The Continental Building, formerly Braly Block, is a 151 ft (46 m), 13-
story high-rise residential building on Spring Street in the
Historic Core of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. The Continental Building is part of the
Spring Street Financial District
Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed ...
which is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
When completed in 1903, it was the city's first high-rise building, and remained the tallest commercial building for fifty-three years. Shortly after the building was completed, the Los Angeles City Council enacted a 150 ft (46 m) height restriction on future buildings that remained until the 1950s.
The building was originally named after John Hyde Braly, the president of a business accredited with commissioning the building. Braly moved to Los Angeles in 1891 before eventually contributing to the erection of Braly Block.
Gallery
File:Braley Building on the Hibernian Block, Los Angeles, 1900-1903 (CHS-1883).jpg, Braley Building, c. 1900-1903
File:German American Savings Bank, illustrated on a postcard, 1908.png,
File:Continental_Building_-_LA_First_Skyscraper.jpg,
In popular culture
The building plays a prominent role in the 2009 independent film ''
(500) Days of Summer
''(500) Days of Summer'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Marc Webb, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as Tom and Summer r ...
''.
See also
International Savings & Exchange Bank Building, 10-story structure built in the same area in 1907 and using the same architectural styles
References
Further reading
*
External links
Continental Building profile
{{Downtown Los Angeles, state=collapsed
1900s architecture in the United States
1903 establishments in California
Beaux-Arts architecture in California
Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles
Historic district contributing properties in California
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments
National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles
Office buildings completed in 1903
Residential condominiums in the United States
Residential skyscrapers in Los Angeles