Check it out DTLA! This news is truly dhinchak! The Consulate General of India just snagged a massive, full-floor lease in the downtown AON Center.
This isn’t just any old move, it’s a big deal. The consulate promises to be a “superhit” for the more than 500,000 Indian Americans in Southern California.
The Promise of Better Service
Photos courtesy of Consulate General of India
The Consulate General of India is a foreign government office representing India’s interests in other countries.
There isn’t one single Consulate General of India; rather, it’s a network of such offices established around the world with specific offices located in New York and San Francisco. Each office is responsible for serving a designated region of the United States and soon Downtown LA will become an official desi delight for Southern California, directing access to diplomats and providing essential consular services like passport, visa, and OCI card applications without the need to travel all the way to San Francisco.
Back Down Memory Lane
Designed by architect Charles Luckman, the skyscraper at 707 Wilshire Boulevard opened in 1973 as the United California Bank Building. With its bronze-clad exterior and white trim, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River until 1982, when the Texas Commerce Tower in Houston was completed. In 1981, the building was renamed the First Interstate Tower, a name it held during the major fire in 1988. In 1989, it was surpassed in height in Los Angeles by the U.S. Bank Tower, and was eventually renamed the AON Center in the 1990s.
With downtown preparing to get all decked out for the 2028 Olympics and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Gunjan Bagla, the gyaan guru based in California, and author of the acclaimed title “Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today from tomorrow’s most exciting Market” told LA Times the move was a game-changer. With over half a million Indian Americans in Southern California and an influx of tourists expected for the Olympics, this diplomatic presence is a must.
Ready by November, it seems the old building, which has lost a bit of its jalwa over the years but the consulate promises a superhit for business leaders in all kinds of industries, from entertainment to tech, giving them direct access to Indian diplomats. It’s a true win-win, a sone pe suhaga.
