Union Bank Plaza Explained

Union Bank Plaza
Alternate Names:UBC Plaza
Union Bank of California Building
Bunker Hill Square
Location:445 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates:34.053°N -118.2572°W
Completion Date:1965 – 1968
Architect:Albert C. Martin & Associates
Harrison & Abramovitz
Floor Area:68525m²
Floor Count:40
References:[1]
Map Type:Los Angeles#California
Building Type:Commercial offices
Architectural Style:International style
Roof:157.28m (516.01feet)
Elevator Count:19
Services Engineer:Jaros, Baum & Bolles (JB&B)
Main Contractor:Turner Construction

Union Bank Plaza is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument listed 40-story, 157m (515feet) office skyscraper located on South Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles, California.

History

Designed collaboratively by Harrison & Abramovitz and A.C. Martin & Associates, construction of the building began in 1965 and was completed in 1968 for the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. It was the first skyscraper built in the central business district of Los Angeles as part of the Bunker Hill redevelopment project following the repeal of limitations on construction greater than 150 feet in height in 1957. Noted landscape architect Garrett Eckbo designed the three-acre modernist outdoor plaza on top of the parking garage.[2]

The property was named for the formerly Los Angeles based Union Bank & Trust Company, who leased 14 floors for their corporate headquarters. Having gone through a number of mergers and acquisitions over the years, successive owners have maintained the brand and retained the naming rights for their west coast offices, however Union Bank's December 2022 merger with U.S. Bancorp has resulted into folding the Union Bank name into the U.S. Bank brand, who also leases the U.S. Bank Tower for their Los Angeles offices, so the future of the naming rights are currently uncertain. Union Bank Plaza was also acquired by Waterbridge Capital for roughly $110,000,000 in March 2023.[3]

Currently the 22nd tallest building in Los Angeles, the complex was named a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 2020, the first skyscraper in Los Angeles to earn that distinction.[2]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Emporis building ID 116480 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160113095909/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/116480 . dead . January 13, 2016 . Emporis.
  2. Web site: CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION CASE NO.: CHC-2019-4334-HCM . Los Angeles City Planning . 30 July 2023.
  3. Web site: Greg . Cornfield . 2023-03-30 . Union Bank Plaza in Downtown LA Sells at a Big Loss . 2023-03-31 . Commercial Observer . en-US.