Valley National Bank, Willetta Branch, 1505 North Central Avenue (formerly 1400 North 1st Street), Phoenix

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS AZ-230. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Valley National Bank of Arizona Willetta Branch building represents the first initial wave of post-World War II (WWII) branch bank construction in Phoenix. As the population in Phoenix boomed and suburban residential development rapidly expanded, the bank embarked upon a new campaign to develop convenient neighborhood locations for its customers outside of the formal downtown. As the first formally designed Valley National branch bank building, the Willetta and First Street Office is significant for its association with the expansion of credit to the suburban Phoenix population.

The building at North Central Avenue is also significant for its architecture as it reflects a new post-WWII branch bank model which emphasized the use of mixed materials and expanses of glass to provide customers with dual senses of security and openness. VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 2) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: 2. Architect: Frederick Penn Weaver, Jr. and Richard E. Drover of Weaver & Drover Architects 3. Original and subsequent uses: The building was constructed for the Valley National Bank of Arizona for use as a branch office, and it remained a bank until After that date, the building was home to a newspaper office and it was later renovated to accommodate a charter school. 4. Builder: J. R.

Porter Construction 5. Original plans and construction: The original plans for the Willetta and First Street Office building, dating to November are held in the Phoenix offices of DWL Architects + Planners, Inc., the modern iteration of the Weaver & Drover firm. The plans consist of 49 sheets labelled A1 A33; S1 S6; M1 M5; E1 E4; and D1. Riley & Foltz is listed as the structural engineering firm on the plans with M. M. Lowry & J. P. Sorensen identified as the mechanical engineers. The sheets include elevations and sections; floor plans; details of bank fixtures; truss plans; foundation details; entry plans; ceiling plans; finishes; heating/cooling plans; electrical plans; plumbing plans; signage; and exterior circulation.

Also included are revisions for several of the original plan sheets, drafted in June and August of and February as well as a sheet for an interior counter addition dating to February 6. Alterations and additions: In February of a permit was issued for a 950 square foot addition. The addition was designed by Weaver & Drover with Frank Foltz serving as the engineer and Stacey Construction, Inc. as the contractor. The single-story addition with battered and patterned concrete walls was added to the building s northern fa ade. The addition projects below the two-story portion of the building and abuts a vestibule with a projecting roofline, segmented glass walls, and a double entry door.

At an unknown date, the southern portion of the former drive-thru teller along Willetta Street was infilled with segmented glass and a central brick wall. Three glass entry doors and a metal door within the central brick portion of the fa ade were also added. The northern fa ade of the former drive-thru was enclosed with segmented glass walls and two entry doors were added. The western fa ade of the addition, comprised of a concrete wall with a geometric pattern, infilled the western border of the original drive- thru.

A City of Phoenix building permit request for the placement of a drive-in teller sign indicates that this enclosure occurred sometime after The original metal roof and geometrically-shaped support beams of the drive-thru remain intact and are visible on both the northern and southern facades. VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 3) B. Historical Context: The origin of the Valley National Bank can be traced to two separate Arizona banking institutions the First National Bank of Phoenix, founded in and the Gila Valley Bank, which was organized in Solomonville, Arizona in The First National Bank of Phoenix was reorganized as the Valley Bank in and became a dominant financial institution in the Salt River Valley.

In the Gila Valley Bank expanded to the mining communities of Clifton and Morenci, reorganized as the Gila Valley Bank & Trust Company, and came to be a powerful economic player in the rural communities of eastern Arizona. By the end of the these two financial institutions had become the largest in the state of Arizona; however, the post-World War I economic recession heavily impacted the banks and in the two companies merged to form the Valley Bank & Trust Company (Valley Bank).

While the new organization found greater economic stability, by the end of the decade the country entered the Great Depression and the company experienced precipitous declines in deposits between and In the latter year, Chicago-based banker Walter Bimson was recruited by Valley Bank to take on the role of president of the company. Bimson s arrival nearly coincided with the inauguration of President Franklin Roosevelt in Roosevelt took a progressive stance toward providing assistance to beleaguered financial institutions and pushed for legislation to insure bank deposits in order to restore confidence in the banking industry.

Bimson took advantage of such programs and began a progressive campaign to extend credit often in the form of small loans to individuals and businesses in order to bolster the profitability of the bank. Between and the company acquired banks in Prescott and Tucson and the following year, applied for a national banking charter. Upon approval of the charter, leaders changed the name of the organization to the Valley National Bank of Arizona.

