LOS ANGELES | Library Tower | 1,018 FT / 310 M | 73 FLOORS | 1988 - Page 2

Austin55 · #21 Posted **May 11, 2008, 4:15 AM**

I love the buildings wavy edges,blue and tan facade,the crown,But I never really cared for the final setbacks uptop,they seem out of place to me,but then they look really good,I dunno,But I do love it.

2-TOWERS · #22 Posted **May 11, 2008, 4:08 PM**

as a new yorker now living out here, in fact i watch this building going up as i visited my mom in 1985, then did the move in 1992, anyway a great building tall for a sesmic zone. it does look like a condo . in fact this looks like it could be a trump condo on 59th and 3rd ave in new york city. it would look good with a 150 ft spire.

plinko · #23 Posted **May 11, 2008, 5:06 PM**

^A spire would ruin this building. Besides, LA City requires helipads on top of their towers....no spires allowed! (unless they did something really interesting like the Malaysia Telekom Tower in KL).

DJM19 · #24 Posted **May 11, 2008, 5:32 PM**

The way around the helipad requirement is some special elevator...like a reinforced elevator or something. Needless to say that would probably a large and difficult task on an existing building of this size

JDRCRASH · #25 Posted **May 12, 2008, 5:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by plinko

^A spire would ruin this building. Besides, LA City requires helipads on top of their towers....no spires allowed! (unless they did something really interesting like the Malaysia Telekom Tower in KL).

Not anymore. As DJM19 said, apparantly a few years back there was change to that ordinance to where a certain elevator is required, hence the City House and Olympic Towers proposal.

RuFFy · #26 Posted **May 13, 2008, 12:56 PM**

59th & Lex (all the way to 3rd) is the Bloomberg Building with a Spire of sorts (Look at my icon of the Bloomberg minus the spire looking thing that must have been added later).

In any case, the US Bank Building (Library Tower for those that insist) has always captured me as a perfect imperfection. A circle and a square. A contradiction. I've always thought that this is a perfect symbol for California and the west; a region long known for it's innovation and outside the box thinking. Like Los Angeles the US Bank stands tall, not the biggest but firm and confident in it's position. The US Bank Building is the queen and it's no mistake it is and belongs in Los Angeles. I really admire this building and it's ability to connect with LA well. Maybe I'm just really proud of it and totally insane too, but if you know LA's history you might be able to understand what I am saying. I think LA's history was incorporated into the design. If LA were a building, the US Bank Building (minus the US Bank logo) would be LA. And IMO, it is.

Avalanche · #27 Posted **May 13, 2008, 2:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuFFy

59th & Lex (all the way to 3rd) is the Bloomberg Building with a Spire of sorts (Look at my icon of the Bloomberg minus the spire looking thing that must have been added later).

In any case, the US Bank Building (Library Tower for those that insist) has always captured me as a perfect imperfection. A circle and a square. A contradiction. I've always thought that this is a perfect symbol for California and the west; a region long known for it's innovation and outside the box thinking. Like Los Angeles the US Bank stands tall, not the biggest but firm and confident in it's position. The US Bank Building is the queen and it's no mistake it is and belongs in Los Angeles. I really admire this building and it's ability to connect with LA well. Maybe I'm just really proud of it and totally insane too, but if you know LA's history you might be able to understand what I am saying. I think LA's history was incorporated into the design. If LA were a building, the US Bank Building (minus the US Bank logo) would be LA. And IMO, it is.

You almost brought tears to my eyes!!

Echo Park · #28 Posted **May 13, 2008, 4:11 PM**

This building has had to grow on me because before I got into the development spectator thing, I was just a casual observer of downtown and the building never impressed me. It looked like any building of that era (80s-90s), it just happened to be taller than anything else in LA. I still think it isn't remarkable but the crown is its saving grace. Its a beautiful crown thats almost regal in apperance (in a modern way). The way its lit up at night makes it a beacon--a center of focus for a city that is criticised for having no center. its not the greatest building but since its "ours", i'm always going to have an affection for it.

Jibba · #29 Posted **May 19, 2008, 5:45 AM**

The setbacks give it some nice "shoulders", and the massing is pretty right on (particularly when viewed from afar), but the detailing of the facade, especially the colors and the window shapes, just kills a lof of it for me. Overall pretty decent, though, and it is nice and iconic for LA.

Nowhereman1280 · #30 Posted **May 19, 2008, 6:59 PM**

I have to agree with Alliance on this one? What is so great about this tower, it has very little detailing, is a bland and boring color, has a forgettable form/outline, why do so many of you like it? I would probably take 50% of the buildings of any height in Chicago and New York to this boring thing...

I'm not saying that its ugly, just that its forgettable, its boring, I just see it as decent. I'm gonna get flamed for saying this, but in any other major skyline (NY,Chi,HK,Singapore) this building would be nice filler for the larger supertalls. In fact, speaking of HK, this thing looks like a lot of the bland residential filler they have there...

jodelli · #31 Posted **May 19, 2008, 8:13 PM**

Just thought I'd line up the diagrams:

dvdmsy · #32 Posted **May 20, 2008, 6:25 AM**

Rihga Royal hotel in New York pays some serious homage to the Library Tower, complete with crown.

JDRCRASH · #33 Posted **May 20, 2008, 3:09 PM**

Jodelli, that is exactly why I want the height increased. But if it was, then I could see why having a sign on the first crown wouldn't look great.

Dac150 · #34 Posted **May 20, 2008, 5:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvdmsy

Rihga Royal hotel in New York pays some serious homage to the Library Tower, complete with crown.

Good comparison.

I never thought of that.

JDRCRASH · #35 Posted **May 20, 2008, 5:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2-TOWERS

as a new yorker now living out here, in fact i watch this building going up as i visited my mom in 1985, then did the move in 1992, anyway a great building tall for a sesmic zone. it does look like a condo . in fact this looks like it could be a trump condo on 59th and 3rd ave in new york city. it would look good with a 150 ft spire.

Thank you!!!

M II A II R II K · #36 Posted **Jun 1, 2008, 7:45 PM**

I think it could have been a bit better if they threw in a few more add ons like a crown or something, or perhaps more colour. I might get to check it out soon in person so I'd getter a better look at it then.

Amanita · #37 Posted **Jun 2, 2008, 6:23 AM**

What a beautiful skyscraper! Somebody take that godawful logo off of her though! She's so much prettier without it.

Wrightguy0 · #38 Posted **Jun 2, 2008, 8:09 PM**

I do love this tower, It was designed to represent a lighthouse with the Gas Company Tower representing a ship being guided by it, together they make an impressive postmodern sculpture

DowntownCharlieBrown · #39 Posted **Jun 2, 2008, 10:41 PM**

^I have never heard that or would have thought it true until I saw this:

lol: altered picture from Patrick

texcolo · #40 Posted **Jun 3, 2008, 1:28 AM**

I like it. LA's skyline has improved ten fold from the seventies.