SPACES — GLAMOUR MEETS INDUSTRY IN CO-WORKING CONGLOMERATE REGUS’ LITTLE SISTER
Located at 515 South Flower Street, the prestigious City National Plaza stands at 52 stories of well-connected Los Angeles history. Between the two most intoxicating vestiges of Los Angeles power, The Johnathan Club (said to house those who run California) and The California Club (infamous to those who own California,) the former ARCO building, now City National Plaza, stands tall and proud. An epicenter of buzzing business, said to be the tower most like the sprawling conglomerates of Manhattan, on the 18th & 19th floors one can find a treasure of possibility that may have until now been unimagined — introducing SPACES, the unusually trendy yet serious co-working offices owned by parent Regus, arguably the first and definitely the most experienced platform for co-working sites around the globe.
Completed in 1972, the deco style City National Plaza is synonymous with big business and global markets. Current tenants include UBS, Aetna, Gensler, Evercore and a growing list of other conglomerate banking institutions, insurance giants, and other heavy hitters. While offices in this building generally run at a minimum of 10,000 sq ft spaces with monthly leases in the multiple tens of thousands of dollars, SPACES is the secret port of entry for newer to market budgets with big ideas.
One pass through the lobby will have you feeling the success, as suited security guards and golden gateway check points line your entry to the four banks of golden elevators, but as you enter the 18th floor, home of SPACES, a surprise await you. Clean white walls, lush green plants, and mid-century modern decor greet tenants and visitors to this hidden co-working gem. “The clientele is different here,” says Michael Dardon — Operations Manager, “When the elevator doors open you hear soothing or upbeat music, depending on the day. The space is gorgeous. People don’t imagine looking up into the high-rise and thinking of a space that is so trendy, so welcoming, and yet so well organized to handle the needs of a multitude of different businesses.”
The clientele is certainly interesting. Between ultra-powerful attorneys and fashionista publicists, the entire gamut is represented. “We just had a modeling agency move in and that has been really interesting — the juxtaposition between attorneys and traders on one end of the hallway and supermodels on the other.” Quiet, with an underpinning hum of ingenuity and development, the spaces community is designed to encourage tenants to meet and collaborate if so desired. “We try to have events that are equally enticing to all of our clients. Whether we are doing a lunchtime yoga class in the meditation room or an evening wine tasting, it is really great to see groups that meet each other for the first time and find services that they need within the hallways of their own offices.”
Regus has certainly bridged the gap between high-power and Los Angeles culture with the Spaces offices. Even their employee choices speak for themselves with executives like Dardon who graduated pre-med before being offered the ‘Director of Operations’ position. “It is rewarding for me to see growth,” he says, “In my spare time I tutor high school students for tests like the SATs — I feel the same reward in seeing SPACES, my students, and the tenants of SPACES grow through time. Anything I can do to make that growth faster and more simplified is exciting for me to be a part of.”
SPACES’ track record speaks for itself, with over 400 locations and 3,300+ when you include the well-known Regus offices, the company is expanding exponentially while still providing stellar service to tenants and access to the network of all the locations globally. “Acumen is what defines our staff,” Michael Dardon tells us, “We are very organized, extremely hardworking and friendly — the clientele tells us they can feel it when they walk through the door, and that alone speaks volumes.” Filling up quickly, memberships are available at monthly rates for desks in co-working areas as well as private offices of varying sizes. For tours and inquiries, contact David Mawer at 213 239 3871. SPACES is the golden entry of big business in Los Angeles for both established and up & coming entities, and with one short walk on SPACES 18th floor putting green, you’ll be feeling the lucid glamour of big business at its best.
