Continental Building Attractions & Landmark
Sky Scaling Building
Los Angeles,
CA, 90013
United States
+1 213 624 7300 Transport Options:
Train Available: Pershing Square
Bus Available: Spring
Overview
This building is Los Angeles' first skyscraper. It was designed and built in 1904 by John Parkinson, who also built the Title Guarantee & Trust Building as well as numerous other downtown buildings. The structure rises 175 feet into the sky and serves as the aging patriarch of the downtown skyline. After it was built, the city of Los Angeles introduced an ordinance saying that no building could be higher than 150 feet. City officials didn't want any buildings taller than this establishment. But City Hall was an exception as was the later Trans America Building, and countless other skyscrapers since.
The Continental is only 2 blocks from '417 Metro,' another loft rental conversion in downtown LA, but the two are worlds apart. While the Metro has a 24-hour doorman, a stunning lobby, an exercise room, a rec room, and a rooftop spa, the Continental has cement floors, exposed brick-and-cement ceilings, and elevators straight out of 'The Shining.' That said, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. The character in the Continental is amazing, the ceilings are 12-23 feet high (depending on the floor), and the windows are 8 feet tall x 4.5 feet wide, making the rooms feel wide open. The north-west units have a jaw-dropping view of the skyscrapers on Bunker Hill, and the rent is $300/month less than the Metro. For that money, I can join a gym.
