Bank of the West Tower, Office tower at Central Avenue NE, Albuquerque, United States.
The Bank of the West Tower is an office building on Central Avenue NE in Albuquerque with 17 stories rising about 65 meters (213 feet) tall. The structure features large windows and minimal interior columns, allowing for open and flexible floor layouts.
Groundbreaking took place on July 12, 1961, and the First National Bank branch opened on February 16, 1963. The 64.9 m tower surpassed the New Mexico Bank & Trust Building as the state's tallest, but lost that title to the National Building just three years later. It was built by Del Webb Corporation from designs by Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn.
The 16th and 17th floors were reserved for the members-only Albuquerque City Club, with a bar, dining room, beauty salon and saunas below a gymnasium and rooftop deck for dancing and sunbathing. The club closed after only two years, and its space was later converted into two residential penthouses.
The building is located along Central Avenue NE and is easily accessible from most parts of Albuquerque. The exterior can be viewed from the street without special arrangements or reservations needed.
The facade features Italian marble columns and decorative ceramic tiles containing gold elements in the spandrels between floors. This combination of fine materials was an impressive architectural statement for the 1960s era.
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