CITY'S SKYLINE MAY BE TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL IN 2003.

Byline: Associated Press 

A jumbo angel may soon hover over the City of Angels.

A colossal building proposed for downtown would be 100 feet taller than the 73-story Library Tower, the tallest in the West, and would be topped by a bronze winged angel twice the size of the Statue of Liberty.

The 1,100-foot-tall building proposed for Third and Bixel streets was described as a monument to the city by Culver City artist Brett-Livingstone Strong and West Los Angeles developer Gary Clayman. They hope to open the $1.6 billion City of Angels Monument building in March 2003.

The tower area beneath the angel statue would house galleries, shops, several small nondenominational chapels, a 5,000-seat concert hall and a revolving theme restaurant. Clayman already has financing lined up and he has begun purchasing land.

The City Council gets its first look at the tower proposal on Jan. 15.

``At this point we're taking it seriously because these guys are serious. They have financing,'' said Fred Zermeno, spokesman for Councilman Mike Hernandez.

Australia-born Strong, who designed the angel sculpture, gained notoriety nearly 20 years ago when he carved the face of John Wayne in a 12-1/2-ton Malibu boulder that teetered over Pacific Coast Highway for days before it crashed onto the highway and was trucked away.