By Roggie McFadden

LOS ANGELES -- November 17, 2002 -- The colossal American flag that hung for over a year in the lobby at 801 S. Figueroa St. in Downtown LA was taken down after the close of business on Friday.

Since its installation last fall, the American flag dominated the view of any visitor entering the 801 Tower and could also be seen clearly from across the street through the high panes of glass that extend above the front entrance.

An unidentified cleaning woman interviewed in Spanish today said that building officials made sure to wait until all workers in the 801 Tower had gone home for the weekend before taking the flag down.

The coast was now clear, and the signal was given. With a nod from supervisors, janitorial staff unfastened the 15-foot-long flag, and meticulously lowered it to the ground. Other men below then unceremoniously folded the flag up and carted it off to a storage room.

"We think people will notice, but by the end of the week, they'll be used to the spacious feel the lobby will have again," said 801 Tower security guard Carl Hayes.

One temporary worker who passed by the building on occasion described the flag's appearance. "It was foreboding. They had hung the flag vertically with the starry blue field at the top and the red and white rays descending to the ground. This was a really BIG American flag in a very fancy building. But it seemed uneasy. This flag seemed to be wearing a frown, almost as if it could feel the constipated political condition we Americans find ourselves in nowadays."

It is unclear why building management decided to remove the flag, and so far they have heard no sour words about it.

"People like the natural, luxurious ambiance the lobby here at 801 Tower takes on with just the glass and faux-marble," said Mr. Hayes, an interior design devotee. "It gives it a less 'cluttered' feel when you get rid of that gaudy red, white, and blue."

From Wilshire Gazette (January 2003)

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