Plastic surgeon plans to augment Westlake with 220-room hotel conversion

The building at 1930 Wilshire Boulevard (Credit: Charles Dunn)
The building at 1930 Wilshire Boulevard (Credit: Charles Dunn)

Westlake could be getting a little nip and tuck.

A Los Angeles plastic surgeon is planning to convert his 14-story medical office building on Wilshire Boulevard into a 220-room hotel and build a 478-unit apartment complex nearby, according to city planning documents.

Dr. Walter Jayasinghe has owned the Class B office building at 1930 Wilshire Boulevard, dubbed the Walter J Tower, since 1992, property records show. The new development request was filed by Adrian Jayasingha, vice president of the Walter J. Company, an entity registered under the doctor’s name.

Jayasinghe acquired the 108,000-square-foot office complex, as well as the 3.3-acre land on which it sits, for $7.3 million in 1992.

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Built in 1928, the Art Deco building is more 80 percent leased right now. Previous marketing materials tout “tall lobby ceilings with mirror finished marble floors.” Its property manager is Metro Park Towers, who declined to comment.

“The building is beautiful, with a lot of details inside,” a former leasing agent told The Real Deal. “I could see how a hotel conversion would be appropriate.”

Plans for the to-be constructed multifamily complex call for 41 stories, 39 affordable housing units that meet the requirements for a density bonus request and a “learning & performance” center, planning documents show.

Jayasinghe owns another office building down the street at 2010 Wilshire Boulevard, as well as a few lots on the same block. He did not respond to several requests for comment.