First Light Over the Downtown Los Angeles Skyline

Los Angeles downtown skyline silhouetted against an orange and purple sunrise sky.
Los Angeles downtown skyline silhouetted against an orange and purple sunrise sky.

Downtown Los Angeles anchors the region's financial, legal, and entertainment industries, with its skyline visible for miles across the Los Angeles Basin. The US Bank Tower, completed in 1989 and standing 1,018 feet tall, was the tallest building west of Chicago until the Wilshire Grand Center surpassed it in 2017. The district's modern high-rise cluster took shape mostly after the city lifted height restrictions tied to earthquake concerns in the 1950s, allowing construction beyond the earlier 150-foot limit set by City Hall's height. The Santa Monica Mountains, including sections of Griffith Park, rise to the north and west of the skyline.

Photo taken in November 2011.

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