If you walk through Downtown Los Angeles and look up, you’ll see it. The needle. That glass-wrapped, slightly curved monolith poking into the clouds like a giant thumbing its nose at the old guard. Most people will tell you the Wilshire Grand Center is the biggest building in Los Angeles.
Technically, they’re right. But if you talk to a local who’s been around since the ‘90s, or someone who gets really nerdy about architecture, you might get a side-eye. There is a whole lot of drama buried in those steel beams.
Honestly, the "biggest" title in LA is a bit of a shell game. Depending on whether you measure by the tippy-top of a decorative pole, the actual roof where a human can stand, or the sheer volume of space inside, the answer changes. It's kinda like measuring your height while wearing platform boots—some people think it's cheating, others say it’s just part of the outfit.
Why the Wilshire Grand Center Claims the Crown
The Wilshire Grand Center officially became the biggest building in Los Angeles when it opened its doors in 2017. It stands at a staggering 1,100 feet. That's big. Really big. In fact, it's the tallest building west of Chicago.
But here is the catch: that 1,100-foot measurement includes the spire.
Without that metal needle on top, the roof sits at 934 feet. That is actually significantly shorter than the previous champion, the U.S. Bank Tower. It’s a classic architectural loophole. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (the folks who decide these things) says spires count because they are "architectural," while antennas do not.
Basically, because the architect, Christopher Martin, designed the spire as part of the building's soul and not just a TV signal booster, those extra feet count toward the record.
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- Height: 1,100 feet (with spire)
- Floor Count: 73
- Vibe: Ultra-modern, high-tech, and very glassy
- Claim to Fame: First LA skyscraper without a flat roof in decades
The Death of the Flat Roof
For a long time, LA's skyline looked like a bunch of rectangles. Every tall building had a flat top. Why? Because of a 1974 fire ordinance. The city required every high-rise to have a helipad for emergency rescues.
The Wilshire Grand changed the game. The developers worked with the LAFD to prove that high-speed elevators and reinforced tactical stairs were safer than a windy rooftop helipad. They won. That’s why it has that iconic, sail-shaped crown instead of a concrete landing pad. It effectively broke the "flat-top" curse of the Los Angeles skyline.
The U.S. Bank Tower: The People’s Champ?
Before 2017, the U.S. Bank Tower (the "Library Tower" for the old schoolers) was the undisputed king. It’s 1,018 feet tall. And here is the kicker: its roof is actually higher than the Wilshire Grand’s roof.
If you go to the 73rd floor of the Wilshire Grand—which is home to Spire 73, the highest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere—and look across the street at the U.S. Bank Tower, you are looking up. It feels weird. You’re in the "tallest" building, but you're squinting at the neighbor's upper floors.
The U.S. Bank Tower is a beast of a different era. It’s got that circular, tiered wedding-cake design that looks like it belongs in a Batman movie. It survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake without a flinch, which is a testament to the crazy engineering required to build this high in a seismic zone.
It Isn't Just About Height: The Biggest by Volume
If we stop obsessing over height for a second and look at "biggest" in terms of "stuff inside," things get even more complicated.
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The Wilshire Grand has about 2.1 million square feet of space. That’s a lot of room for the InterContinental Hotel, offices, and restaurants. But then you have places like the Los Angeles Convention Center or some of the massive industrial complexes near the ports that cover way more ground.
In terms of pure floor area in a skyscraper, the Wilshire Grand is a heavyweight. It houses 900 hotel rooms alone. You could spend a week in there and never breathe outside air. It's a city within a city.
The Engineering Nightmare of LA Skyscraper Construction
Building the biggest building in Los Angeles isn't just about having a big budget. It's about not falling down when the San Andreas Fault decides to wiggle.
The Wilshire Grand is built on a "mat" of concrete that is nearly 18 feet thick. When they poured it, they set a Guinness World Record for the largest continuous concrete pour in history. They had hundreds of trucks circling the block for 20 hours straight.
The structure uses something called "buckling restrained braces." Think of them like giant shock absorbers. When an earthquake hits, these braces are designed to bend and absorb the energy so the actual frame of the building doesn't snap. It’s terrifying and brilliant all at once.
A Quick Peek at the Competition
While the Wilshire and U.S. Bank Tower fight for the top spot, the rest of the skyline isn't exactly short.
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- Aon Center: 858 feet. It held the title in the '70s and has that very "corporate monolith" feel.
- Two California Plaza: 750 feet. It’s part of that shiny Bunker Hill cluster.
- Gas Company Tower: 749 feet. Notable for its blue-tinted glass and that cool "flame" shape at the top.
What It's Like to Visit the Wilshire Grand
If you actually want to experience the biggest building in Los Angeles, you don't just walk into the lobby and press '73.'
You have to go to the sky lobby on the 70th floor first. The elevators are lightning fast—your ears will definitely pop. Once you're up there, the view is stupidly beautiful. You can see all the way to Santa Monica and the Hollywood Sign. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean.
The 73rd floor is Spire 73. It’s windy. It’s expensive. But standing outside at 1,000+ feet with a drink in your hand while the helicopters fly below you? That’s an LA core memory.
The Verdict: Which One is Actually "Biggest"?
If you’re a stickler for the rules, the Wilshire Grand Center is the biggest building in Los Angeles. It has the official certificate. It has the spire. It has the record.
If you’re a purist who thinks decorative sticks shouldn't count, the U.S. Bank Tower is still your king.
But honestly, the "biggest" building is really just a symbol of LA's shift. We went from a city of low-slung bungalows and flat-topped towers to a world-class vertical skyline that finally has some personality.
How to See the Skyline Best
- For the view: Go to the 70th-floor lobby of the Wilshire Grand. It's free to enter (though they might nudge you toward the bar).
- For the history: Walk past the U.S. Bank Tower and look at the "Spanish Steps" nearby. It's the classic LA photo op.
- For the future: Keep an eye on the "Oceanwide Plaza" project—though it’s currently stalled and covered in graffiti, it was supposed to be another massive addition to the "biggest" conversation.
If you are planning a trip to DTLA, start at the Wilshire Grand at sunset. Watching the lights flicker on across the basin from the tallest point in the city makes you realize just how massive Los Angeles really is.
Next steps for your LA architecture tour: Check out the Bradbury Building just a few blocks away. It’s not big—in fact, it’s tiny compared to the Wilshire Grand—but its interior is arguably the most famous in the city. After that, head over to The Broad museum to see how modern design is changing the ground level just as much as the skyscrapers are changing the clouds.