The US Bank tower is not just the tallest building in LA, it's the tallest building west of the Mississippi. I'm guessing that Michael will be even more outraged when he sees the new signage for the building's crown that goes up early next year.

Thanks for the shoutout, Kevin. As I was surfing the web doing a bit of research for my rant, I came across a great page about the 1988 First Interstate fire you mention:
(Just cut and paste into your browser)
There's an amazing photo of the real-life inferno, a link to the L.A. Fire Dept.'s executive summary on the fire, and a memo from the LAFD chief engineer who oversaw the department's response: "It is humbling and terrifying to realize how close we came to losing control of this fire!" he wrote. "In most other cities, the building could have become a charred skeleton and, even worse,  firefighters would have lost their lives."
Pretty amazing stuff. 

Oops, that link didn't work. Lemme try again:

http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/880504_1stInterstateFire/050488_InterstateFire.htm

Agree completely with the rant. The L.A. Conservancy should desginate names as historic landmarks not to be demolished at will. I also hate the "Bob Hope Airport."

Is the Library Tower still without an observation deck? Going up the glass elevators of the Bonaventure isn't the same as a static, leisurely view from the tallest point in L.A.

Joseph is correct about US Bank/Library Tower/First Interstate being the tallest west of the Mississippi, an observation Michael also made in his post. Why do we always say that though? It's the tallest west of Chicago, not really the Mississippi. BTW, there are three taller in Chicago, two in New York and one in Atlanta.

There seems to be a tiny amount of confusion here. It was the FIRST First Interstate building, a conventional Luckman modernist Kleenex box, that burned.
It's the SECOND First Interstate building, the Pei with the crown, that's the current tallest structure, etc. And should be called the Library Tower forever, whatever tattoo they put on the roof. It's roof is also, ahem, the scene of an attempt to set off a dirty bomb in my current novel City of Strangers.

I don't think that was being confused John, but thanks for the clarification. Nice setting -- were you able to get up there?? If so I'm jealous.

Note: the architect of the "Library Tower"/First Interstate building was Henry Cobb, who is IM Pei's longtime partner.

Other note: the other "First Interstate Building" was originally "707 Tower ", and it has not been known as a First Interstate Bank building for much of its history--though it was sometimes also called the "UCB" (United California Bank) Building in its first incarnation.

When I worked for onesuch cosmodaemonic bank myself, we used to say that it used to be that REAL bank buildings had their signage carved in marble, but since Reaganomics they have been obliged to hang their signage with velcro. Library Tower--that's what I'm calling it, because Maguire Thomas was only able to develop the building after the central library fire, (acquiring the air rights to the library from the CRA for $130 million), and that fact will never change, even if the revolving ownership changes every few years or so.

This site gets a lot of details right (nomenclature a matter of conjecture, admittedly) regarding LA's ten tallest buildings:

http://www.skyscraperpicture.com/LOSANGELES.htm

Thanks Joseph. I find skyscrapers.com pretty good too.

One other thing worth noting in the whole skyscraper confusion: In July 2002 the First Interstate Tower was evacuated after some nutjob called in to KABC-TV suggesting the station train its camera on the ``First Interstate building'' because an aircraft would fly into it.
I remember thinking at the time that I'd bet that the hoax caller was actually referring to the Library Tower and was calling it by the wrong name. Yet the Library Tower wasn't evacuated!
In every report I read, no one seemed to put two and two together and realize that they probably cleared out the wrong building!
Luckily, it turned out to be a hoax. But what a perfect, if not bizarre, example of how no one knows those damn buildings' names!

It shouldn't be a surprise at all that most Angelenos don't know or care much about their tallest building. L.A. just isn't that kind of place and we aren't that kind of people. Sure, the building's history and name are interesting, but don't freak out if everyone doesn't run over and give the edifice a big hug.

If you ever want to get a view from the near-top(service level a floor or two below the top) of the Library Tower, you can run in the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA's annual stair climb. It's done each October and costs $30.


The one time I went, it's a nice view, but a bit too early in the morning to be super. Too much early AM haze. Fun to be able to peer over the top of the Hollywood Hills into the Valley from someplace other than on the crest of the hills themselves. Tough climb up though.


They should have an observation deck. It would make a few bucks and on clear days(these last few days have been pretty sharp) it would be great. Guess they'd have to designate an elevator or two for limited service, and I'm sure there are additional safety/code requirements if you start letting the public hang out upstairs. Too bad they didn't do it from the get-go. Anyone know why not?