Downtown Los Angeles’s “Graffiti Towers” went from an opulent development for the mega-rich to a dream canvas for graffiti artists, a nightmare for local government, and a destination for tourists in just under a decade, and its evolution is far from over. The bankrupt high-rise building complex, which covers more than an entire square block of the city, was meant to be called Oceanwide Plaza after its owners, Oceanwide Holdings, a Chinese conglomerate. Set to be one of the area’s biggest real estate development projects, the $1 billion three-building complex was set to house luxury condominiums, a five-star hotel, high-end stores and restaurants, a private park, an across-the-street parking lot, and massive electronic signage, welcoming comparisons to Times Square. But construction, which began in 2015, was halted not long into 2019 for a few reasons, the worst of which was that the company ran out of money. Since then, the skyscrapers have mostly remained untouched – until the last few months.
Graffiti Towers skyline in Downtown Los Angeles. Courtesy of Maya Garabedian.
In a city with significant tagging, a fully-fledged street art presence, and young people pining for fame, the fact Oceanwide Plaza was undisturbed for so long defies all odds. But once word began to spread of the site’s surprising lack of security and the sturdy, ladder-like structure of its modern balconies, thrill-seekers and artists showed up most days and nights. With nearly 30 floors covered in graffiti, a handful of arrests made, and an influx of physical performances – parachutists, paragliders, and, as of this week, slackliners who have deemed their visit as art – the city swiftly committed to cleaning and closing up the property. In February, LA City Council took less than two weeks to set a controversial plan in motion: allotting $4 million to remove graffiti, set up barriers, install an all-encompassing fence, and enlist private security on-site in addition to nearby LAPD. While taxpayer dollars are inevitably footing the bill now, Oceanside Holdings will ultimately be held responsible. In a further push to end the Graffiti Towers era, the complex, as of mere days ago, is now up for sale. It’s hard to imagine a buyer interested in spending over $1 billion on a property that’s somewhere between 50 and 60 percent complete, so there’s an assumption that this graffiti-driven conversation isn’t going away anytime soon.
Two of three Graffiti Towers, Downtown Los Angeles. Courtesy of NBC News, photo by Mario Tama.
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