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The Metro Headquarters Building (or One Gateway Plaza) is a 398 ft (121 m) high rise office tower in Los Angeles, California. It is located in Northeastern Downtown Los Angeles, east across the tracks from Union Station.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2018) |
| Metro Headquarters Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | One Gateway Plaza |
| General information | |
| Type | Governmental office |
| Location | 1 Gateway Plaza Los Angeles, California United States |
| Coordinates | 34°3′23.2″N 118°13′58.6″W |
| Current tenants | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
| Completed | 1995 |
| Cost | $145.5 million |
| Height | |
| Roof | 398 ft (121 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 26 |
| Floor area | 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners |
| Main contractor | Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd. |
| Other information | |
| Parking | 3,000 spaces |
| Public transit access | Union Station Patsaouras Transit Plaza |
Completed in 1995, it serves as the main headquarters for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
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The $145.5 million building is the main fixture of the Patsaouras Transit Plaza and features exquisite artwork throughout the exterior facades and the interior lobby. The main boardroom seats 350 people.[1] The building's design features a blend of contextual influences of 1930s Hispanic-Deco and post-modern architecture. It features four levels of underground parking.
The construction of this building was filmed in the 1994 children's video There Goes a Bulldozer, where Dave Hood climbed a tower crane.
In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Future's End", a digitally-altered image of the building was used to represent the 1996 headquarters of villain Henry Starling (Ed Begley, Jr.). The building was again seen, this time on a matte painting depicting a building on the Mari homeworld in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Random Thoughts" in 1997.
The building was also home to the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) from 2011 to 2018.
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Prior to its completion, the building was criticized for its use of expensive construction materials as a public agency. One critic dubbed it as a "Taj Mahal" in reference to its Italian granite, English brick and a $300,000 aquarium.[2][3] However, proponents of the project argued that it would spur development around Union Station and create a new public gathering place.[3]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to MTA Building.
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