List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles facts for kids

Los Angeles skyline in 2024, with Downtown Los Angeles in the background and Westwood in the foreground

Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, is famous for its many tall buildings, also known as skyscrapers. These towering structures shape the city's skyline. The Wilshire Grand Center is the tallest building in Los Angeles. It stands at an impressive 1,100 feet (335.3 m) (about 335 meters) high. It became the city's tallest building when it was finished in 2017. It is also the tallest building in California and the tallest building in the western United States, west of the Mississippi River. Overall, it is the 15th-tallest building in the entire U.S.

The U.S. Bank Tower is the second-tallest building in Los Angeles. It has 73 stories and reaches 1,018 feet (310 m) (about 310 meters) into the sky. This building, located in Downtown Los Angeles, was completed in 1989. Los Angeles is home to six of the ten tallest buildings in California.

The Start of Tall Buildings in Los Angeles

The story of skyscrapers in Los Angeles began a long time ago. The Braly Building, finished in 1903, is often seen as the city's first tall building. It has 13 floors and is 151 feet (46 m) (about 46 meters) tall. This building was first used for businesses but has since been turned into homes. It is now known as the "Continental Building."

Rules About Building Height

In 1904, Los Angeles made rules about how tall buildings could be. No building could be taller than 150 feet (46 m) (about 46 meters). This rule was made because people were worried about too much traffic and development. However, Los Angeles City Hall, built between 1926 and 1928, was an exception. It stands at 454 feet (138 m) (about 138 meters). This rule meant that most non-government buildings could only be 13 stories high.

The height limit was removed in Downtown Los Angeles in 1957. By 1958, a new rule was made that all new tall buildings had to have flat roofs. This was to help firefighters. This flat-roof rule was removed in 2014.

Building Boom and Modern Skyscrapers

After the height limit was lifted, Los Angeles had a big building boom. This lasted from the early 1960s to the early 1990s. During this time, 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings were completed. These include the U.S. Bank Tower, the Aon Center, and Two California Plaza.

Building modern skyscrapers in Los Angeles can be difficult and costly. This is partly because the city has very strict engineering rules. Even so, many amazing skyscrapers can be seen across the Los Angeles skyline. They are found in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA), Koreatown, along the Wilshire Corridor and Miracle Mile, and in Century City. Other areas with tall buildings include Century Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the Hollywood area, and Warner Center, Encino, and Universal City in the San Fernando Valley. Sometimes, visitors arriving from LAX confuse the tall buildings in Westwood District and Century City with those in Downtown LA.

Los Angeles Skyline Today

As of August 2023, Los Angeles has over 816 tall buildings that are more than 100 feet (30 m) (about 30 meters) high. Most of these are apartment buildings. There are 56 buildings over 400 feet (120 m) (about 122 meters) and 21 buildings over 600 feet (183 m) (about 183 meters). This includes two "supertall" buildings, which are over 1,000 feet (305 m) (about 305 meters): the Wilshire Grand and the U.S. Bank Tower. Los Angeles has the best skyline on the Pacific coast. It ranks fifth in the United States, after New York City, Chicago, Miami, and Houston.

Los Angeles' Tallest Buildings

The tallest buildings in Los Angeles

This table shows how many buildings Los Angeles has in different height ranges:

This list ranks Los Angeles skyscrapers that are at least 400 feet (122 m) (about 122 meters) tall. The height includes spires and other architectural parts, but not antennas. If two or more buildings have the same height, an equal sign (=) follows their rank. The "Year" column shows when the building was finished.

     Buildings still being built that have reached their full height but are not yet open

