Metro Headquarters Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Metro Headquarters Building |
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Commercial office |
| Location | One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles |
| Coordinates | 34°3′23.2″N 118°13′58.6″W / 34.056444°N 118.232944°W |
| Completed | 1995 |
| Cost | $300 million |
| Height | |
| Roof | 398 ft (121 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 26 |
| Floor area | 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners |
| Main contractor | Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. |
The Metro Headquarters Building, also called One Gateway Plaza, is a tall office building in Los Angeles, California. It stands 398 feet (121 meters) high. This building is located in Downtown Los Angeles, right across the train tracks from Union Station. It was finished in 1995 and is the main office for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is often just called Metro. Metro helps people travel around Los Angeles County using buses and trains.
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About the Metro Headquarters Building
This building cost $300 million to build. It is a key part of the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, which is a big area for public transportation. The building has beautiful art on its outside walls and inside its main hall. Its design mixes old styles from the 1930s with newer, modern looks. It also has four levels of parking underground.
The Building in Movies and TV
The construction of the Metro Headquarters Building was shown in a children's video from 1994 called There Goes a Bulldozer. In the video, a person named Dave Hood even climbed a tall crane used for building!
The building has also appeared in science fiction. In an episode of Star Trek: Voyager called "Future's End", the building was changed digitally to look like a future headquarters. It also appeared in another Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Random Thoughts", as part of a different planet's city.
Past Tenants of the Building
From 2011 to 2018, the building was also home to Metrolink. Metrolink is a train service that connects different parts of Southern California.
Why the Building Was Built
Before the Metro Headquarters Building was finished, some people worried about how much it cost. They called it a "Taj Mahal" because it used expensive materials like Italian granite and English brick. It even had a $300,000 aquarium!
However, others believed the building was a good idea. They said it would help bring new life to an important part of Downtown Los Angeles. They also thought it would create a new public space for people to gather in the city.
Officials also explained that owning their own building would save Metro money. Before, over 2,000 Metro workers were spread out in different rented offices. Putting everyone in one building would save money on rent. It was also hoped that having all the workers in one place would help different teams work together better. Before Metro was formed, there were two separate transit agencies that sometimes had disagreements. The new building helped bring them together.
