Downtown Los Angeles Skyscraper Explosion

At the dawn of the 21st Century there were 22 towers around the world over 1,000 feet in height (including the now destroyed World Trade Center). By the end of this decade, there will be another 57 erected including 6 buildings taller than any built prior to the 21 Century.

The audaciousness and beauty of many of these buildings is eye-popping.

And yet, Los Angeles, the 8th largest city in the world and the 2nd largest in the United States has seen this skyscraper boom pass it by. At the close of this decade, The Library Tower, built in 1990, remains the only skyscraper in LA to top 1,000 feet. No tower built in Los Angeles in the last 10 years has even come close.

But downtown Los Angeles has seen a mini-boom in midrise development. The towers are not skyline-changing additions, but they are serving to add some welcome density.

The most noticeable new highrise is the Ritz Carlton/Marriot Convention Center Hotel. Designed by the Gensler Architecture Firm, the 54-story tower will contain both a hotel and permanent residencies. It is currently taking shape near the Staples Center on the south side of downtown. When finished, the Ritz will employ a sleek, sloping crown indicative of the style of early 21st Century skyscrapers.

Other towers currently rising on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles include 717 9th Street -- a 35 story, 400-foot tall residential highrise. Designed by the Funes Architecture firm, the building is currently about 3/4 complete. An elegant, green-tinted building, 717 will be ready to move into by spring of 2009.

Concerto is a high-density project consisting of three structures including a pair of 30-story residential towers. Designed by DeStafano and Partners, the first of the towers has been topped out with the second tower scheduled to start in 2009. Concerto will feature a unique top-heavy look with glass bulges breaking up an otherwise standard box tower design. The buildings will also feature 15-story digital billboards, bringing a little of Blade Runner's future Los Angeles to the present.

In a good way, of course.

Construction cranes currently fly all across downtown Los Angeles, beefing up LA's skyline density, if not its height. No truly signature, image-shaking structures are currently in the works. But there have been several exciting proposals announced including Park 5th -- a 76 story, 820-foot residential tower featuring garden balconies and skywalks. And the Grand Avenue project, designed by the legendary Frank Gehry, to be built across Grand Avenue from Gehry's iconic Disney Orchestra Hall. This high-density project will include a 48-story residence and hotel tower and a 19 story residential building along with a dynamic conglomerate of off-set cube-shaped buildings.

Park 5th and Grand Avenue will both provide stunning additions to the downtown Los Angeles skyline.