Aon Center (Los Angeles) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Aon Center |
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| Alternative names | United California Bank Building First Interstate Tower |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in Los Angeles, California from 1973 to 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Transamerica Pyramid |
| Surpassed by | U.S Bank Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 707 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°02′57″N 118°15′25″W / 34.049167°N 118.256944°W |
| Construction started | 1970 |
| Completed | 1974 |
| Owner | 707 Wilshire Fee LLC |
| Height | |
| Roof | 261.52 m (858.0 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 67 |
| Floor area | 116,128 m2 (1,249,990 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 30 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Charles Luckman |
| Structural engineer | Erkel Greenfield Associates |
| Main contractor | CL Peck Contractor |
| Other information | |
| Parking | 822 |
The Aon Center is a very tall skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles, California. It has 62 floors and stands about 860 feet (261.5 meters) high. This building looks modern with its bronze color and white edges. It was designed by Charles Luckman and finished in 1973.
It is one of the tallest buildings in Los Angeles and California. You can see the red logo of the Aon Corporation, a big company, at the very top.
History of the Aon Center
The Aon Center has had a few different names over the years. When it was finished in 1973, it was called the United California Bank Building. In 1981, its name changed to First Interstate Tower.
During the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, the Olympic logo was shown on the top of the building. This was because First Interstate Bank was a main sponsor of the games.
When it was built, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. This changed in 1982 when a taller building was completed in Houston, Texas. The Aon Center was also the tallest building in the world outside of New York and Chicago when it was finished. It remained the tallest building in Los Angeles until 1989. That's when the U.S. Bank Tower was completed. Between 1998 and 2005, there were no company logos on the building.
The 1988 Fire
On May 4, 1988, a fire started on the 12th floor of the building. It began just after 10:00 PM and burned for about four hours. The fire damaged five floors and caused many people to be hurt.
The fire was very serious because the building did not have a full sprinkler system installed. At that time, sprinkler systems were not required for office towers when they were built. A sprinkler system was being put in, but it was not yet working when the fire happened.
Firefighters worked hard to put out the fire. It was finally stopped at 2:19 AM. The fire caused a lot of damage, costing about $400 million to fix. Repair work on the building took four months to complete.
Because of this fire, building rules in Los Angeles were changed. Now, all tall buildings must have fire sprinkler systems. This new rule made buildings much safer for everyone.
Building Levels
The Aon Center has different levels for its entrances and floors. The north entrance is at the same height as 6th Street. This level is called BL, which stands for Bank Level. A Wells Fargo bank branch is located on this floor.
The sidewalks on the east and west sides slope down towards Wilshire Boulevard. Steps lead up to the south entrance of the building. Elevators on the south side of the BL level and escalators on the north side go up to the ML, or Main Lobby, level. From the Main Lobby, other elevators go up to floors 4 through 62.
Even though it's called a 62-story tower, there isn't a 2nd floor. The Main Lobby (ML) is twice as tall as the Bank Level (BL). The BL/ML elevator also goes down to underground levels. These include LBL (Lower Bank Level), LL1 (Lower Level 1), and LL2 (a valet parking garage).
See also
In Spanish: Aon Center (Los Ángeles) para niños
