LA.’s notorious graffiti towers are finally getting cleaned up

One of Los Angeles’ most recognizable eyesores is finally getting cleaned up.

Graffiti abatement teams were seen beginning work Wednesday at the notoriously unfinished Oceanwide Plaza development downtown, located across from Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s a crucial part of the $470 million sale of those towers, approved by a bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday.

Mayor Karen Bass’ office said the goal is to have the towers free of graffiti as part of efforts to revitalize downtown in time for the LA28 Olympics.

“Completing this project is about far more than finishing a building — it’s about restoring confidence, reconnecting a vital commercial corridor, and unlocking the economic potential of one of the city’s most strategic destinations ahead of a transformative decade for Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “I look forward to an expedited closing and the proposed buyer delivering on their commitments.”

The “Graffiti Towers,” as they’re informally known, were sold to KPC Development Co., which owns and builds commercial properties in California and India.

“We’re trying to do our best to meet our obligations to the city of Los Angeles and we think that within a very short period of time, we promised 90 days but we think it will be sooner, that the graffiti will be completely removed from Oceanwide Plaza,” said John Petty, executive vice president of real estate and construction for KPC.

KPC and partner Lendlease, which was the original contractor for the project, filed an initial purchase agreement with the court back in February after a long auction process.

Beijing-based Oceanwide Holdings spent about $1.2 billion on the original development project before running out of money in 2019, and construction was halted at about 60% completion.

Petty said it will take about another $850 million to finish it, according to The L.A. Times.

KPC will complete the project as designed, with 504 residential units, a luxury hotel and shopping center, he said.

“This is an important next step in turning one of Downtown’s most visible symbols of blight into one of its greatest comeback stories,” Nella McOsker, president of the Central City Assn. business group, said. “We expect new ownership to be a good neighbor and immediately remediate blight conditions, and we need the city to continue its work to cut red tape so that Oceanwide can restart construction and deliver a project that Angelenos deserve.”

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