LA County Set to Acquire Gas Company Tower in Downtown LA

The County Board of Supervisors authorized the acquisition of the Gas Company Tower in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday, in hopes of moving many county workers and public services out of some existing offices in the Civic Center area.

The purchase comes on the heels of concerns about existing county buildings in need of seismic upgrades. In March, the board published a list of 33 county-owned buildings that were at the risk of earthquake damage, including the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Hall of Records and Historic General Hospital, among others.

The purchase of the 52-story skyscraper, which stands 749 feet tall at 555 W. Fifth St., was approved by the board Wednesday in a 4-1 vote.

A total of $200 million was allocated for the purchase, and the county CEO was asked to take the next steps in acquiring and upgrading the tower, which could be the next prominent office space for county workers.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose father is the namesake of the existing Hall of Administration, opposed the purchase, saying, “The money being used to pay for this purchase is being stolen from the funds that were meant to keep (Kenneth Hahn Hall) alive.”

In September, Southern California Gas Co. announced plans to move out of its longtime headquarters and signed a least at the Two California Plaza building on Bunker Hill, with plans to relocate by spring 2026.

County CEO Fesia Davenport posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the acquisition of the Class A skyscraper would provide “a safe and modern environment for (county) employees, saving hundreds of millions of dollars or more in retrofit expenses.”