Rank	Name	Image	Height ft (m)	Architect	Floors	Year	Main Use	Notes
1	Wilshire Grand Center		1,100 (335)	AC Martin Partners	73	2017	Office/Hotel	The tallest building on the West Coast of the United States and in California. It was the tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 2010s. It officially opened on June 23, 2017.
2	U.S. Bank Tower		1,018 (310)	Henry N. Cobb	73	1989	Office	The third-tallest building in California. It was the tallest building in the world with a helipad on its roof. It was the tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 1980s.
3	Aon Center		858 (262)	Charles Luckman	62	1973	Office	The tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 1970s.
4	Two California Plaza		750 (229)	Arthur Erickson	54	1992	Office	The tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 1990s.
5	Gas Company Tower		749 (228)	Richard Keating	52	1991	Office
6	Bank of America Plaza		735 (224)	AC Martin Partners	55	1974	Office	Was known by other names like Security Pacific Bank Plaza.
7	777 Tower		725 (221)	César Pelli	52	1991	Office
8	Wells Fargo Tower		723 (220)	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	54	1983	Office
9	Figueroa at Wilshire		717 (219)	AC Martin Partners	53	1990	Office	Was known as the Sanwa Bank Building.
10=	City National Tower		699 (213)	AC Martin Partners	52	1971	Office	This building and Paul Hastings Tower are the tallest twin towers in Los Angeles.
10=	Paul Hastings Tower		699 (213)	AC Martin Partners	52	1971	Office	Was known as ARCO Tower. This building and City National Tower are the tallest twin towers in Los Angeles.
12	The Beaudry		695 (212)	Marmol Radziner	52	2023	Residential	The tallest residential tower in Los Angeles.
13	Oceanwide Plaza Tower I		677 (206)	CallisonRTKL	49	On Hold	Residential	Located at 11th & Figueroa St., across from Crypto.com Arena. The outside is finished, but the inside is not.
14	The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles		667 (203)	Gensler	54	2010	Hotel/Residential	Was the tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 2010s until the Wilshire Grand Center.
15	Metropolis Tower D		647 (197)	Harley Ellis Devereaux	58	2019	Residential	Located at 889 Francisco St.
16	FourFortyFour South Flower		625 (191)	AC Martin Partners	48	1981	Office	Was known as Citigroup Center and 444 Flower Building.
17	611 Place		620 (189)	William Pereira	42	1969	Office	The tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
18	KPMG Tower		606 (185)	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	42	1984	Office
19=	Century Plaza North Tower		600 (183)	Pei Cobb Freed & Partners	46	2021	Residential	A new condo tower added to the renovated Century Plaza Hotel.
19=	Century Plaza South Tower		600 (183)	Pei Cobb Freed & Partners	46	2021	Residential	These are the tallest buildings in Los Angeles outside of the downtown area.
21	Olympic + Hill		590 (180)	Onni Group	54	2025	Residential	This building reached its full height in late 2024. It will be the 21st tallest building in the city when it is fully completed.
22	One California Plaza		578 (176)	Arthur Erickson	42	1985	Office
23=	Century Plaza Tower I		571 (174)	Minoru Yamasaki	44	1975	Office	Has a similar design to the World Trade Center, which was also designed by the same architect, Minoru Yamasaki.
23=	Century Plaza Tower II		571 (174)	Minoru Yamasaki	44	1975	Office	Designed by Minoru Yamasaki.
25=	Century City Center		563 (172)	Johnson Fain	37	2025	Office	Designed by Johnson Fain. It reached its full height in December 2024.
25=	820 Olive		563 (172)	Onni Group	49	2019	Residential	Located at 825 S Hill St, Los Angeles. When it was finished, it was the tallest residential building in California.
27	Ernst & Young Plaza		534 (163)	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	41	1985	Office
28	SunAmerica Center		533 (162)	Johnson & Fain	39	1990	Office
29=	Figueroa Eight		530 (162)	Johnson Fain HKS Architects	42	2024	Residential
29=	Oceanwide Plaza Tower II		530 (162)	CallisonRTKL	40	On Hold	Residential	Located at 11th & Figueroa St., across from Crypto.com Arena. The outside is finished, but the inside is not.
29=	Oceanwide Plaza Tower III		530 (162)	CallisonRTKL	40	On Hold	Residential	Located at 11th & Figueroa St., across from Crypto.com Arena. The outside is finished, but the inside is not.
32=	Hope+Flower Tower 1		529 (161)	Gensler	40	2019	Residential	Located at 1201 S. Hope Street. When it was finished, it was the tallest residential building in the city.
32=	Fig+Pico Tower I		529 (161)	Gensler	42	2023	Residential	This building includes Moxy Hotel and AC Branded Hotels by Marriott.
34	The Grand by Gehry		522 (159)	Frank Gehry	39	2022	Residential
35	TCW Tower		517 (158)	AC Martin Partners	39	1990	Office
36	Union Bank Plaza		516 (157)	AC Martin Partners	40	1968	Office	This was the first skyscraper built in downtown Los Angeles after the height limit was removed in 1957.
37	10 Universal City Plaza		506 (154)	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	36	1984	Office	The tallest building in the San Fernando Valley.
38	1100 Wilshire		496 (151)	AC Martin Partners	37	1987	Residential
39	Fox Plaza		493 (150)	Johnson Fain	34	1987	Office
40	MGM Tower		491 (150)	Johnson Fain	35	2003	Office	The first tall building completed in Los Angeles in the 21st century.
41	Ten Thousand		483 (147)	Handel Architects	40	2016	Residential
42	The Century		478 (146)	Robert A. M. Stern	42	2010	Residential
43	ARCO Tower		463 (141)	Gin Wong	33	1989	Office
44=	Equitable Life Building		454 (138)	Welton Becket	34	1969	Office	The tallest building in the Koreatown area.
44=	Los Angeles City Hall		454 (138)	Austin, Parkinson and Martin	32	1928	Office	The tallest building built in Los Angeles in the 1920s. It is also the tallest base-isolated structure in the world.
46	South Park Center		452 (138)	William Pereira	32	1965	Office
47	Metropolis Tower C		451 (137)	Harley Ellis Devereaux	40	2018	Residential
48	AT&T Switching Center		448 (137)	The Parkinsons	17	1961	Office
49	Metropolis Tower B		442 (135)	Gensler (Concept Designer) & Harvey Ellis Devereaux (Interior Architect)	38	2017	Residential
50	Hallasan Tower		439 (134)	MVE+Partners	38	2023	Residential	The tallest residential tower in the Koreatown area.
51	5900 Wilshire		433 (132)	Gin Wong / William Pereira	31	1971	Office
52	Hope+Flower Tower 2		421 (128)	Gensler	31	2019	Residential	Located at 1201 S. Hope Street.
53	MCI Center		414 (126)	Charles Luckman	33	1973	Office
54=	Circa Tower I		400 (122)	Harley Ellis Devereaux	35	2018	Residential
54=	Circa Tower II		400 (122)	Harley Ellis Deveraux	35	2018	Residential
54=	Westin Bonaventure Hotel		400 (122)	John C. Portman Jr.	37	1977	Hotel	Located at 404 S. Figueroa Street.
57	Alloy		390	SCB architecture	35	2024	Residential	Located at 525 S Santa Fe Ave.
58	Warner Center Tower III		352 (107)	Ware & Malcomb	25	1991	Office

