Notorious Graffiti Towers Wiped Clean in Downtown Los Angeles - LA Times

“This is the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the renaissance,” said John Petty, an executive with KPC Group, as crews wiped graffiti off the stalled Oceanwide Plaza towers in downtown Los Angeles.

The skyline of downtown Los Angeles got a lot less colorful in the past few months as workers scrubbed florid spray paint off the three skyscrapers of the stalled $1.2-billion real estate development. City officials joined the buyers of the complex on Thursday to celebrate the removal of graffiti splashed as high as 54 stories.

As the nearly two-year bankruptcy sale of the retail, residential, and hotel complex dragged on, the marked buildings risked turning into an undesirable symbol for Los Angeles leading up to the 2028 Olympics. Clearing away the spray paint stood as a top municipal priority, with the city mandating the task for prospective buyers Lendlease and KPC Group ahead of the scheduled January sale closure.

Completion of the project itself will begin after the sale closes, Petty said. The buyers plan to finish Oceanwide Plaza as originally designed with 504 residential units, a luxury hotel, and a shopping center across Figueroa Street from the Crypto.com Arena and the L.A. Live event and entertainment center.

The Long Stalled Towers

Before funds ran out in 2019 and construction stopped at roughly 60% completion, Beijing-headquartered Oceanwide Holdings had invested approximately $1.2 billion into the development. It will take another $850 million to finish the towers, according to Petty.

Daredevils leaped from the upper levels with parachutes while a performance artist filmed himself walking a one-inch-wide slackline connected between two of the site’s 42-story skyscrapers after taggers began turning the structures into canvases early in 2024.

While some observers found the graffiti-clad towers an engaging art installation, downtown residents and stakeholders regarded the paint as an embarrassing blight. They argued it sent a message that downtown was a disorderly place where mischief could go unpunished.

Removing the graffiti by hand with a biodegradable solution proved to be an arduous process, Petty said. Most of the paint was applied by taggers who reached outdoor balconies in the two residential towers, but daredevils also sprayed windows by sidling from balconies onto ledges little more than a foot wide.

Petty mentioned that workers will next descend on swing stages, which are specialized window-washing platforms, to finish scrubbing away the remaining unauthorized paint.

“For too long, this property has been a symbol of what was left unfinished,” said Kali Chaudhuri, chairman of KPC Group. “Removing the graffiti is about more than improving the appearance of a building. It’s about restoring pride, rebuilding confidence and demonstrating our commitment to bringing new life to this property.”

Next Steps for the 2028 Olympics

Following the finalization of the $517-million bankruptcy transaction, the developers intend to prepare Oceanwide Plaza for the Olympic Games by installing a giant digital display on its front face designed to impart a Times Square aesthetic to Figueroa Street. Officials hope to have the project completed before the Olympics in summer 2028.

Notorious Graffiti Towers Wiped Clean in Downtown Los Angeles - LA Times — Photo: arcamax.com

The sale remains contingent on securing a construction loan, and Petty said that developers are negotiating financing terms with domestic institutional and private equity lenders.

“The graffiti removal at Oceanwide Plaza marks a milestone step toward this neglected development finally becoming a transformative asset for Downtown Los Angeles,” Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado said in a statement. “Angelenos deserve to see the real benefits this property promises to deliver new housing, jobs, economic opportunity, investment, and energy in the heart of our city.”