Los Angeles is finally erasing one of its most visible eyesores.
The three unfinished Oceanwide Plaza skyscrapers, known worldwide as downtown’s “Graffiti Towers,” have been almost completely stripped of the tagging that turned an abandoned luxury development into a towering advertisement for urban dysfunction.
The transformation is visible across from Crypto.com Arena and LA Live, where spray-painted balconies and windows dominated the skyline for more than two years. Recent aerial footage shows most of the exterior graffiti is gone, although some remains.
With the 2028 Olympics approaching, the cleanup represents a tangible step forward for a property that became notorious for everything except its original purpose: a place to live, shop and stay.
A cleanup dozens of floors above downtown
Removing the paint required crews to work from suspended platforms as high as 35 floors above the street.
According to the California Post, workers tackled approximately 250 balconies, collected roughly 1,000 discarded spray-paint cans and discovered a loaded gun during the cleanup. Layers of paint, primer and protective coatings made some surfaces particularly difficult to strip.
KPC Group, which is pursuing the property with construction company Lendlease, announced that balcony graffiti removal was finished Oct. 20. Workers then continued cleaning the remaining windows.
The Los Angeles Business Journal reported that interior tagging remains in parts of the complex. Much of that is expected to be covered when construction resumes. The exterior cleanup has dramatically changed the view, but it does not mean every marked surface inside the buildings has been restored.
From luxury development to abandoned spectacle
Construction stopped in 2019, leaving the three-tower complex unfinished. The empty buildings eventually became a destination for trespassers, taggers and thrill seekers.
Some parachuted from the towers. Others walked a line suspended between buildings. The sprawling graffiti helped make the development an internationally recognizable symbol of downtown’s stalled ambitions.
The intended development is considerably different: 504 residential units, a luxury hotel and retail space. ABC7 reports that developers anticipate spending approximately $850 million to complete a project that is about 60% finished.
The deal still has hurdles
A cleaner skyline does not settle the project’s financial future.
While a bankruptcy court approved the acquisition plan in July, the Business Journal reported Nov. 9 that KPC and Lendlease were targeting a January 2027 closing. Its reporting identified financing, a construction contract and permit approvals as remaining requirements.
The closing deadline is Jan. 22, although an extension could be possible. The agreement also allows the buyer to withdraw if it determines the development is not economically viable under its approved plans.
That leaves a significant distinction between cleaning the buildings and delivering a functioning development.
What will be ready for the Olympics?
Developers are targeting completion of major exterior work before the 2028 Olympics, according to ABC7. Occupancy is expected in late 2028 — meaning an improved appearance during the Games would not necessarily mean residents and hotel guests are already inside.
For nearby residents, the cleanup is welcome progress. But their requests extend beyond the towers to cleaner streets, repaired sidewalks, better lighting and more trees, FOX 11 reported.
For now, downtown has a visible improvement and an unfinished promise.
The graffiti is mostly gone. The financing, construction and opening still have to follow.
Artificial intelligence helped compile this story.