1 In as the United States was poised to enter into WWII, Valley National Bank possessed 19 banks throughout the state which served a customer base of America s entrance into WWII largely stalled bank infrastructure growth however, and upon the conclusion of the war in only one branch location had been added in the state despite a nearly two-fold increase in banking customers. 2 The company grew dramatically over the next two decades as it sought to keep pace with a booming Arizona population. While initially the company had expanded by creating branches to serve different communities, during the post-war era the bank developed multiple branches within the same community.

In Valley National Bank established its first neighborhood 1 Datacorp Communications, Condensed History: Valley National Bank of Arizona, Datacorp Communications vol. 2, no. 7 Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 1, folder 1; John Larsen Southard, Progressing with Arizona: A History of Valley National Bank in the Immediate Post-War Period, (Master s Thesis, Arizona State University, 2 Houston L. Walsh, Phoenix City Directory (Phoenix: Arizona Directory Company, C. Dewey Rose, Phoenix City Directory (Phoenix: Phoenix City Directory Company, VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 4) branch in an existing home in Phoenix at the current site of the Willetta Branch building to reach an increasingly suburban clientele.

The home was modified to accommodate a drive- through window, purportedly one of the first in the nation. The branch manager Tom Goodnight noted customers coming up the driveway would hand their transactions to a teller who leaned out of the old building s kitchen window. 3 Valley National quickly realized that it needed to develop a larger branch to accommodate the rising number of customers and in had architectural plans drafted for a new one-story building and a Quonset hut was built on the site to serve as a temporary bank building during construction. The branch construction was delayed, however, due to materials restrictions instituted by the government during the Korean conflict.

In the bank decided to build a larger, multi-story branch which would also house bank offices and a drive-through teller. The plan for this building, designed by architect Green, was abandoned due to economic conditions and Valley National Bank hired the firm Weaver & Drover in to draft plans for current bank building which, as noted above, was constructed in 4 Carl Bimson, brother of Walter Bimson, became employed by the bank in and took over the position of Valley National Bank president in Walter then transferred to the role of Chairman of the Board for the bank. Both brothers had strong visions for the growth of the bank and saw branch buildings as an opportunity to market to customers.

According to a article published in Arizona Highways, Walter Bimson described himself as a frustrated architect who insisted that new Valley Bank buildings be attractive, friendly, and inviting as well as functional. An avid art collector, Walter Bimson also placed numerous pieces within branches. By the bank had constructed Phoenix neighborhood branches on East Van Buren Street E. Van Buren); Indian School Road and Central Avenue W. Indian School Road); Street and Thomas Road N. Street); West Van Buren Street W. Van Buren); 16 Street and Camelback Road N. Street); and the Willetta and First Street Office. By the end of the decade, three additional branches in Phoenix had been developed.

5 3 Valley National Bank, Arizona Progress Financial Newsletter, June, Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 66, folder 98; Valley National Bank, Arizona s Growth and Branch Banking, Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 68, folder 4 Valley Bank to Build 6-Story North Branch, The Arizona Republic, April 3, Valley Bank Starts New Building at Corner of Willetta and First Streets, The Arizona Republic, January 10, Valley Bank Branch Opens, The Arizona Republic, November 22, Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 5 Datacorp Communications, Condensed History ; Stocker 37; Did You have a part in this? Arizonans did!

, The Arizona Republic, January 30, Robert Morton Baldwin, The Mullin-Kille Phoenix Arizona Con Survey City Directory (Chillicothe: Mullin-Kille Company, https://www.ancestry.com; Donna Reiner, Follow the Money: Identifying the Custom Architecturally Designed Branch Bank (Master s Thesis, Goucher College, VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 5) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement 1. Architectural character: The Valley National Bank Willetta and First Street Office building, constructed on First and Willetta streets in is a regional example of the International Style and reflects the style s tenets of geometric forms with limited ornamentation.

The multi-level, flat roofed building was adapted to the sunny, desert climate through the incorporation of large, cantilevered overhangs which provided shade, as well as tall, narrow, angled windows along the eastern side that allowed for illumination of conference rooms/offices without direct sunlight. Louvres over clerestory windows on the eastern fa ade also provided filtered light to the lobby. The building also demonstrates the broader evolution of bank architecture which occurred on the national and local levels in the post-World War II era.

