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LA skyscraper owner adding observation deck
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tourists will soon be able to take in 360-degree views of metropolitan Los Angeles from an observation deck, bar and restaurant atop the tallest building in the West.

The 72-story U.S. Bank Tower in the heart of downtown will see about $50 million worth of top-to-bottom improvements, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The new rooftop complex, dubbed Skyspace L.A., will be operated by the firm that runs the observatory at the new One World Trade Center building in New York. Visitors can see past Long Beach to Santa Catalina Island on a clear day. Admission will cost $25 and it’s scheduled to open next year.

The sky-high restaurant on the 71st floor will be called 71Above and be operated by Los Angeles chef Vartan Abgaryan. The 72nd floor will continue to be leased to office tenants.

The observation decks, along with space that can be rented for special events such as weddings, will incorporate floors 69 and 70.

The addition of glassed-in platforms won’t significantly change the lines of the original building design by the New York firm of star architect I.M. Pei, the Times said.

Singapore investor Overseas Union Enterprise bought the U.S. Bank Tower on West Fifth Street for more than $360 million two years ago.