Los Angeles skyscraper slide won’t reopen

A renovation will do away with a slide that gave thrill-seekers a brief ride on the outside of a downtown Los Angeles skyscraper.

The new owner of the U.S. Bank Tower will remove the Skyslide and Skyspace public observation deck, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

The slide and deck opened in 2016 with the idea of making the tower a tourist attraction.

Located nearly 1,000 feet (304.8 meters) above the ground, the Skyslide is a see-through enclosure 45 feet long (13.7 meters) and made of 1.25-inch-thick (3.18 centimeter) glass. Visitors could slide from the 70th floor down to the 69th floor.

Developer Silverstein Properties bought the U.S. Bank Tower last year for $430 million and plans to spend $60 million on upgrades to make it more appealing to businesses in creative fields, the Times reported.

Skyspace closed before the pandemic and will not reopen, said Jeremy Moss, head of leasing.

“While there are examples of observation decks and tourist attractions coexisting with workspace, in this particular case I think that it was having too much of a negative impact on the experience that we wanted to create and preserve for the companies that are here,” he said.

Skyspace floors will be turned back into office space.