Bank of the West Tower (Albuquerque) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bank of the West Tower |
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Bank of the West Tower, seen from the west across San Mateo Blvd.
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| Former names | First National Bank Building East First Security Bank Building |
| Record height | |
| Preceded by | New Mexico Bank & Trust Building |
| Surpassed by | Compass Bank Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 5301 Central Avenue NE. Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 35°04′41″N 106°35′09″W / 35.078191°N 106.585732°W |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 64.9 m (213 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 17 |
| Floor area | 106,000 sq ft (9,800 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn |
| Developer | Del Webb Corp. |
The Bank of the West Tower is a tall office building. It is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can find it on Central Avenue. This is about 3.5 mi (5.6 km) east of Downtown.
When it was finished in 1963, the tower was the tallest building in New Mexico. It stands 64.9 m (213 ft) tall and has 17 stories. Today, it is the fifth tallest building in the state. It is still the tallest building outside of Downtown Albuquerque. The Del Webb Corporation built it. The design came from the architects Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn. For many years, different banks had offices in this tower.
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History of the Bank of the West Tower
The Del Webb Corporation built this tower. It first held the East Central branch of the First National Bank of New Mexico. The building was first called First National Bank Building East. This was to avoid mixing it up with the bank's main building downtown.
Work on the building started on July 12, 1961. The bank officially opened for business on February 16, 1963. During construction, workers put numbers on the side of the building. This was to stop drivers from getting distracted by counting the floors.
Tallest Building in New Mexico
When it was finished, the 64.9 m (213 ft) tower became the tallest in New Mexico. It was taller than the New Mexico Bank & Trust Building. This building was built far from the other tall buildings downtown. This showed that people and money were moving away from Albuquerque's old city center. They were moving to the newer Northeast Heights area.
The tower was meant to be the center of a new area called First National Bank Center. But only one other tower was built there. This was a 10-story office building next door. It used to be the main office for Microsoft. Just three years after opening, the tower lost its "tallest building" title. The National Building downtown became the tallest. However, the Bank of the West Tower is still the tallest building outside of Downtown Albuquerque.
What Was Inside?
The First National Bank branch used the first two floors. The basement had vaults and safe deposit boxes. It also had a room for events and a cafe. The top two floors were for the Albuquerque City Club. This was a special club only for members.
The club had a bar, a dining room, and a beauty salon on the 16th floor. It also had saunas. The 17th floor had a gym and a rooftop deck. This deck was used for dancing, sunbathing, and other outdoor fun. The club closed after only two years. Its space was later turned into two homes called penthouses. These homes were still there in 2015. There was also a racquetball court on the roof.
Changes Over Time
First National Bank was bought by First Security Bank in 1993. So, the building's name and signs changed. The tower was renamed again in 2001. This happened when Bank of the West bought the bank branch. Bank of the West moved out of the building in 2012. Now, different State departments use the building.
Building Design and Look
The Bank of the West Tower was designed by Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn. This company was from Albuquerque. They also designed a very similar building in Phoenix. That building was later changed a lot.
The tower has 17 floors above ground and one basement level. This gives it a total of 106,000 sq ft (9,800 m2) of space. The building's frame is made from strong concrete. This design helps spread the weight of each floor. It sends the weight to the outside columns and the center of the tower. This means the inside of the building has no columns. This design also made each floor a bit shorter. This allowed them to add an extra floor without making the building taller than planned.
Inside the Tower
The ground floor of the building has pillars made of gray Italian marble. These frame 28 large glass windows. The main lobby and banking area first had gray and cream-colored marble. They also had wood and metal decorations. The upper floors used a dark green vinyl covering that looked like marble.
The areas near the elevators had fifteen large murals. These were painted by Alice Garver. They showed different parts of New Mexico's history. For example, one showed native peoples. Another showed covered wagons. One even showed the Atomic Age. Sadly, these murals were delicate and are no longer there.
Outside the Tower
On the outside, white paint and tinted glass were used. This helped keep the building cool. Each section between the windows has gold ceramic tiles. The architect, Max Flatow, said these tiles had real 23-karat gold. He believed using precious things on buildings made society richer. About 2.5 million small, one-inch square tiles were needed to cover the building. The outside of the tower also has gold-colored aluminum screens on the eleventh floor.
The top of the building first had "FIRST NATIONAL BANK" written in green lights on all four sides. In 1993, this changed to "FIRST SECURITY BANK" in red letters. Then in 2001, it became the Bank of the West logo. Since 2012, the building no longer has any signs on its outside.
See also
In Spanish: Bank of the West Tower (Albuquerque) para niños
