Start Set for 777 Tower in Citicorp Plaza

Believers in “7” as a lucky number might have scheduled a ground breaking for the 777 Tower at Citicorp Plaza on Sept. 7, but the ceremony will be held, instead, this Thursday on the corner of South Figueroa and 8th, not 7th, streets.

Designed by architect Cesar Pelli, the $300-million, 1-million-square-foot office tower being developed by a joint venture of the Prudential Insurance Co. and MECA Associates (a partnership of an affiliate of Mitsubishi Estate New York Inc. and Ayrshire Corp.) will soar 53 stories when completed in 1990.

The 777 Tower is Phase 2 of Citicorp Plaza. Opened in 1985, Phase 1 was the 42-story Citicorp Center. A third office tower, with 775,000 square feet, is planned as the final phase.