The Tallest Building In The West Is Getting An Observation Deck And Restaurant To Look Over L.A.

The U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest building in the west, is getting an observation deck in an effort to draw tourists to downtown Los Angeles.

It will be the first deck of its kind in Southern California and there will also be a restaurant atop the building, according to the Los Angeles Times.

More changes are coming to the U.S. Bank Tower in addition to the deck and restaurant.

The 72-story skyscraper, completed in 1989, will remain an office building, the owners told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, but it will get about $50 million worth of improvements, including a makeover of the lobby.

Overseas Union Enterprise Ltd. of Singapore bought the tower for for $367.5 million last year and only about half of it was occupied.

Market observers speculated that at least some of the empty space might be converted to hotel or residential use, according to the Los Angeles Times, but those theories are not holding true.

Richard Stockton, chief executive of the Americas for OUE said "it doesn't make any sense" for the tower to be anything but offices because the floors are too big for other uses. 

Making it a tourist attraction could be viewed as some what of a gamble. The Empire State Building in New York and the Willis Tower in Chicago are both more than 100 stories tall. The view from the top of the U.S. Bank Tower won't have quite the impact but the hills of Glendale and Catalina Island will be in plain view to the public like never before.

OUE anticipates that the observation deck could attract 500,000 people per year, each of whom would pay around $25 for entry. 

Architecture firm Gensler is designing the improvements, which need to be approved by the city, but are expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2015.

The Los Angeles Times also noted the U.S. Bank Tower will be facing competition, when the the slightly taller Wilshire Grand hotel and office complex is completed in 2017.