| Oceanwide Plaza | |
|---|---|
.JPG) | |
 Interactive map of Oceanwide Plaza | |
| Former names | Oceanwide |
| General information | |
| Type | Retail and residential |
| Location | 1101 Flower Street Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°02′33″N118°15′55″W / 34.04250°N 118.26528°W /34.04250; -118.26528 |
| Construction started | 2015 |
| Completed | 2020 (originally projected) unknown |
| Cost | $1 billion |
| Owner | Oceanwide Holdings |
| Management | Oceanwide Holdings[1] |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 206.4 m (677 ft) |
| Top floor | 206.4 m (677 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 49 4 below ground |
| Floor area | 2 million sq ft |
| Lifts/elevators | 49 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | RTKL |
| Developer | Oceanwide Holdings[1] |
| Structural engineer | Englekirk Structural Engineers |
| Main contractor | Lendlease |
Oceanwide Plaza is an unfinishedresidential and retail complex composed of three towers indowntown Los Angeles, California, across the street fromCrypto.com Arena and theLos Angeles Convention Center.[2] The complex, designed byCallisonRTKL, is owned by the Beijing-based developerOceanwide Holdings.
Construction began in 2015 and was originally scheduled to be completed by early 2019.[3] However, construction stopped when Oceanwide Holdings ran out of funds in 2019.[4] It is unknown when the complex will open; development has been beset by financing problems related to ongoing geopolitical tensions between theUS and China.[5][6][7] In late January-early February 2024, the site regained attention when at least 27 floors of multiple towers at the complex weretagged with graffiti, becoming known as the Graffiti Towers.[8]
Oceanwide Plaza was designed byCallisonRTKL. Tower one was designed to feature a 184-room five-starPark Hyatt hotel and 164 Park Hyatt serviced condo residences, a live-in hotel option. It was designed to reach a total height of 675 ft (206 m), 49 floors. Towers two and three were designed to have 504 residential condominiums.[6] They were designed to reach a total of 530 ft (160 m), 40 floors in height.[1] A retailmall was designed for the first three floors above ground with 153,000 sq ft (14,200 m2) of retail space.[9] The 9th floor was designed to feature a two-acre private park.[10] The 504 residences were designed to provide concierge services, indoor amenities, and a private deck along with an outdoor area for recreation and gatherings.[11]
The site was a vacant parking lot used byCrypto.com Arena patrons in the South Park neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles. The site is immediately northwest ofLos Angeles Metro Rail'sPico station.[12][13][14]
This development is part of a group of projects being developed on Figueroa Street in the 2010s, which allowed the addition of giant video advert screens facing Crypto.com Arena. Nearby projects include theCirca Towers and theLuxe Development. Oceanwide renderings also featured large ribbon-style videoLED screens.[15][16]
The three apartment towers began construction in April 2018. By January 2019, interior construction on the project was put on hold. The developer cited restructuring of capital and indicated work on theplaza would resume "shortly".[17][18][7] ContractorLendlease suspended work until late March 2019, when it was announced that construction had resumed after nine active liens had been filed by subcontractors totaling US$98.6 million.[19] Due to the three-month pause in work, the opening date was delayed to an unknown date.[20] Work once again stopped in late 2019. Media reported that the towers were stuck in limbo over unpaid work and pending lawsuits.[21] The towers were an example of Chinese reductions in capital and investing in US real estate due to China's communist government's crackdown on capital flight due to itsreal estate financial crisis exacerbated by a US trade war.[5] Completion of work was reported to be uncertain and all work was put on hold in late 2019.[4]
After China-Oceanwide failed to pay its debts, the project wasforeclosed on by June 2023 and listed for sale. No asking price information was released. China-Oceanwide owed $157 million to a group ofEB-5 lenders and planned to repay them from the proceeds of the sale. Lendlease filed a claim in court that it should be first in line for payment in the foreclosure sale. Lendlease also filed with the California Court of Appeals to invalidate the EB-5 loans altogether, claiming fraud and misrepresentation. In filings with theHong Kong Stock Exchange, China-Oceanwide said that more than $1.2 billion was needed to finish the project and that they had already spent $1.1 billion. They removed the building from the sale.[22][23]
In late December 2023, three taggers, Akua, Sour, and Castle, broke into the tallest building of Oceanwide's three towers and spray painted their names across its floor to ceiling windows.[24] Following the event, more members of Los Angeles’ graffiti community began to participate throughout late January and early February 2024 in tagging the skyscrapers.[25] Around the same time the tagging escalated, base jumpers also broke into the tallest of the three Graffiti Towers and filmed themselves jumping off of it.[26]
The events sparked political urgency in Los Angeles, leading theLos Angeles Police Department to allocate resources to safeguard property while ensuring public safety.[27] A newer, taller fence was added to the site to keep trespassers out.[28] Approximately 30 trespassers were arrested, facing a total of 23 criminal charges.[29][30]
In May 2024, China-Oceanwide re-listed the towers for sale. They reportedly need $400 million to pay off the lenders and re-coup their money. The asking price was not disclosed.[31] Around that same time, a YouTuber named Reckless Ben managed to sneak past the site's security and filmed himself tightrope walking across the top of the two shorter Graffiti Towers.[32] LAPD launched a criminal investigation afterwards and the video was removed from his YouTube channel.[33] The tightrope remained between the two towers until September 2024.
The Los Angeles City Council announced a cleanup campaign for the graffiti, and on February 9, 2024, the Los Angeles City Council voted to bill Oceanwide approximately $4 million for expenses including graffiti removal and barrier reinforcement.[34] The city later reversed course, stating in March 2025 that they did not wish to incur the cost of graffiti removal.[35] The graffiti on the towers has yet to be removed as of November 2025.
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