![Chase Tower (Phoenix)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Chase_Tower_%28Phoenix%29.jpg)
The Chase Tower (formerly known as Valley Center and Bank One Center) in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, is the tallest building in the state of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. Built in 1972, it is 483 feet (147 m) tall. It was originally built for local financial heavyweight
Valley National Bank
Valley National Bancorp, doing business as Valley Bank, is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, with approximately $43 billion in assets. Its principal subsidiary, Valley National Bank (also doing business as Valle ...
, with which
Bank One
Bank One Corporation was an American bank founded in 1968 and at its peak the sixth-largest bank in the United States. It traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONE. The company merged with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on July 1, 2 ...
merged in 1993.
Bank One
Bank One Corporation was an American bank founded in 1968 and at its peak the sixth-largest bank in the United States. It traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONE. The company merged with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on July 1, 2 ...
merged with
Chase
Chase or CHASE may refer to:
Businesses
* Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York
* Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company
* Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England
* Chase Co ...
in 2005, and the building was renamed in December 2005. It is 40 stories tall, but the highest occupiable floor is the 38th. At one time there was a public observation area on the 39th floor in the Chase Tower, but it was closed during redevelopment and construction on the upper floors.
The tower takes up an entire city block. The footprint is similar to a 3 leaf clover and its stem. The stem is the narrow elevator core on the southern facade. It has a rough, concrete texture and is the tallest portion of the tower. The remaining exterior is a glass panel curtain wall. The west leaf, or wing, stands at 34 floors, followed by the north wing at 38 floors, and the east wing at 36 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.
![Valley National Bank While Under Construction](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Valley_National_Bank_While_Under_Construction.jpg)
The building was designed by the prominent
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
architectural firm
Welton Becket
Welton David Becket (August 8, 1902 – January 16, 1969) was an American modern architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washingt ...
and Associates (now
Ellerbe Becket
Ellerbe Becket was an independent Minneapolis, Minnesota-based architectural, engineering, interior design and construction firm until 2009, when it was acquired by AECOM. AECOM is ranked as one of the world's largest architectural firms, with of ...
), with local associate architects
Guirey, Srnka, Arnold & Sprinkle. It was built by the Henry C. Beck Company (now
The Beck Group
The Beck Group is a company that provides architecture, construction, real estate development, and sustainable design and consulting, as well as finance and technology services. The company is based in Dallas, Texas and also has offices in Atlant ...
). 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, CRZ Phoenix, LLC, an affiliate of Crystal River Capital, acquired the property for $166.9 million, the highest price paid for an office building in Phoenix.
The owners took out a $198.5 million loan on the property in 2007, on which it subsequently defaulted.
In May 2018, a partnership managed by Wentworth Property Company acquired the building out of foreclosure for $79 million, less than half of its 2007 sale price.
Less than six months later,
Vincent Viola
Vincent "Vinnie" Viola (born 1956) is an American billionaire businessman and U.S. Army veteran. He was for several weeks President Donald Trump's nominee for United States Secretary of the Army, before withdrawing from consideration. He is the f ...
purchased the building for $107.5 million.
As of July 2021, Chase is in the process of vacating the building as most employees have been transferred to Chase's new corporate campus in (east suburban)
Tempe. The last employees are expected to transition to the new location by September 30, 2021. At that point, the building will stand empty. No future plans for the tower have been announced.
As of November 1, 2021, the Chase sign atop the building has been removed.
The building was featured in the History Channel series, ''
Life After People
''Life After People'' is a television series on which scientists, mechanical engineers, and other experts speculate about what might become of planet Earth if humanity suddenly disappeared. The featured experts also talk about the impact of hu ...
''.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Phoenix
Phoenix, the capital of the U.S. state of Arizona, has 23 buildings standing at least . The tallest building in Phoenix is the 40-story Chase Tower, completed in 1972 with 38 habitable floors rising to . It is also the tallest building in Ari ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Arizona
*''Note: Table widths too wide for most users; tables forced to 1920px to prevent crowding.''
The following is a chronological list of buildings in the state of Arizona that are taller than 7-stories or have historical relevance, grouped by city ...
References
External links
*http://www.chase.com
*http://www.coppersquare.com
Phoenix Architecture 1895 thru 2010 Video celebrating Phoenix Architecture
{{Tallest Buildings by U.S. state, state=autocollapse
Office buildings completed in 1972
JPMorgan Chase buildings
Skyscraper office buildings in Phoenix, Arizona
Welton Becket buildings
Modernist architecture in Arizona
1972 establishments in Arizona