Buildings Being Built Now

This list includes buildings that are currently under construction in Los Angeles. They are planned to be at least 300 feet (91 meters) (about 91 meters) tall.

Planned Buildings for the Future

This list shows buildings that have been approved or are being planned in Los Angeles. They are expected to be over 300 feet (91 m) (about 91 meters) tall. The tallest building currently planned is Olympia Tower, which is expected to be 853 feet (260 m) (about 260 meters) tall.

Timeline of Los Angeles' Tallest Buildings

Los Angeles City Hall, shown here in 1931, was built in 1928. It was the tallest building in the city until 1968. Rules about building height were removed for new construction in 1964.

This list shows the buildings that were once the tallest in Los Angeles.

Name	Image	Street address	Years as tallest	Height ft (m)	Floors	Reference
Braly Building		408 South Spring Street	1903–1907	151 (46)	13
Security Building		510 South Spring Street	1907–1911	165 (50)	11
A.G. Bartlett Building		651 South Spring Street	1911–1916	190 (58)	14
Park Central Building	—	412 West 6th Street	1916–1927	N/A	14
Texaco Building		929 South Broadway	1927–1928	242 (74)	13
Los Angeles City Hall		200 North Spring Street	1928–1968	454 (138)	32
Union Bank Plaza		445 South Figueroa Street	1968–1969	516 (157)	40
611 Place		611 West 6th Street	1969–1972	620 (189)	42
City National Tower		555 South Flower Street	1972–1974	699 (213)	52
Paul Hastings Tower		515 South Flower Street	1972–1974	699 (213)	52
Aon Center		707 Wilshire Boulevard	1974–1989	858 (262)	62
U.S. Bank Tower		633 West 5th Street	1989–2016	1,018 (310)	73
Wilshire Grand Tower		Figueroa and 7th	2016–present	1,100 (335)	73

More to Explore

• Architecture of Los Angeles
• List of sites of interest in the Los Angeles area – other famous structures that aren't necessarily tall.
• List of tallest buildings in California

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Los Ángeles para niños