Phoenix Corporate Center

The Phoenix Corporate Center is a 26 floor skyscraper in Phoenix, Arizona. It was built in 1960 and designed in the International Style. The tower was built two miles north of Downtown Phoenix in the Central Corridor. At that time corporate investment turned its attention away from downtown. When the tower was complete it was the tallest building in Phoenix taking that distinction away from the Westward Ho and, thus, from Downtown Phoenix. It remained the tallest building for 11 years until Wells Fargo Plaza, at 27 stories, claimed the title and brought the title of tallest back to Downtown.

When Phoenix Corporate Center was originally built all north and south facing windows had balconies. There were seven columns stretching from the ground floor to the top where they formed a series of arches. Each column visually attached to its neighboring column. There was also a glass elevator on the western elevation, which served the top floor.

In the mid 1990s the exterior was remodeled. The windows on the north and south facing walls were moved to the edge of the balconies, claiming the area for interior space. Seven of the vertical columns on both the north and south facades were reduced to four. The exterior elevator is no longer functional.