Valley National Bank Building (Tucson, Arizona) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Valley National Bank Building
Valley National Bank Building
General information
Type	Offices, bank
Location	2 East Congress Street, Tucson, Arizona 85701, USA
Coordinates	32°13′18″N 110°58′16″W / 32.22169°N 110.97104°W / 32.22169; -110.97104
Completed	1929
Owner	JPMorgan Chase (as of 2003) Bank One (1993-2003) Valley National Bank (1929-1993)
Height
Top floor	142.0 ft
Technical details
Floor count	11
Lifts/elevators	2
Design and construction
Architect	Percy A. Eisen Albert R. Walker

The Valley National Bank Building is the oldest skyscraper in Tucson, Arizona. A skyscraper is a very tall building! It was built in 1929 by two architects named Percy A. Eisen and Albert R. Walker. This important building has been officially recognized and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003.

History of the Building

A long time ago, in 1901, a bank called Consolidated National Bank bought the land where the building now stands. The bank they had was too small, so they tore it down to build a new one. Even that second bank wasn't big enough! So, in 1917, they made it much bigger, spending about $100,000.

In 1928, Consolidated National Bank decided to build something really impressive: Tucson's very first skyscraper! It opened in 1929 and cost a huge amount of money for that time – $1 million. The building had 3,000 safety deposit boxes, which are like super-safe lockers where people could keep their valuable items. This showed how wealthy people in Tucson were becoming.

A few years later, in 1935, a bank from Phoenix called The Valley Bank and Trust bought Consolidated National. They joined together to form the Valley National Bank of Arizona. The building showed off the good taste of the people who owned the bank, who were some of Tucson's most important business leaders.

The building was even used in a movie! Some parts of the 1956 film A Kiss Before Dying were filmed right here in Tucson. Later, in 1993, Bank One took over Valley National Bank. Today, Chase still has a bank branch inside the building.

How the Building Looks

The Valley National Bank Building is located in downtown Tucson. It stretches 127 feet along Stone Avenue and 65 feet along Congress Street. The building has 10 stories, plus a basement. The first floor has tall banking offices and a mezzanine (a floor between two main floors). The building is super strong, made with a fireproof steel frame and poured concrete.

The design of the Valley National Bank Building was inspired by a big fair held in Chicago in 1893 called the World's Columbian Exposition. This fair showed off many different building styles, including the Italian Renaissance Revival style, which this building uses. This style makes the building look like old Italian palaces. Inside, there are beautiful decorations and paintings. For example, there are murals on the lobby ceiling that show America as a "New Eden," painted by an artist named Anthony Heinsbergen.

The outside of the building is covered with brick and a creamy clay material called terra cotta on its north and west sides. The very top of the building has a classic cornice (a decorative molding) and an Italian-style roof overhang painted brown. This roof overhang even has cool black-and-red patterns inspired by Native American designs from the Southwest!

Inside the bank lobby, the walls were originally a grey-green color. The ceiling on the bank level has a special pattern called "coffered," with beams carved with flower designs. The ceiling paintings and beams have a geometric pattern in red, rose, green, blue, and shiny gold leaf.

The mezzanine floor has always been part of the bank. It includes three rooms. One was the office for a director named T. N. McCauly, with walls made of shiny mahogany wood. Another room was made especially for women, with wicker furniture. It still has two beautiful crystal chandeliers from when it was first built!

Building Next Door

There is another building right next to the Valley National Bank Building. This three-story building was built in 1912. It became an extra part, or "annex," to the bank building after some changes in 1953 and 1960.

Images for kids

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  Upper floors.

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  Lower floors.