Banking on Progress: The History and Future of the Valley National Bank Buildings in Phoenix, AZ

Text and Photos by Walt Lockley

Resources

Interview with architect Frank Henry, 5/18/06

Undated materials supplied by Frank Henry, including his bio and technical drawings of the branch bank at 44th Street & Camelback

Press clippings, photographs and other materials assembled in looseleaf binder at Chase Bank branch at 74th Street & McDowell

Interview and building tour with landscape architect Russell MacDonald of Hoskin Ryan Consultants, 4/29/06

Site visits to all the banks, April and May 2006

"Wright's Baghdad opera house and Gammage Auditorium: in search of regional modernity", on Walter Bimson's role there, web page accessed 5/29/06 at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0422/is_2_87/ai_n14919435

"Bank One may demolish branch some call historical", The Business Journal of Phoenix - January 24, 1997, Lisa Gonderinger, web page accessed 5/29/06 at
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/1997/01/27/focus8.html

"Tempe Historic Property Survey of the Valley National Bank - Tempe, Arizona" accessed on 5/29/06 at http://www.tempe.gov/museum/hps440.htm

"The modernist branch bank: an appropriate response to the Phoenix urban condition", by Gabriela Beatriz Dorigo, Thesis (M.E.P.), Arizona State University, 2004

"Treasures of Taliesin", edited by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, 1985

"Guide to the Architecture of Metro Phoenix", AIA, 1986

For the full-length version of Walt's research including additional larger photographs, visit http://www.waltlockley.com/vnb%20top/vnb.htm

About the Author

Walt Lockley is a consultant in the psychology of space and has been a member of ModernPhoenix since March of 2005. You may read about his user-oriented space analysis methods and design services at www.placedoctor.com. He maintains an ever-growing list of psycologically-inclined building reviews on his website here and here. He may be reached at walt@placedoctor.com.

Your contributions of knowledge and urban lore about the Valley National Bank building program is welcomed, and may be interactively dialogued about on our message board thread dedicated to the topic.

Banking on Progress: The History and Future of the Valley National Bank Buildings in Phoenix, AZ

Text and Photos by Walt Lockley