1 Cal Plaza, Office skyscraper in Bunker Hill District, Los Angeles, US
1 Cal Plaza is a 176-metre office skyscraper in the Bunker Hill district of downtown Los Angeles, completed in 1985. Its main facade is a curved wall of blue reflective glass panels bowing outward, beside a narrower flat strip of greyish cladding running the full height; the top edge is flat. It holds 1.05 million sq ft of office space and forms the California Plaza project with Two California Plaza.
Construction on this complex began in 1983 and finished in 1985 as part of a major downtown revitalization effort in Los Angeles. The project helped transform the overlooked Bunker Hill area into a modern business district.
The building sits within California Plaza, where the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Colburn School of Performing Arts draw visitors interested in art and music. This location has become a gathering place for creative professionals and cultural enthusiasts in downtown Los Angeles.
The plaza is within walking distance of several transit stations in downtown and is surrounded by other buildings and public pathways. Visitors should know that this is an active business district, so the best times to visit are early morning or late afternoon when foot traffic is lighter.
The 1983 film Blue Thunder contains several clear shots of 1 Cal Plaza while it was under construction. The building later appeared on Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh as Spin City Records in the episode "Really Big Shrimp". A third tower, Three California Plaza, was planned at 65 floors but never built.
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