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  #1  
Old Posted Jun 8, 2008, 8:47 PM
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LOS ANGELES | The Gas Company Tower | 749 FT / 228 M | 52 FLOORS | 1991

The second of three office towers built by Maguire Thomas Partners using air rights from the LA Central Library, The Gas Company Tower serves as the corporate headquarters for The Gas Company, a Southern California utility company.

The tower sits at the base of Bunker Hill, fronting 5th Street and Grand Avenue. It shares the block with the AT&T Switching Center. The tower's long east-west form rises with broken corners to a series of setbacks that is finally capped by a pointed ellipse, which breaks each end of the facade.

The building was designed by Richard Keating and was his last completed while heading up the SOM Los Angeles office.

The tower has appeared prominently in the movies Speed and Virtuosity, both of which prominently featured the mechanical spaces within the elliptical roof.

I like this building for its simple geometric forms. Keating's use of a variety of greys in the spandrel panels breaks up the massing and offsets the reflective blue glazing. The massing actually steps down from Bunker Hill (although it is very subtle) and the crowning ellipse is unique on the skyline.

The long linear lobby is interesting and a ridculous design challenge (one end of the lobby is a good 50' higher than the other). I wish I had better photos of it.

I do wish this building had better lighting....







While this building is the 4th tallest in the city, due to Bunker Hill it appears to be 6th. Two California Plaza, just 1 full block up Bunker Hill is only 1 foot taller, yet appears at least 75' taller in the skyline:




Under construction in the summer of 1990:










Love that shape:


















I really like how the building masses against Pershing Square and the Biltmore Hotel across the street:
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Old Posted Jun 8, 2008, 9:36 PM
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Ah, one of my favorites. Its a shame that the building dosnt have better lighting.
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  #3  
Old Posted Jun 8, 2008, 11:58 PM
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Ive always found the massing kinda funny,but i like neverless
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Old Posted Jun 9, 2008, 12:17 AM
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I prefer the Gas Company tower over the Library Tower. I've heard that the lights inside the crown have been turned on in the past. I wonder if anyone ever took pictures of it lit?
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Old Posted Jun 9, 2008, 12:27 AM
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If the crown were to be lit a deep blue at night (ala a gas lit flame), it would be perfect.
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Old Posted Jun 10, 2008, 5:36 AM
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Lighting that crown up would rock, big time.
What a handsome gem of a skyscraper. Lighting would only improve that.
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Old Posted Jun 11, 2008, 6:54 AM
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A beautiful tower indeed.
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  #8  
Old Posted Jun 14, 2008, 3:52 AM
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One of my favourite LA towers. Love the sleek bluish shades of the facade and glass.
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Old Posted Jun 14, 2008, 5:26 AM
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One of my LA faves, along with 777 Fig & the Wells Fargo set. I also wish they lit this tower.
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  #10  
Old Posted Apr 17, 2010, 7:54 PM
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I've always loved this one. So crisp.
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  #11  
Old Posted Apr 18, 2010, 4:17 AM
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I've always liked the Gas Company Tower. The finish is superb.
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  #12  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2010, 5:17 AM
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Nice shots, plinko. I love your building threads.
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  #13  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2010, 2:24 PM
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the round top reminds of the goldman sachs building in manhattan
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  #14  
Old Posted Apr 20, 2010, 7:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nycdagreatest View Post
the round top reminds of the goldman sachs building in manhattan
i was thinking the exact same thing
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