a later shot, the Paul Hastings tower was shown falling on the City National Tower. ^{[42] [43]} Later in the film, one of the buildings was reused in the 9.6 earthquake in San Francisco, and renamed as the “San Francisco Bank & Trust.” It is seen breaking in half during the panning shot towards the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
• Featured in "Adam-12 Skywatch part 1". Reed and Malloy locate robbery suspects on the 26th floor while cross training with the helicopter unit.

Gallery

City National Plaza Twin Towers

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See also

• Greater Los Angeles portal

• Richfield Tower
• List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles

References

1. "Paul Hastings Tower". CTBUH Skyscraper Center .
2. "City National Tower". CTBUH Skyscraper Center .
3. "Emporis building complex ID 102022". Emporis . Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
4. City National Tower at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
5. Paul Hastings Tower at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
6. "City National Tower". SkyscraperPage .
7. "Paul Hastings Tower". SkyscraperPage .
8. City National Plaza at Structurae
9. Barragán, Bianca (February 28, 2022). "TCW Group Will Vacate Downtown Namesake Skyscraper in Relocation Deal, Sources Say". Bisnow . Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
10. Harrison, Scott (June 13, 2016). "A beloved L.A. tower — and the winged 'army' that stood guard — is gone but not forgotten". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
11. "ARCO...A Global Energy Company". Atlantic Richfield Company. December 9, 1997. Archived from the original on January 13, 1998. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
12. Hall, Carla (September 3, 2000). "Arco Plaza Mall Fights for Customers, Tenants". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
13. Weaver, John D. (October 1, 1972). "L.A. Grows Up" . Los Angeles Times. p. N33. ProQuest   157158798. The latest additions to L.A.'s urban landscape are the twin 52-story towers of Atlantic Richfield Plaza--a mammoth, $188-million office complex and shopping center that rises on the same square block at Fifth and Flower where the old, gold-spired...
14. Vaillancourt, Ryan (September 27, 2013) [February 15, 2013 – Original publication date]. "40th Anniversary Special: The Buildings That Shaped Downtown". Los Angeles Downtown News . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
15. Paletta, Anthony (June 8, 2022). "When Two Towers Are Better Than One". Bloomberg News . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
16. Netzley, Luke (July 25, 2024) [September 26, 2022 – Original publication date]. "An evolving city: DTLA in 1972". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
17. Broder, John M. (August 5, 1986). "Arco, B of A Will Sell Twin Tower Complex in L.A. : Deal With U.S. Unit of Shuwa Co. in Japan Will Give Both Needed Cash". Los Angeles Times.
18. Vincent, Roger (January 18, 2003). "Developer to Buy Arco Plaza: Once considered L.A.'s best corporate address, the complex is sold for $270 million, less than half its purchase price 16 years ago". Los Angeles Times.
19. "Thomas Properties Moves to Arco Plaza". Los Angeles Times. March 12, 2003.
20. Vincent, Roger (July 22, 2013). "Thomas Properties angling to buy out CalSTRS in joint venture". Los Angeles Times.
21. Firnhaber, Bethany (August 25, 2013). "Towers Power Sky-High Offer". Los Angeles Business Journal . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
22. Cox, John (June 7, 2016). "City National Plaza Gets a Facade Lift". Giroux Glass. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
23. "City National Plaza". Buildings DB. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
24. "Thomas Properties Group Signs Law Firm Fulbright & Jaworski at Arco Plaza". Business Wire (Press release). August 9, 2004.
25. Sanchez, Jesus (December 14, 2001). "Arco Tower to Become Paul Hastings Tower". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 21, 2017.
26. "Architecture firm Gensler to move from Santa Monica to downtown L.A." Los Angeles Times. February 4, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
27. "Double Ascension, (sculpture)". Inventory of American Sculpture. Smithsonian Institution. IAS CA001154. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
28. Roger Vincent (February 4, 2011). "Architecture firm Gensler to move from Santa Monica to downtown L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
29. "Crowell & Moring Locations". Crowell & Moring LLP. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
30. "Regus Office Space in Los Angeles". Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
31. "Law Firm Takes Two Floors in City National Tower". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
32. "Thomas Properties Group Signs Law Firm Fulbright & Jaworski At City National Plaza". Archived from the original on February 4, 2013.
33. "Jones Day's Los Angeles office relocates to City National Tower In downtown L.A." Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
34. "Los Angeles – Downtown". katten.com.
35. "Kroll Office Locations". Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
36. "Rottet Studio". Rottet Studio.
37. "Turner Construction Office Network: Los Angeles / Anaheim". Turner Construction. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
38. "Los Angeles | White & Case LLP". www.whitecase.com.
39. Mandell, Jason (January 27, 2003). "Arco Hits the Block". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
40. "Arco Plaza offers top variety". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. November 30, 1973. p. 141.
41. “City National Plaza”, Los Angeles Conservancy
42. Bartlett, James T. (September 4, 2019). "Richfield Tower's Art Deco Doors". Atlas Obscura . Retrieved May 10, 2025.
43. "Celebrating AC Martin-designed landmarks in downtown Los Angeles". AC Martin Partners. August 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
44. "Filming Locations Los Angeles: 100+ Iconic Places". Nashville Film Institute . Retrieved May 10, 2025.

Further reading

• Cameron, Robert (1990). Above Los Angeles. San Francisco: Cameron & Company. ISBN   0-918684-48-X.

External links

• Official website