In the bankers and resultantly architects sought to develop buildings that reflected new modern post-war design aesthetics to provide customers with a sense of openness, while also conveying a sense of safety and stability as a financial institution. To accomplish this, designers combined masonry materials such as concrete and brick with glass in new forms. The building reflects this new emphasis on mixed materials and space with its incorporation of warm-colored running brick, panels of glass which allowed in light, and battered concrete walls which housed the bank safe and vault. The building retains integrity of location, materials, workmanship, and feeling. When the building was constructed it was located in an area of mixed residential and commercial use.

In subsequent years, former residences were demolished and the buildings immediately south of the bank were razed to accommodate construction of the Burton Barr branch of the Phoenix Public Library and its associated parking areas. The original design of the building has been modified twice, through the construction of a battered concrete wall addition to the northern fa ade in and enclosure of the original drive- through teller island on the western fa ade of the building at an unknown date. The battered concrete addition to the front mirrors that on the main (southern) facade which houses the safe/vault. While not distinct from the original design of the building, the addition is compatible in size and scale. 2. Condition of fabric: The bank building is in good condition.

The norman brick, cast stone, and battered concrete wall surfaces, as well as the plate and clerestory windows, are all in an excellent state of preservation. Additionally, the original vault and night depository box remain intact and are fully operational. B. Description of Exterior: VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 6) 1. Overall dimensions: As built, the historic bank measured along Willetta Street and along First Street. A two-lane, covered drive-thru with central teller island extended to the west of the western fa ade of the bank building. The teller island measured x curb to curb. Presently the length of the building along First Street measures 128 -0 while the width, along Willetta with the infilled drive-thru measures 135 -0 .

The building has multiple levels including single story, one-and-a-half story, and two- story sections. The height of the two-story portion of the building measured while the height of the battered cast stone portion of the building measured the one-and-a-half story measured and the single story measured 2. Foundations: The building has a reinforced concrete foundation with footers ranging from to in width. 3. Walls: The walls of the building consist of orange-colored norman course brick and smooth rectangular-shaped courses of cast stone and concrete. The southern fa ade includes norman brick on the single, one-and-a-half, and two-story portions of the building, as well as the battered cast stone wall with rectangular courses surrounding the vault.

All three levels of the eastern fa ade are constructed of norman course brick with the battered cast stone wall of the southern fa ade wrapping the southeastern corner of the two-story portion of the building. The original three levels of the northern fa ade are comprised of norman course brick. A subsequent single story addition to the northern fa ade mirrors the battered cast stone walls along the southern fa ade with large, rectangular courses. The walls of the second story of the western fa ade are norman brick while the infilled portion of the drive-thru teller on the western facade is comprised of rectangular courses of rough cast concrete. 4. Structural system, framing: The structural framing consists of steel beam and girder with reinforced concrete slab flooring.

Load bearing walls are of steel frame with metal deck roof framing. 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Plans indicate that the original doorways included double glass, aluminum framed doors on the southern fa ade; double glass, brick-framed doors on the west-facing portion of the northern fa ade; and three single entry doors on the eastern fa ade of the teller island. The subsequent addition to the northern fa ade resulted in a re-orientation of the entryway to the northern portion of the fa ade adjacent to the addition. This new doorway consists of double glass doors with aluminum frames.

Three glass entry doors and a metal door within the central brick portion of the fa ade were added to the southern fa ade of the drive- VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 7) thru infill. Two glass entry doors were added to the northern fa ade of the drive- thru infill. b. Windows: Windows include five, fixed pane, rectangular-shaped windows on the eastern fa ade of the second story with cast stone frames; clerestory windows along the one-and-a-half story portion of the eastern fa ade with mechanical metal louvre coverings; and narrow, nearly floor-to-ceiling windows in the angled portions of the single story portion of the eastern fa ade.

Four segmented, metal framed, floor-to-ceiling windows extend beyond the double door entry on the southern fa ade and form a right angle as a curtain wall. The double door entry possesses aluminum framed side lites and a fixed pane transom. Plans indicate that these were the only windows on the southern fa ade. With the infill of the original drive- thru on the southern fa ade, aluminum-framed side lights and transoms were included on either side of the western and central glass doors. Two segmented aluminum framed windows are present to the west of the easternmost glass door on the southern fa ade which also possesses a glass transom. There are no windows present on the western fa ade.

