Professional Building (Phoenix, Arizona)

Professional Building

Professional Building
General information
Status Under Reconstruction
Location North Central Avenue and Monroe Street
Phoenix
Coordinates 33°27′00″N 112°04′19″W / 33.4499°N 112.0719°WCoordinates: 33°27′00″N 112°04′19″W / 33.4499°N 112.0719°W
Construction started 1931
Completed 1932
Height
Roof 171 ft (52 m)
Top floor 12
Technical details
Floor count 12
Design and construction
Architect Morgan, Walls & Clemmets

The Professional Building in Phoenix, Arizona, is an Art Deco skyscraper in the state of Arizona. Built in 1932, it is 171 feet (52 meters) tall. The Professional Building is designed in the Art Deco style. Angles and setbacks are played up in this streamlined design. A central tower rises from the two story base with a wing on the western side of the building. The entrances on Central Avenue and Monroe Street feature decorative grills above the doors, which add elements to the deco design.

History

In 1930, members of the Maricopa County Medical Society met to discuss the need for a major facility for medical, dental and laboratory offices. Coincidentally, the Valley Bank and Trust Company (later to be known as Valley National Bank of Arizona) was preparing plans to build their headquarters. The Professional Building is the result of combining the office space needs of both entities.

Upon completion, in February 1932, the Valley Bank moved into the bottom three floors with medical offices occupying the top seven.

In 1958, a large rotating Valley National Bank sign was added to the top of the tower. It measured 49 feet across and could be seen from miles around. Also in 1958 another floor was added to the western wing. This floor differs slightly from the rest of the building, as it is mostly glass and it is attached to the central core tower by a 45 degree angled cantilever. (In the opening shot of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, the building along with the rotating sign can be seen as the camera pans across the then-skyline of downtown Phoenix.)

In 1972, the Valley Bank moved across the street to the tallest skyscraper in the state, its newly built headquarters, now known as Chase Tower.

In the next two decades, the building's occupancy dwindled, yet on January 8, 1993, the Professional Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

By the early 2000s, the building had been vacant for years and the revolving sign had been removed.

Scottsdale-based Grace Communities purchased the Professional Building. It is in the midst of a major renovation. The Professional Building was slated to be transformed into the Hotel Monroe, a 150-room boutique hotel. Originally slated to open in October 2008, the Hotel Monroe project stopped because of the collapse of its lender Mortgages Ltd.

In 2013, the Hotel Monroe was the last of the Mortgages Ltd. properties to be sold off, going to CSM Lodging for $7.9 million.[2] In late 2014, CSM Lodging closed on a $30 million loan with the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corp. and plans to start redeveloping the art deco tower, as Phoenix Hilton hotel, in January 2015.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. ↑ "Hotel Monroe awaits $40M historic future, Arizona Builders Exchange
  3. ↑ "'Psycho' building at Central and Monroe to become Phoenix Hilton, The AZ Republic

External links