Gas Company Tower

  • Client Thomas Properties Group, Inc. (Formerly Maguire Thomas Partners)
  • Expertise Adaptive Reuse, Commercial
  • Location Los Angeles, California, United States

An award-winning 52-story office tower in downtown Los Angeles blends innovative design and elegant detailing with seismic resilience. After completing the building in 1991, SOM was engaged again in 2014 to renovate its public spaces and lobbies.

Project Facts
  • Completion Year 1991
  • Size Site Area: 55,446 square feet Building Height: 754 feet Number of Stories: 52 Building Gross Area: 1,781,747 square feet
  • Awards 2022, 25 Year Award, AIA – Los Angeles Chapter
  • Collaborators
    Cbm Fisher Marantz Stone Hedrich Blessing International Parking Design - IPD James A. Knowles Associates Levine Seegel Associates Thompson Properties Group Hanna Olin Sussman/Prejza Bruce Stewart Cerami & Associates Rolf Jensen & Associates Psomas & Associates Turner Construction Company - San Francisco Thomas Properties Group, Inc. (Formerly Maguire Thomas Partners)
Project Facts
  • Completion Year 1991
  • Size Site Area: 55,446 square feet Building Height: 754 feet Number of Stories: 52 Building Gross Area: 1,781,747 square feet
  • Awards 2022, 25 Year Award, AIA – Los Angeles Chapter
  • Collaborators
    Cbm Fisher Marantz Stone Hedrich Blessing International Parking Design - IPD James A. Knowles Associates Levine Seegel Associates Thompson Properties Group Hanna Olin Sussman/Prejza Bruce Stewart Cerami & Associates Rolf Jensen & Associates Psomas & Associates Turner Construction Company - San Francisco Thomas Properties Group, Inc. (Formerly Maguire Thomas Partners)

A landmark inspired by its locale

On a narrow and steeply sloped site in downtown Los Angeles, the Gas Company Tower stands as an example of imaginative design that responds to context. Resolving a 60-foot elevation change, the 52-story office building pairs unique architectural character with a thoughtful connection to its environment.

Southern California Gas Company, the anchor tenant, required a contemporary headquarters that would give its brand an iconic expression. SOM crowned the tower with a blue-glass elliptical form resembling a flame—an element that pronounces the building’s distinctive presence on the downtown skyline.

Skyline view, 2022. Dave Burk © SOM

Polished granite, glass, and aluminum define the facade, featuring high-performance windows that flood the interiors with natural light. Granite at the tower’s base draws from the aesthetic lexicon of nearby landmarks including the Biltmore Hotel and the Los Angeles Central Library, harmonizing with these buildings while asserting a distinctly contemporary identity.

In 2022, the Gas Company Tower received the prestigious 25-Year Award from AIA Los Angeles, recognizing its enduring architectural significance and design excellence more than 25 years after its completion.

The Gas Company Tower is not only a wonder of fast-track construction, it is also filled with technical innovations, all integrated into the project with an eye toward dramatic flair.


Integrating art and architecture

The site for the tower is marked by a 17-degree slope along Grand Avenue and a 10-degree slope down Fifth Street. A network of ramps, stairs, and escalators guides visitors and employees across three interconnected lobbies on different levels, resolving the dramatic grade change. The main lobby, a 20-foot-tall space, offers views of an eight-story, 300-foot-long artwork by Frank Stella, titled Dusk. This abstract mural, adorning the adjacent AT&T building, is inspired by themes of motion and travel from Herman Melville’s celebrated novel Moby-Dick.

Street-level view, post-renovation, 2022. Dave Burk © SOM

SOM designed the lobbies with custom overhead lighting, flame-like sconces, and vibrant rugs, incorporating elements inspired by the Gas Company and other tenants to create a distinctive public space. In the lower mezzanines, windows inspired by traditional Japanese shoji screens, featuring laminated rice paper encased between glass, paid homage to a former tenant, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank. The interior public zones have been renovated to include large transparent glass windows, ample furnishings, and design details including recessed lighting and neutral textiles.

Original condition, 1991. © Hedrich Blessing Photographers
Original condition, 1991. © Hedrich Blessing Photographers

Challenges solved through innovative design

The tower employs a prefabricated unitized curtain wall system with five-foot and seven-and-a-half-foot panels that function independently, akin to fish scales, to accommodate seismic drift. Prefabrication methods used for the custom curtain wall system and other building components enabled efficient off-site assembly and delivery, significantly accelerating the construction process. 

Below ground, the parking area spans 300,000 square feet. Designers developed an air intake system that harmonizes with the building’s architectural character, avoiding the need for large-scale louvers that would disrupt the facade. Car exhaust fumes are directed through these intake vents and metallic fins, which rise gracefully from the building’s base.

Original condition, 1991. © Hedrich Blessing Photographers
Original condition, 1991. © Hedrich Blessing Photographers

A renovation that enhances the visitor experience

In 2014, decades after the building’s opening, SOM was commissioned to renovate its lobby floors—addressing the space between the tower and the adjacent AT&T building, and transforming the ground floor into a more porous, welcoming, and community-oriented space. The renovation project, completed in 2018, upgraded the main lobby and revitalized its adjoining outdoor space, which had previously been inaccessible and offered limited views of the Frank Stella mural. The design team enhanced the pedestrian experience by replacing an exterior water installation that channeled water into the lobby beneath glass-covered troughs with an open-air pathway and plaza.

Renovated lobby, 2022. Dave Burk © SOM

A staircase connects Grand Street to the open walking path that leads to a new lobby entrance, cafe tables and chairs, and direct access to the plaza, where employees and visitors can relax beneath a planted wall, enjoy a meal at the on-site eatery, or conveniently reach Olive Street. The lobby has been updated with state-of-the-art security features, complemented by hospitality-grade furnishings and a renovated central reception area.

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