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Chase Tower (Phoenix)
Encyclopedia
The Chase Tower in Phoenix, Arizona
is the tallest building in the state of Arizona
. Built in 1972, it is 483 feet (147 m) tall. It was originally built for local financial heavyweight Valley National Bank, which Bank One merged with in 1994. Bank One merged with Chase
in 2005, and the building was renamed in December 2005. It is 40 stories tall but the highest occupiable floor is the 38th. There is no longer a public observation area on the 39th floor in the Chase Tower; it was closed many years ago, during redevelopment and construction on the upper floors.
Unlike many traditional skyscrapers with zero-setback
retail/lobby space on the ground floor, access to the tower is through an underground restaurant/retail concourse set a comparatively large distance away from the bordering streets.
The building was designed by the prominent Los Angeles
-based architectural firm Welton Becket
and Associates (now Ellerbe Becket
), with local associate architects Guirey, Srnka, Arnold & Sprinkle. Upon completion, the tower marked the beginning of a renewed investment in downtown Phoenix that would last for almost twenty years until the savings and loan crisis
brought about the 1989 real estate crash. Located at 201 North Central Avenue, the tower was renovated in 2003 to accommodate 800 additional Bank One employees.
In March 2007, Chase Tower was sold for record $166.9 million, the highest price paid for an office building in Phoenix.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
is the tallest building in the state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Built in 1972, it is 483 feet (147 m) tall. It was originally built for local financial heavyweight Valley National Bank, which Bank One merged with in 1994. Bank One merged with Chase
Chase (bank)
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
in 2005, and the building was renamed in December 2005. It is 40 stories tall but the highest occupiable floor is the 38th. There is no longer a public observation area on the 39th floor in the Chase Tower; it was closed many years ago, during redevelopment and construction on the upper floors.
Unlike many traditional skyscrapers with zero-setback
Setback (architecture)
A setback, sometimes called step-back, is a step-like recession in a wall. Setbacks were initially used for structural reasons, but now are often mandated by land use codes.-History:...
retail/lobby space on the ground floor, access to the tower is through an underground restaurant/retail concourse set a comparatively large distance away from the bordering streets.
The building was designed by the prominent Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
-based architectural firm Welton Becket
Welton Becket
Welton Becket was an architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree .He settled in Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a...
and Associates (now Ellerbe Becket
Ellerbe Becket
Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company, is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based architectural, engineering, interior design and construction firm – ranked as one of the world's largest architectural firms – and with offices in Dallas, TX, Kansas City, MO, San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Dubai,...
), with local associate architects Guirey, Srnka, Arnold & Sprinkle. Upon completion, the tower marked the beginning of a renewed investment in downtown Phoenix that would last for almost twenty years until the savings and loan crisis
Savings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
brought about the 1989 real estate crash. Located at 201 North Central Avenue, the tower was renovated in 2003 to accommodate 800 additional Bank One employees.
In March 2007, Chase Tower was sold for record $166.9 million, the highest price paid for an office building in Phoenix.
External links
- http://www.chase.com
- http://www.coppersquare.com
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwHa8a6ZcJw - Video celebrating Phoenix Architecture