At the intersection of 6th Street and Vermont Avenue in Koreatown, the former headquarters of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health has a shiny new glass curtain wall, and a $210-million renovation and expansion project takes shape.

The 12-story tower, built more than 60 years ago at 550 S. Vermont Avenue, originally consisted of approximately 155,000 square feet of offices. The ongoing project, in addition to remodeling the look of the existing building, is adding an additional 88,000 square feet of space at the rear of the building, expanding its total office space to more than 240,000 square feet of space. The makeover also involves the construction of 2,000 square feet of commercial space at street level.

View looking southeast from Vermont AvenueUrbanize LA

Gensler is designing the makeover, which includes matching design motif's to the Department of Mental Health's new headquarters - a 21-story tower which stands directly north on Vermont.

Trammell Crow Company is leading the development of the project, while Snyder Langston is serving as general contractor.

View looking northwest from 6th StreetLos Angeles County

According to a June 2024 report to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, potential occupants for the department's former headquarters could include the County's Human resources Division, the Executive office of the Board of Supervisors, the Department of Public Social Services, the Department of Children and Family Services, and the Department of Public Health.

The project is considered the final component of the Vermont Corridor redevelopment, which included the construction of the neighboring office tower and an affordable housing complex across the street.

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