In 1950, New York developer Norman Tishman stopped in Los Angeles on the way to a Palm Springs vacation and stayed overnight at the Ambassador Hotel. When he looked out his window, he saw a golf driving range west of the hotel and considered it a waste of prime Wilshire Boulevard frontage. 

Tishman Realty and Construction bought the driving range and by 1958 had constructed five major office buildings on the boulevard. The first entries in 'Tishmanville' were the three small towers built at Mariposa Avenue. These buildings heralded Wilshire Center's transition into a home for Fortune 500 companies.

When asked to explain why his company invested so heavily in postwar Wilshire Boulevard, Tishman explained: "We think Wilshire will be the New York of the West Coast."