page_title: Wilshire Grand Center
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Wilshire Grand Center / Construction
caption_attribution_description: English: Street view of the Wilshire Grand Tower, 8 April 2017
context_page_description: Wilshire Grand Center is a 1,100-foot skyscraper in the Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles, California, occupying the entire city block between Wilshire Blvd. and 7th, Figueroa, and Francisco streets. It is the tallest building in Los Angeles; in California; west of the Mississippi River; outside of New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia; and the 14th tallest in the United States. Its height surpasses the U.S. Bank Tower by 82 ft. The building is part of a mixed-use hotel, retail, observation decks, shopping mall, and office complex, expected to revitalize downtown Los Angeles and the area surrounding the building. The development of the complex is estimated to cost $1.2 billion. The plans include 67,000 square feet of retail, 677,000 square feet of Class A office space and 900 hotel rooms. InterContinental is the tower's hotel component, comprising 900 rooms and suites.
context_section_description: Turner Construction received the contracts for both the demolition of the former hotel and the construction of the new tower, the latter of which began on February 15, 2014, when 21,600 cubic yards (16,500 m³) of concrete was poured over the course of 20 hours, creating an 18-foot-thick (5 m) foundation for what will be the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Land use entitlements and construction staking services were provided by Psomas.
  The foundation is set on bedrock known as the Fernando Formation; this siltstone has been compressed by an ocean that formerly covered the area and is a good base for a building.
  On February 16, 2014, Guinness World Records announced that 21,200 cubic yards (16,200 m³) of concrete, or 82 million lb (37 million kg), was poured at the site the previous day, breaking a prior record of 21,000 cubic yards (16,000 m³) of concrete poured in one continuous pour, which was set in 1999 during the construction of The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.
  On March 8, 2016, the topping out ceremony was held.
  On March 17, 2016, a construction worker died by suicide after jumping from the 53rd floor, landing on a vehicle below.
  On September 3, 2016, the Wilshire Grand became the tallest building in Los Angeles at 1,100 feet. The supertall building opened on June 23, 2017.
  The building, while recognized as "tallest" in the city by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, achieves this recognition through the height of its decorative sail and spire rather than highest occupiable floor space.  From the ground, due to local topography, the Wilshire Grand sits visibly lower than other surrounding buildings.  From the vantage of the building's 73rd floor observation deck, the US Bank Tower is markedly higher in elevation, and remains downtown Los Angeles' most prominent visual landmark.
caption: West face of Wilshire Grand Tower, April 2017
exif: {"Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone SE", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "10.2.1", "Image DateTime": "2017:04:08 17:12:57", "Image ExifOffset": "182", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[34, 3, 831/100]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[118, 15, 2163/50]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "33146/285", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[0, 12, 57]", "GPS GPSSpeedRef": "K", "GPS GPSSpeed": "1/4", "GPS GPSImgDirectionRef": "T", "GPS GPSImgDirection": "32953/237", "GPS GPSDestBearingRef": "T", "GPS GPSDestBearing": "32953/237", "GPS GPSDate": "2017:04:09", "GPS Tag 0x001F": "50", "Image GPSInfo": "1576", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/986", "EXIF FNumber": "11/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "25", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2017:04:08 17:12:57", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2017:04:08 17:12:57", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "7330/737", "EXIF ApertureValue": "7892/3469", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "9483/976", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "83/20", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[2015, 1511, 2217, 1330]", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "569", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "569", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3004", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3764", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "29", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[83/20, 83/20, 11/5, 11/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone SE back camera 4.15mm f/2.2"}