As constructed, the windows on the northern fa ade included a row of segmented, aluminum-framed, floor-to-ceiling windows which wrapped a corner creating a curtain wall adjacent to a west-facing double door glass entry with transom. Four segmented, aluminum framed, floor-to- ceiling windows were present to the west of this double door entry and were northern facing. Additionally, a row of four segmented, aluminum framed windows were present in the second story portion of the northern fa ade. The plans noted a loggia railing present in front of the windows. With the northern addition the entry was reoriented to face the north. A row of five segmented, aluminum framed, floor- to-ceiling windows are located to the west of the north-facing double door entry.

A transom is present over the double door entry and a single, segmented, floor-to- ceiling window is present to the west of the entry. A single pane, aluminum framed, floor-to-ceiling window is present towards the eastern end of the northern fa ade. The row of four windows remains present on the northern fa ade of the second story portion of the building. Within the infilled drive-thru portion of the northern fa ade, a segmented, aluminum framed, floor-to-ceiling window is present at the ell, adjacent to a single, glass door entry with transom. A row of five segmented, aluminum framed, floor-to-ceiling windows are present to the west of a glass door entry.

At the western end of the infilled drive-thru portion of the northern fa ade, a single pane, aluminum framed, floor-to-ceiling window is located on either side of a single glass door entry with transom. 6. Roof: VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 8) a. Shape, covering: The roof is flat, of built-up material. The original cantilevered metal frame roof of the drive-thru remains and is visible on the northern and southern facades of the western addition. b. Cornice, eaves: The building has cantilevered roofing sections of plywood with aluminum fascia and aluminum coping, as well as norman brick walls with plaster coping. C. Description of Interior: 1.

Floor plans: As built in the bank had a rectangular floor plan featuring a large one- and-a-half story lobby with built-in teller cabinets; an entrance vestibule; numerous offices including an officers room; several file rooms; a janitor s closet; two restrooms one for officers and one for women; an open room with a teller counter and drive-in window; and a vault with cabinets and safe deposit boxes on the first floor. The second floor, of the two-story portion of the building, had 13 rooms connected by a hallway. Two of the rooms were bathrooms and one was a small kitchenette with a sink, garbage disposal, and two-burner stove. The function of the remaining rooms is not known. The basement served as storage and physical plant space.

Today, very little of the original floorplan on the first and second stories remains intact. Although the two-story lobby area has been largely retained, in recent years, a series of walls were added, dividing the officers room originally an open room with plaster- sheathed and granite-faced columns into four separate rooms. Additional walls have been added within several of the rooms to create closets. Partition walls have also been added to the room to the west of the lobby, where the teller counter and drive-in window were once located, to create two rooms one of which most recently functioned as a kitchen. An opening in the western wall of the kitchen leads to the addition at the west end of the building.

Included in this space are two restrooms, two offices to the north, and a storage room to the west. The second-story portion of the building currently has a large open area at the northern end, six offices of similar size along the eastern wall, and a closet and bathroom to the north of the original stairwell. The area over the vault, which was originally noted as having cabinets along the perimeter, now contains a kitchenette with a partitioned space to the east. The basement level appears to have largely retained its original floorplan. The room housing the incinerator and associated equipment and ductwork has not been altered. The northern portion of the basement is accessed by a hall that runs along the eastern end of the space.

An access door from the hallway opens onto a large, undivided space, the roof of which is supported by concrete pillars. VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 9) 2. Stairways: The principal stairway to the basement and second level is located at the end of the hallway at what was originally the southwest corner of the building. A concrete stairway with asphalt tile tread and standard pipe handrails fills the space. Two additional stairways were added to the building at an unknown date. One of the stairways is accessed from the northern entrance vestibule and provides access to the second story. The stairway is constructed of concrete and is approximately 6' wide. The steps are covered with carpet, with decorative tile applied to the edges of the tread.

The second staircase is located in the basement, in what was originally the northwest corner of the building. It consists of a spiral staircase with steel grate risers and handrails. The top of the stairway lacks a formal landing, suggesting that installation was haphazard. 3. Flooring: The original floor covering in the bank s lobby, southern entrance vestibule, and file rooms to the north and east of the vault was terrazzo. Plans indicate that the terrazzo was laid in a decorative pattern and had zinc divider strips. The bathrooms on the first and second floors had ceramic tile floors, and the floor surfaces in the remaining rooms were covered in terratile. The basement had cement floors.

