Continental Building

{{for|the building in Kyiv|Continental (building)}}

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox building

| name = Continental Building

| image = File:Continental Building, Downtown Los Angeles, California 12.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| alternate_names = Braly Building
Hibernian Building
Union Trust Building
Old Bank District Apartments

| location = 408 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, California

| coordinates = {{coord|34.0486|N|118.2482|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| map_type=Los Angeles#California#USA

| completion_date = 1903

| status = completed

| building_type = Residential condominiums

| roof = {{convert|45.87|m|abbr=on}}

| floor_count = 13

| elevator_count =

| cost =

| floor_area = {{convert|56.5|e6sqin|e6cm2|abbr=unit}}

| architect = John Parkinson
George Edwin Bergstrom
Killefer Flammang Architects

| structural_engineer=

| main_contractor =

| developer =

| management =

| owner = Old Financial District LP

| nrhp = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| nrhp_type = cp

| nocat = yes

| partof = Spring Street Financial District

| partof_refnum = 1979000489

| locmapin = California

| architecture = Beaux-Arts

| designated_nrhp_type = 1979

| designated_other1 = Los Angeles

| designated_other1_number = 730

}}

| references = {{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/146991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214140937/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/146991 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 14, 2016 |title=Emporis building ID 146991 |work=Emporis}}{{skyscraperpage|23584}}

}}

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. The Continental Building is part of the Spring Street Financial District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/1074/files/fy%202005%20tax%20projects.pdf |title=California Office of Historic Preservation Certified Tax Projects – 2005 (Fiscal Year) |accessdate=2008-05-02}}{{cite web | url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/CA/Los+Angeles/districts.html | title=National Register Information System | year=1979 | work=National Register of Historic Places | publisher=National Park Service | accessdate=15 November 2010}}

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.{{cite web | author=Department of Geography | title=Continental Building and the 150-Foot Height Limit | url=http://college.usc.edu/geography/la_walking_tour/historic_core/continental_building.html | work=Downtown Walking Tour | publisher=University of Southern California | accessdate=15 November 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224050153/http://college.usc.edu/geography/la_walking_tour/historic_core/continental_building.html | archive-date=24 February 2008 | url-status=dead }}{{Cite news|last=Schnalzer|first=Rachel|date=2022-01-26|title=Why is L.A.’s iconic skyline far from the beach — unlike Miami, Seattle and other cities?|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-01-26/los-angeles-skyline-downtown-la|access-date=2022-01-26|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Continental Building {{!}} Los Angeles Conservancy |url=https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/continental-building |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=www.laconservancy.org}}