Los Angeles County will buy the 54-story Gas Company Tower skyscraper in Bunker Hill and turn it into the new county headquarters.
By a 4-1 vote, the county Board of Supervisors authorized the purchase and acquisition of the steel-and-glass tower at its board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
The 54-story Gas Company Tower at 555 W. 5th St. seen here on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The LA County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 8, 2024, voted 3-1, with one member abstaining, to approve a notice of intention to buy the high-rise office tower to use as its new headquarters. By a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, the Board of Supervisors agreed to purchase the tower and make it the county headquarters. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The county will move thousands of employees from the Hall of Administration and other county buildings in the Civic Center area, into the 1.5 million-square-foot office building at 555 West 5th St. The price of purchase, including closing costs, is $205 million.
The building was reportedly half-empty in August and is considered a fire sale due to the falling office space market in Los Angeles. With many office employees working from home, vacancies are high in downtown office buildings. The building previously had been appraised for $622 million. On Sept. 20, the Gas Company Tower was foreclosed upon, the county reported.
County CEO Fesia Davenport said the purchase and move “makes sense” because it provides more space for county staff, a 46% increase in parking spaces and saves the county money in the long run. The county occupies 16.5 million square feet of office space for 38 departments, comprised of 6.9 million square feet of leased office space and 9.6 million square feet of owned office space.
The county spends about $195 million per year on the leased office space.
“It presents an opportunity to reimagine how we can better serve constituents and improve the experience of employees who work here in the Hall of Administration,” Davenport said.
Also, dozens of county buildings, including the landmark Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration at 500 W. Temple St., need seismic upgrades and some need asbestos removal, she said. “Acquiring the Gas Company building meets more modern requirements and is asbestos free,” she added. “It will save the county hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, who cast the lone “no” vote, said the skyscraper serving as the county seat of government sends the wrong message to its 10 million constituents.
“I went by the proposed building the other day and I felt nothing,” said Hahn to her colleagues. “It is a soulless building in the middle of a bunch of tall buildings. That isn’t what county government should look like. I don’t think we need to be in a skyscraper — we need to be near the people.”
Davenport indicated the 1960-late moderne style Hall of Administration building will still be used for board meetings and limited office space. Hahn said the building should be preserved and continue as the county seat. She said the purchase of the skyscraper signals the end of the 64-year-old building and the removal of the county’s presence from the heart of the Civic Center, adjacent to iconic Los Angeles City Hall and Gloria Molina Grand Park.
The main county headquarters, named after Janice Hahn’s late father who was a longtime supervisor, houses the L.A. County Assessor’s office, county chief executive offices, and the offices of the five supervisors, as well as the auditorium where the supervisors and various commissions hold public meetings.
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration is where the Los Angeles County Supervisors meet in Los Angeles. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
It was built by renowned Black architect Paul Williams and should be preserved, Hahn said. The building is part of the history of the county.
“This vote today sets the stage for the abandonment of the Hall of Administration,” Hahn said during the meeting. “There will be no pathway forward for keeping the Hall of Administration open.”
Davenport disagreed, saying the county will refurbish the building and continue holding public meetings there. “This does not call for the abandonment of the Grand Park area,” she said.
Hahn pointed out that about $68 million will be taken from capital funds set aside for the seismic retrofit of the building and other renovations to use for buying the Gas Company tower.
“The money being used to make this purchase is being stolen from funds to keep this building (Hall of Administration) alive,” she said. “Once that money is transferred for the purchase of this skyscraper – there is no plan to replenish those funds.”
First District Supervisor Hilda Solis asked for a plan to preserve the Hall of Administration. Davenport answered that the county soon will create a civic center master plan but did not specify when that would be completed.
Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell said she was concerned about the 4,000 employees and members of the public who use the building daily should there be a major earthquake and “if they couldn’t exit safely through the stairwells.”
Children play in the water at Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Hahn said seeing employees eat their lunch at the adjacent park, and children play in the large fountain, is part of the vibe that is made possible by the county building, offices and adjacent L.A. City Hall.
“We should recognize the gem we have here and we should not take it for granted and throw away our history for a short-term financial win,” Hahn added.
Related links
Will LA County abandon Hall of Admin? Supervisors push to buy skyscraper for headquarters
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration / Los Angeles County Hall of Administration – LA Conservancy
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