1 Cal Plaza

{{Short description|Skyscraper in Los Angeles, California}}

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox building

| name = 1 Cal Plaza

| image = One Cal Plaza.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = 1 Cal Plaza, with the edge of 2Cal behind it to the left

| location = 300 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California

| coordinates = {{Coord|34|03|08|N|118|15|05|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| start_date = 1983

| completion_date = 1985

| building_type = Commercial offices

| roof = {{cvt|176|m}}

| floor_count = 42

| elevator_count = 28

| cost =

| floor_area = {{cvt|97,548|m2}}

| architect = Arthur Erickson Architects

| structural_engineer= John A. Martin & Associates

| main_contractor = The Beck Group

| developer = Metropolitan Structures West

| owner = Partnership Between Rising Realty Partners & Colony Northstar, Inc.

| management = Rising Realty Partners

| references = {{CTBUH|2478}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/116596 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306091427/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/116596 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |title=Emporis building ID 116596 |work=Emporis}}{{Glass Steel and Stone|3612}}{{SkyscraperPage|6714}}{{Structurae|20002169}}

| website =

}}

1 Cal Plaza, formerly known as One California Plaza, is a 176-meter skyscraper located in the Bunker Hill District of downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. With a second skyscraper, Two California Plaza, it comprises the California Plaza project. The Plaza is also home to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Colburn School of Performing Arts, the Los Angeles Omni Hotel, Angels Flight and [https://www.theyardatcalplaza.com/ The Yard] outdoor venue surrounded by the city’s skyline complete with a built-in stage, lighting, sound, and amphitheater seating. {{convert|1.5|acre|adj=on}} .{{cite web |title=One California Plaza |publisher=Maquire Properties |url=http://www.maguireproperties.com/OneCaliforniaPlaza/index.php |access-date=2008-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714021118/http://www.maguireproperties.com/OneCaliforniaPlaza/index.php |archive-date=2011-07-14 |url-status=dead}}

Completed in 1985, One California Plaza has {{convert|1.05|e6sqft|m2|abbr=unit}} of office space. The towers were designed by Arthur Erickson Architects and named BOMA Building of the Year in 1989. 1 Cal Plaza is LEED certified with a Platinum Certification and is also LEED Net Zero Certified.

California Plaza was a ten-year, $1.2 billion project. Started in 1983, the Two California Plaza tower was completed in 1992 during a significant slump in the downtown Los Angeles real estate market. The tower opened with only 30 percent of its space leased and overall vacancy rates in downtown office space neared 25 percent.{{cite news |last=Stevenson |first=Richard W. |title=Office Glut Spreads in California |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 11, 1991 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DD1731F932A25752C1A967958260 |access-date=13 August 2010 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811000214/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/11/business/office-glut-spreads-in-california.html |url-status=live }} It was nearly 10 years before significant tall buildings were completed again in downtown Los Angeles. Several clear shots of the building under construction can be seen in the 1983 action helicopter movie Blue Thunder.

California Plaza was originally planned to include three high rise tower office buildings instead of the two completed.{{cite news | title = Architect designed L.A.’s California Plaza towers | first = Christopher | last = Hawthorne | author-link = Christopher Hawthorne (journalist) | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | access-date = January 30, 2025 | date = May 22, 2009 | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-may-22-me-arthur-erickson22-story.html | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250130123444/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-may-22-me-arthur-erickson22-story.html | archive-date = January 30, 2025 }} Three California Plaza at 65 floors, was planned for a site just north of 4th Street, directly across Olive Street from California Plaza's first two office highrises{{cite web | title = Three California Plaza | website = SkyscraperPage | access-date = January 30, 2025 | url = https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=5095 }} and was planned to house the Metropolitan Water District's permanent headquarters.{{cite news | title = LOS ANGELES : MWD Orders Study of 4 Sites for Headquarters | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | access-date = January 30, 2025 | date = August 25, 1993 | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-25-me-27688-story.html | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250130125312/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-25-me-27688-story.html | archive-date = January 30, 2025 }}

The construction and $23 million cost of the MOCA Grand Avenue building was part of a city-brokered deal with the developer of the California Plaza redevelopment project, Bunker Hill Associates, which received the use of an {{convert|11|acre|adj=on}}, publicly owned parcel of land.{{cite news |last=Rutten |first=Tim |title=What MOCA really needs |department=Commentary |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=December 6, 2008 |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rutten6-2008dec06,0,3263190.column |access-date=December 26, 2008 |archive-date=December 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208024424/http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rutten6-2008dec06,0,3263190.column |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hayes |first=Tome |title=Los Angeles: For Downtown, An Ambitious Mixed-Use Project |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 12, 1985 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DEED9153BF931A25756C0A963948260 |access-date=13 August 2010 |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811000216/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/12/realestate/los-angeles-for-downtown-an-ambitious-mixed-use-project.html |url-status=live }}

One California Plaza was purchased on June 6, 2017 by a partnership between Rising Realty Partners and Colony Northstar, Inc.{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Eddie |title=Rising Realty Partners Buying One California Plaza |url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/rising-realty-partners-buying-one-california-plaza/article_04a34fee-55f4-11e7-a353-cf93cdc58c53.html |date=20 June 2017 |website=LA Downtown News |access-date=30 November 2021 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130204311/http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/rising-realty-partners-buying-one-california-plaza/article_04a34fee-55f4-11e7-a353-cf93cdc58c53.html |url-status=live }}

Tower One was featured in the Nickelodeon television show Drake & Josh as Spin City Records in the episode "Really Big Shrimp".