While terrazzo remains in the lobby and northern entrance vestibule, the original terratile and terrazzo floors in the remaining rooms on the first and second levels have been removed and replaced with carpet or linoleum. The original cement floors of the basement remain. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: The majority of the interior walls within the bank building are plaster. Exceptions include the eastern and northern walls of the vault, which are constructed with cast stone; several exposed norman brick walls in the front and rear entry vestibules and lobby; and load bearing and exterior walls in the basement which consist of painted masonry. Additionally, the lower portions of the walls in the restrooms are covered in glazed ceramic tile.

All of the walnut plywood paneling, wallpaper, and vertical sheets of polished granite originally present in the bank building have been removed. Plans suggest that the ceiling in the lobby is covered in acoustical plaster, with the support beams finished in smooth gypsum plaster. The remaining rooms on the first and second stories have either plaster ceilings or drop ceilings with acoustical tile. In the basement, the concrete slab and beam ceiling is largely unfinished only the ceiling of the hallway is covered in plaster. 5. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: All of the original walnut doors within the bank building have been replaced with metal fire doors with small rectangular windows and aluminum thresholds.

Exceptions include the restroom doors on the first and second stories VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 10) which have wooden doors and aluminum thresholds, and the massive steel doors of the first story vault. Plaques on the doors indicate that the vault was manufactured by the Mosler Safe Company of Hamilton, Ohio. With the exception of the building s four bathrooms, which had marble thresholds, the thresholds for all interior doors were aluminum. All of the wooden doorways had walnut trim. b. Windows: Polished plate glass windows with aluminum frames are present to the east of the southern vestibule and allow outside light to pass through the vestibule in.

An interior glass partition wall in the vestibule further makes the safe visible to banking customers upon entry. 6. Decorative features and trim: All decorative features and trim dating to the bank s original construction have been removed. 7. Hardware: The original type vertical louvres, manufactured by Lemlar Manufacturing Company, remain over the clerestory windows on the building s eastern facade. The vault also remains unaltered, with the original day gates, combination mechanisms, and hand cranks still intact. 8. Mechanical equipment: a. Heating, air conditioning, ventilation: As built, the bank used steam heat generated by an incinerator located in the basement. A 3-ton air conditioning unit was installed by Arizona York Refrigeration Company of Phoenix in February b.

Lighting: In the lobby, up and down lights housed in the cross beam intersecting the vertical beams along the eastern wall and clusters of four hanging lights along the length of the ceiling contribute to the sense of light in the space. Both the southern and northern entrance vestibules are lit by recessed can lights, similar to those on the exterior of the building. The remaining rooms of the first and second stories have fluorescent lights hung in the drop ceilings. In the basement, fluorescent tubes suspended from the slab and beam ceiling illuminate the open space at the northern end of the building. c. Plumbing: According to the plans, the original plumbing fixtures were either cast iron or galvanized wrought iron. The current condition of the plumbing is not known. 9.

Original furnishings: Original furnishings include an ornamental clock, a drinking fountain, and a janitor s sink all of which are located on the first floor. The clock is located on the northern wall in the lobby and consists of eight rectangular and four VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 11) triangular pieces of aluminum fixed to the wall, signifying the hours, with a central circular aluminum piece that houses the triangular shaped hour and minute hands. Both the drinking fountain and janitor s sink are located at the southern end of the building, opposite the vault. The drinking fountain is located in the hallway leading to the stairwell, and the janitor s sink is located in a closet at the eastern end of the same hallway.

Both the drinking fountain and sink were manufactured by American Standard. D. Site: 1. Historic landscape design: The original site layout placed the bank building and adjacent teller drive-thru at the southern portion of the lot. Formal ingress and egress was developed with two curb cuts/driveways along First Street which were separated by a sidewalk and planting strip. The sidewalk and planting strip continued to the south towards the intersection with Willetta Street where it wrapped to the west, intersecting with the drive-thru exit lanes on the west side of the building.

