One America Plaza stands tall within San Diego’s skyline (Murphy/Jahn Architects)
Architecture, Downtown

Did You Know…

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

…that the tallest building in the City of San Diego is One America Plaza? The prominent 34-story office structure looms 500 feet over the west end of downtown while housing the America Plaza trolley station at ground level.
Located at 600 W. Broadway, the all-steel building was designed by architect Helmut Jahn, who also designed the similar-looking Two Liberty Place in Philadelphia that flaunts 58 stories. The peaks on both buildings have been compared to the head of a Phillips screwdriver.

Jahn supposedly wanted One America Plaza to rise about 75 feet taller. But given its proximity to the San Diego International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration wouldn’t allow it. Needless to say, after its completion in 1991, the final cost of the finished product when purchased by the Irvine Company rang in at $300 million—chump change in today’s building market.