The building was first known and is alternatively known today as the Library Tower because it was built as part of the $1 billion
Los Angeles Central Library redevelopment area, following two disastrous fires at the library in 1986, and its location across the street. The City of Los Angeles sold
air rights to the developers of the tower to help pay for the reconstruction of the library. The building was also known for a time as First Interstate Bank World Center but the name Library Tower was restored after
First Interstate Bancorp merged with
Wells Fargo Bank. In March 2003, the property was leased by
U.S. Bancorp and the building was renamed the U.S. Bank Tower. The tower has a large glass crown at its top that is illuminated at night. On February 28, 2004, two “U.S. Bank” logo signs were installed on the crown, amid controversy for their effect on the aesthetic appearance of the building, much like the previous First Interstate Bank logos were placed on the crown between 1990 and 1998.
Terrorist target On June 16, 2004, the
9/11 Commission reported that the
original plan for the
September 11 attacks called for the hijacking of ten planes, one of which was to be crashed into the building. On October 6, 2005, House officials stated that the government had foiled a previously undisclosed second plot to crash a plane into the building in mid-2002. In his televised
2007 State of the Union Address,
President George W. Bush asserted that American
counterterrorism officials foiled a plot to fly planes into the tower. According to President Bush,
Al-Qaeda leader
Khaled Sheikh Mohammed's plan was to use Asian confederates from
Jemaah Islamiyah recruited by Islamic militant
Hambali for the
hijacking. President Bush asserted the hijackers were going to use shoe bombs to breach the plane's cockpit door. Some counter-terrorism experts have expressed doubt that the plot was ever fully developed or likely to occur.
OUE Skyspace In July 2014, OUE Ltd. (OUE), the new owners of the skyscraper, announced construction of an observation deck named OUE Skyspace. on the 69th and 70th floors and a restaurant named 71Above on the 71st floor. The facilities opened on June 24, 2016, following remodeling and construction costing $31 million that included a makeover of the ground floor lobby as well as a separate second floor entrance for tourists, and a skylobby and exhibit hall on the 54th floor. Access to the observation deck cost $25 per person. For an additional $8, visitors could take a trip down a transparent glass slide affixed to the outside of the building between the 70th and 69th floors known as the Skyslide. OUE Skyspace closed temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. On October 26, 2020, it was announced that the closure was permanent. In May 2021, it was announced that a renovation by the new owner of the tower would result in the conversion of the observation deck attraction back to office space and the removal of the slide, due to complaints from office tenants.
Silverstein Properties With the building 78% leased, New York developer Silverstein Properties announced plans in 2021 to make changes to the building to attract tenants. The tourist attraction will be converted to office space or communal areas. The 71Above restaurant will remain open while the 54th floor, where people going higher must change elevators, will be turned into a co-working lounge with workstations, food and beverage options, and a catering kitchen for events. ==Major tenants==