Century Plaza Towers

Century Plaza Towers
Name	Century Plaza Towers
Caption	Century Plaza Towers, Westwood, Los Angeles
Location	Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Status	Completed
Start date	1967
Completion date	1975
Opening	1975
Building type	Office
Roof	571 ft (174 m)
Floor count	44
Architect	Minoru Yamasaki
Developer	William Zeckendorf

Century Plaza Towers Century Plaza Towers are a pair of twin high-rise office buildings in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, completed in the mid-1970s and notable for their prominence on the Wilshire Corridor skyline. The towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki and developed amid major urban growth projects associated with the postwar expansion of Los Angeles County and redevelopment efforts linked to nearby institutions such as the University of California, Los Angeles and the Beverly Hills commercial corridor. Their construction and use intersect with architectural movements exemplified by projects like the World Trade Center and civic complexes including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

History

The project originated during the late 1960s when developer William Zeckendorf pursued large-scale commercial development opportunities in Westwood, responding to regional demand driven by the expansion of UCLA and corporate relocations from downtown Los Angeles. Planning and approvals involved interactions with the Los Angeles City Council and regulatory frameworks shaped by municipal planning documents and civic leaders connected to redevelopment initiatives in Century City and along Wilshire Boulevard. Groundbreaking coincided with contemporaneous urban projects such as Fox Plaza and the redevelopment of the Hollywood and Highland area, reflecting broader trends in Southern California investment, financing from institutions like Bank of America and transactions influenced by firms including JMB Realty.

Architecture and design

Designed by Minoru Yamasaki, whose portfolio includes the Pruitt–Igoe concept critiques and the World Trade Center design team associations, the towers employ a modernist vocabulary with repetitive columnar facades and setback massing that resonates with works by Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei, and Edward Durell Stone. The pair present mirrored silhouettes intended to frame views toward the Pacific Ocean and the Hollywood Hills, engaging sightlines similar to those considered for John Portman projects and the Seagram Building. Landscape design and plaza planning integrated principles used in commissions for institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum and corporate campuses developed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill practitioners.

Construction and engineering

Construction utilized techniques and contractors common to high-rise projects of the era; main contractors worked alongside engineering firms with experience on towers like Aon Center (Los Angeles) and Union Bank Plaza. Structural engineering addressed seismic considerations informed by standards from the California Division of the State Architect and research following events like the Northridge earthquake era studies, paralleling analyses performed for Transamerica Pyramid and Bank of America Plaza (Los Angeles). Mechanical systems, curtain wall assemblies, and core planning demonstrate parallels to systems deployed at One California Plaza and finance-sector towers housing firms such as Merrill Lynch and ExxonMobil in Greater Los Angeles.

Tenants and uses

Originally marketed as premium Class A office space, the towers have hosted law firms with ties to Los Angeles County Superior Court cases, entertainment industry companies connected to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and financial services tenants akin to those occupying Century City offices. Corporate occupants have included real estate firms comparable to CBRE Group and consultancies with regional operations similar to Deloitte. Ground-level and plaza areas have accommodated retail and dining establishments serving patrons from UCLA and hospitality venues in proximity to The Beverly Hilton and the historic Century Plaza Hotel complex.

Cultural significance and reception

The twin form has made the towers an enduring visual marker in Los Angeles photography and film, appearing in shoots related to productions by Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and periodicals such as Architectural Digest and Los Angeles Times. Architectural critics have compared the project to contemporaneous twin-tower schemes exemplified by the John Hancock Center debate and discussions in journals associated with AIA Los Angeles. Urbanists and preservation advocates connected to organizations like Los Angeles Conservancy have debated the towers’ impact on Westwood’s fabric alongside controversies surrounding developments in Beverly Hills and Century City.

Incidents and renovations

Over the decades the towers have undergone seismic retrofits, lobby modernization, and façade maintenance programs coordinated with building owners and property managers often affiliated with investment companies similar to CIM Group and Brookfield Properties. Security events and localized incidents prompted coordination with emergency services including the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department, while periodic tenant improvements have paralleled renovations undertaken at landmark complexes such as Wilshire Grand Center and U.S. Bank Tower. Recent refurbishment efforts reflect contemporary building performance upgrades driven by standards promoted by organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council and retrofit case studies documented by ASCE.

Category:Buildings and structures in Los Angeles County, California Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Los Angeles