In our updated 2018 4th edition, we survey skylines of the state’s major central business districts. The limited extent of these prime locations with the most expensive space gives rise to the tallest office towers and more recent mixed-use buildings. The densest concentrations of economic and other human activities are found at these locations and so they have gained our attention in Chapters 10 and 11 on economic and urban geography. You may want to explore around the two tallest buildings in the West (at least as of this writing), the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco and the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles, both topped out in 2017.
When the Wilshire Grand was completed at Figueroa and Wilshire with its giant needle pointing to the sky, L.A. media promoted it as the newest tallest office tower in the Western U.S. But they apparently didn’t consult Bay Area partisans. Ask a northern Californian and they are more likely to claim – without hesitation – that their San Francisco Salesforce Building is the tallest. It turns out they are both the tallest, depending on how you measure the buildings. The Salesforce Tower is the tallest if you require that the height must include usable space. The Wilshire Grand is the tallest if you add the height of the giant needle that represents the architectural icing that completes the building. From a distance, they look very close to the same height, even surrounded by other worthy giants. This reminds us that the friendly rivalry between the San Francisco Bay and L.A. areas continues if only in the world of trivia. We’ll let you fight over it, recognizing that there could be a new leader if you are reading this too many years past 2018.
Here are a few views looking up to and out of the Wilshire Grand while you form your own opinion. Say hello to the new L.A.
