Known as the first skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles, this 1904 Beaux-Arts-style building, lavishly decorated, remained the tallest office tower in L.A. until the late 1950s.
Designed by John Parkinson, the 12-story, 150-foot Braly Block (now known as the Continental Building) was one of the first skyscrapers in Los Angeles. The building was completed just before the city established its height limitations, which took effect in early 1905. Consequently, the Braly Block remained the tallest building in the city for over fifty years (only City Hall was taller as it was exempt from the limit by public vote).
The virtually fireproof building featured many technological advancements of its time, including a steam heating plant and a state-of-the-art vacuum system.
The Braly Block was named after John Hyde Braly, who was the president of the local business union that constructed the building. Braly came with his family to Northern California from Missouri just before the 1849 Gold Rush. He made his fortune selling provisions to miners and later became a farmer and school superintendent in the Santa Clara Valley. He moved to San Diego in 1887, where he became a banker. In 1891, he relocated to Los Angeles.
Although no original interior elements remain, the lavishly decorated penthouse of the Braly Block, adorned with massive rounded columns, has remained unchanged. The building housed many different banks over the years and now serves as loft-style apartments.
The beautiful Continental Building is part of the Financial District on Spring Street and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
