Unbuilt Skyscrapers of Los Angeles

ThreeHundred · #1 Posted: **Apr 20, 2012, 9:05 AM**

Believe me when I say that finding information of cancelled Los Angeles skyscrapers is impossible. There has been renderings floating around for buildings proposed from the 70's, 80's, and 90's but are extremely hard to find. So if anyone has any information of ANY cancelled skyscrapers in LA, post up.

8th and Figueroa Tower

http://www.archonline.com/njba/100Po...8thFigeroa.jpg

Library Plaza

http://www.crussell.com/1046.jpg

^The only thing I know about this is that it was supposed to rise next to the Central Library. I'm guessing where the modern addition was added.

West End Tower

http://www.crussell.com/arch_bro_image202a.jpg

Main Place Towers

http://www.crussell.com/arch_book03_image04.jpg

^ Those were to rise in Santa Ana (Orange County).

Metropolis

^ This will get built. Just not in this form.

ThreeHundred · #2 Posted: **Apr 20, 2012, 7:29 PM**

8th and Figueroa Tower

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...02af8764_o.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...00f88fb9_o.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...21eb7041_o.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/samceb/8thfig.jpg

755 Tower

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../untitled3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../untitled5.jpg

^ Funny story with the 755 Tower. There was a lot of activity on the site of the building a few years ago. Everyone thought that this building was going to get built. Just to prove my point, does this not look exciting?

But it never came to be. A few developers proposed towers on that site actually. Most people remember this tower.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7170/755qg3.png

And another.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4...b/755Fig-1.jpg

jd3189 · #3 Posted: **Apr 21, 2012, 9:12 PM**

Soon, more of these proposals will soon be realities. LA has to concentrate on density in its many centers.

Illithid Dude · #4 Posted: **Apr 21, 2012, 9:51 PM**

There was a Trump Tower proposed for where the Ambassador Hotel was.

ThreeHundred · #5 Posted: **Nov 2, 2012, 6:15 PM**

If built, it would've been the world's tallest building.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ng/W-AMB04.jpg

ThreeHundred · #6 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 1:09 AM**

A proposal by Helmut Jahn for 8th and Figueroa.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...85140040_n.jpg

Rapid Transit District HQ

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...33550543_n.png

Illithid Dude · #7 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 1:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...33550543_n.png

Whoa. Wut. I've never seen this one before. Where did you find it? Who designed it? Where would it have been? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but that is an incredible building.

ThreeHundred · #8 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 1:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Whoa. Wut. I've never seen this one before. Where did you find it? Who designed it? Where would it have been? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but that is an incredible building.

Only thing that I know is that Frank Gehry designed it in the early 90's. No idea where it was supposed to rise.

There is some other stuff I found.

A 50 story church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...69713689_n.jpg

The Tower of Civilization

http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_fo...ion%20copy.jpg

The Santa Monica Causeway

http://s3.amazonaws.com/production.c...jpg?1358365147

The Monument to Democracy (this would've been at the Port of Los Angeles)

A hotel off the coast of Santa Monica

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Jqx-O4n-6.../CDA056web.jpg

Frank Lloyd Wright's idea for the Civic Center

http://strangeline.net/wp-content/up...-2-640x236.jpg

http://www.visualnews.com/wp-content...Angeles_04.png

Hollywood and Vine

http://www.visualnews.com/wp-content...Angeles_11.png

Civic Center Masterplan from 1940

http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/v...IT-BUI-581.jpg

Whatever all this is.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...L._SL1500_.jpg

Illithid Dude · #9 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 2:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Whatever all this is.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...L._SL1500_.jpg

I know this one! It was a proposal for where California Plaza is now. Essentially, it was a proposal by a dream team of architects to re-invigorate Grand Avenue, and included retail, offices, and residences. If I remember correctly, it almost went through, but ended up not being chosen. I'm sure it wouldn't have been fully built out by today, due to the whole 90s recession, but it would certainly be interesting to see, and is, in my opinion, a heck of a lot better then the current California Plaza. I'm curious: where do you find these? Some of them I recognize, but then others are completely knew. Take, for example, the Hollywood and Vine proposal. Pre-war never built proposals fascinate me, yet I have an incredibly hard time finding them.

ThreeHundred · #10 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 5:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I know this one! It was a proposal for where California Plaza is now. Essentially, it was a proposal by a dream team of architects to re-invigorate Grand Avenue, and included retail, offices, and residences. If I remember correctly, it almost went through, but ended up not being chosen. I'm sure it wouldn't have been fully built out by today, due to the whole 90s recession, but it would certainly be interesting to see, and is, in my opinion, a heck of a lot better then the current California Plaza. I'm curious: where do you find these? Some of them I recognize, but then others are completely knew. Take, for example, the Hollywood and Vine proposal. Pre-war never built proposals fascinate me, yet I have an incredibly hard time finding them.

2 ways:

Never Built Los Angeles on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeverBuiltLosAngeles?fref=ts

The second way is from a book I'm very much looking forward on buying called 'Never Built Los Angeles' (http://www.amazon.com/Never-Built-Lo.../dp/1935202960). I've long been curious of what wasn't built in Los Angeles so I'm always looking to see if any new info pops up.

blackcat23 · #11 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 3:31 AM**

^The biggest fantasy of the alternate universe California Plaza rendering is the ample pedestrian traffic on Grand Ave.

Maybe one day...

IMBY · #12 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 4:26 AM**

A thank-you for doing all that researching and uploading, loved it!

Can't say I like that Helmut Jahn design, he designed those 2 leaning towers in our City Center here in Las Vegas and I was very disappointed in them, he didn't lean them far enough! I saw his leaning towers in Spain, which were quite to the extreme with leaning, and I was expecting the same here!

I don't usually care for Gehry deisgned buildings but this transit tower, loved it!

And of course, any building with curves in it, I go nuts over!

ThreeHundred · #13 Posted: **Feb 16, 2013, 5:16 AM**

I just want so say something about this.

Cal Plaza 1 and 2 are my favorite skyscrapers in Los Angeles. I really don't have to say much. Just look at them.

http://www.southlandarchitecture.com...Oct08-006a.jpg

But if all of that was built instead of Cal Plaza, then I would be VERY happy. Holy 80's post modern madness Batman.