Metro Headquarters Building

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.

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.

Building

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.

Criticism

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]

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles

References

1. Katches, Mark (October 27, 1995). "Transit complex opens but the debate rolls on". News-Pilot. p. C6. Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "MTA Building > Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences". dornsife.usc.edu. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
3. Simon, Richard (September 24, 1995). "Urban Jewel or Height of Folly?". Los Angeles Times. p. B1. Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

• Emporis: MTA Building^[usurped]
• McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners: MTA Headqiarters