After 20 Years, Rooms With a View [Southern California]
Downtown’s Longtime Laughingstock High-Rise, 1100 Wilshire, Is Reborn As a Condo Complex
Like an ugly duckling in its awkward teenage years, the triangular glass skyscraper at 1100 Wilshire has stuck out since it was built in 1986 as an office building. It’s been called names, and though it had multiple suitors, it was never occupied.
Now, after a two-year conversion to high-end condominiums, the 20-year-old building hopes to transform into a swan.
The odd design and eccentric flourishes – like floor-to-ceiling windows in every unit and 16 levels of brick-bounded interior parking – that original developer Tsai Ming Yu insisted on made it impractical for office leasing. A team of developers and architects are using these former blemishes as unique beauty marks.