Los Angeles skyscraper slide will not reopen

A member of the media rides down a glass slide during a media preview at the US Bank Tower building in Los Angeles (Richard Vogel/AP)

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

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

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

Located nearly 1,000ft (304.8 metres) above the ground, the Skyslide is a see-through enclosure 45ft long (13.7 metres) and made of 1.25in thick (3.18 centimetre) glass.

A member of the media prepares to take a ride down a glass slide at the US Bank Tower building in Los Angeles (Richard Vogel/AP)

Visitors could slide from the 70th floor down to the 69th floor.

Developer Silverstein Properties bought the US Bank Tower last year for $430m (€353m) and plans to spend $60m (€49.2m) 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 co-existing 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.