Maguire Leadership Change Brings Downtown Move

Eric Richardson

The Downtown skyline is dominated by Maguire properties. Visible here: Gas Company Tower, One California Plaza, US Bank Tower, Two California Plaza, and the Wells Fargo Tower.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The weekend saw a major leadership change for the company that owns many of Downtown's most iconic skyscrapers. Maguire Properties' founder Robert F. Maguire, III, was replaced as President and CEO by Nelson Rising. The company built and owns eight towers Downtown.

Buried in a Times profile of Rising that runs today is news of a Downtown relocation. While Maguire Properties advertises itself as being based in L.A., the headquarters were actually in Santa Monica. Until yesterday, that is.

One of Rising's first moves was to break the lease the company was paying for office space in a Santa Monica building owned personally by Robert Maguire. In the past the company website said it was based in Los Angeles, but calls to headquarters in the 213 area code for downtown actually rang on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.

As of Monday, the executive offices had moved to KPMG Tower, a Grand Avenue office building owned by the company. His first priority now, Rising said, is to evaluate the company's position and outline a recovery strategy.

Ringing your 213 number on the westside certainly seems like cheating. It's good to see the company here in Downtown, where it belongs.