The downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers with the infamous nickname “Graffiti Towers” may need a new nickname: Oceanwide Plaza no longer has layers of graffiti after crews spent three months scrubbing the buildings’ exteriors.
Construction on the Oceanwide Plaza development started in 2015, with the goal of bringing condos, a hotel, retail space and state-of-the-art signage to downtown Los Angeles. But work stopped in 2019 when the Chinese developer ran out of money.
After the buildings attracted graffiti artists, vandals and daredevils for several years, their new owner, KPC Development, bought the property for $500 million and began remediation work in July.
“You have the big hotel property, you have retail, you have the big LED sign. You have apartments, condos,” said Bradley Sharp of Oceanwide Plaza LLC.
Video obtained by NBC Los Angeles showed workers using pressure washers to remove graffiti tags from the towers.
“Let’s make this no longer notorious, but glorious,” declared Kali Chaudhuri, founder and chairman of KPC Group.
The developer and city leaders said they hope to complete the project by the 2028 Olympics.
To fend off taggers, trespassers and social media content creators, the owner said the company has a strong security team and a partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD officers previously spent thousands of hours on duty to deter unwelcome visitors from the unfinished high-rises, further straining the already understaffed police department.
Mayor Karen Bass released a statement, welcoming the new chapter for Oceanwide Plaza as part of her commitment to revitalize downtown Los Angeles.
“Oceanwide Plaza sits at the center of one of Downtown Los Angeles’ most important economic corridors, linking the Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena, LA LIVE, and the broader South Park district,” said Mayor Bass. “We are not only cleaning up a building, we are restoring confidence and revitalizing Downtown to unlock the economic potential of one of the city’s most strategic destinations ahead of a transformative decade for Los Angeles.”
Construction will bring new housing, jobs, investment and economic opportunity to the region, according to the mayor.