California Plaza in the Movies: 2012

Angels Flight station at bottom of photo.
Photo: Emerson7

The shimmering twin office buildings of California Plaza that tower over the upper Angels Flight station looked awfully familiar. Disaster films is one genre of movies I enjoy. These buildings known as One and Two California Plaza were prominently featured in the Los Angeles destruction sequence from the John Cusack feature film "2012". In the scene, Cusack and his family escape by flying in a propeller plane over the city but not before encountering some obstacles which includes these 577-feet, 42-floor towers.

One California Plaza was completed in 1985 and the second tower completed in 1992. There originally was a third tower planned which was scrapped due to the waning real estate market. The plaza where the buildings are situated is also home to the Museum of Contemporary Art and an Omni Hotel.

Below are stills from the film "2012" as the plane with the main characters approach the two buildings. All photos: Columbia Pictures.