An angled norman course brick and cast stone screen wall was designed to mirror the brick bank edifice and extended along the eastern parking lot boundary, adjacent to First Street, to the northeast corner of the lot. The wall was designed with two breaks to allow for the driveways to the parking lot. A large 31 -0 by 25 -6 Valley National Bank sign, supported by metal posts, was located adjacent to the screening fence along First Street fa ade but was oriented to face north/south. Two north-south concrete islands defined the extent of angled parking spaces in the northern lot. The western end of these islands also defined the eastern boundary of the drive-thru. Formal, brick-faced, planting boxes were placed adjacent to the northern and southern entrances.

The northern planting box was subsequently removed following the building addition. The eastern screening wall and central concrete island defining parking spaces remain intact. The western concrete island is no longer extant, nor is the original Valley National Bank sign. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A. Architectural drawings: The Weaver & Drover plans for the First National Bank Willetta and First Street Office, dating from are available at DWL Architects + Planning located at N. Central Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. The plans consist of 49 sheets, dating from to The plans, dated between June and August are identified as File no. and include hardscape and landscaping improvements.

Drawings include various elevations and sections, floor plans, detail of bank fixtures, truss plans and the original bank entry plans of the historic bank building. VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 12) File no. dating to February 22, relates to an interior counter addition drafted by Weaver & Drover. The wood frame and plywood counter was constructed towards the northern entrance and is no longer extant. B.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS AZ-230. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

American Architects Directory Second Edition. New York: Bowker Company, rectory.aspx. Baldwin, Robert Morton. The Mullin-Kille Phoenix Arizona Con Survey City Directory. Chillicothe: Mullin-Kille Company, Electronic document available at https://www/ancestry.com. Datacorp Communications. Condensed History: Valley National Bank of Arizona. Datacorp Communications Vol. 2, No. 7 (July Document on file at the Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 1, folder 1. Did You have a part in this? Arizonans did! . The Arizona Republic, January 30, 17. Accessed February 5, Dorigo, Gabriela Beatriz. The Modernist Branch Bank: An Appropriate Response to the Phoenix Urban Condition. Master s Thesis, Arizona State University, Koyl, George S., ed.

American Architects Directory First Edition. New York: Bowker Company, rectory.aspx. Reiner, Donna. Follow the Money: Identifying the Custom Architecturally Designed Branch Bank. Master s Thesis, Goucher College, Rose, C. Dewey. Phoenix City Directory Phoenix: Phoenix City Directory Company, Southard, John Larsen. Progressing with Arizona: A History of Valley National Bank in the Immediate Post-War Period, Master s Thesis, Arizona State University, Stocker, Joseph. Financing America s Most Flourishing Frontier. Arizona Highways, November VALLEY NATIONAL BANK, WILLETTA BRANCH HABS AZ-230 (Page 13) Valley Bank Branch Opens.

The Arizona Republic, November 22, Document on file at the Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box Valley Bank Starts New Building at Corner of Willetta and First Streets. The Arizona Republic, January 10, 10 (Section 2). Accessed February 12, Valley Bank to Build 6-Story North Branch. The Arizona Republic, April 3, 1. Accessed February 5, Valley National Bank. Arizona s Growth and Branch Banking. Valley National Bank, Document on file at the Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 68, folder Valley National Bank. Arizona Progress Financial Newsletter, June.

Valley National Bank, Document on file at the Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box 66, folder 98. VNB Office to be Built on Willetta. The Arizona Republic, July 8, Document on file at the Arizona Historical Society at Papago Park, Valley National Bank Collection MS 44, box Walsh, Houston L. Phoenix City Directory Phoenix: Arizona Directory Company, D. Supplemental Material: The City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department was searched for historic building permits for the property.

This search yielded 10 permits which spanned from to and primarily related to the 950 square foot addition to the northern fa ade in However, a permit discussed the installation of a night depository and a permit noted the request to remove two interior walls. PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION The documentation of the Valley National Bank Willetta Branch Office was conducted by North Wind in under contract to Tilton Development Company. The field team consisted of Architectural Historian, Greta Rayle (North Wind), Historian Helana Ruter (North Wind), and Photographer Aaron Rothman of ARBR Photography of Phoenix. The written narrative was prepared by Ms. Ruter, with the assistance of Ms. Rayle.

It was edited by Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer William Collins of Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Kevin Weight, Planner III for the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office. The photographs and negatives were processed by Mr. Rothman.