Phoenix Financial Center
Encyclopedia
The Phoenix Financial Center is a high-rise office building located along Central Avenue
in the Midtown district of Phoenix
, Arizona
, United States
. It was built in 1968 by the Financial Corporation of Arizona. At the time, the main tower consisted only of 11 stories; the extra eight were added in 1972. Locally, the building is commonly referred to as the "Punchcard Building," due to aesthetic similarities between said workplace item and the building's southeastern facade.
The Phoenix Financial Center is an example of International style
architecture, featuring many elements of Googie design. The architect of the building is Wenceslaus Sarmiento
. The building is the site of a "fallout
-proof" time capsule
which is to be opened in 2012.
The building is located close to the Park Central station of METRO Light Rail
, which contains displays detailing the history of the Phoenix Financial Center building as well as other buildings in the area.
Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona
The Central Avenue Corridor is a significant stretch of north-south Central Avenue, in Phoenix, Arizona. Roughly bounded by Camelback Road to its north, and McDowell Road to its south, this is one of Phoenix's most vital and heavily trafficked stretches of roadway...
in the Midtown district of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was built in 1968 by the Financial Corporation of Arizona. At the time, the main tower consisted only of 11 stories; the extra eight were added in 1972. Locally, the building is commonly referred to as the "Punchcard Building," due to aesthetic similarities between said workplace item and the building's southeastern facade.
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
architecture, featuring many elements of Googie design. The architect of the building is Wenceslaus Sarmiento
Wenceslaus Sarmiento
Wenceslaus Sarmiento, also known as W.A. Sarmiento is a Peruvian-born American modernist architect.Sarmiento studied in various locations in South America, for eighteen months in the office of Oscar Niemeyer, before coming to the United States...
. The building is the site of a "fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
-proof" time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
which is to be opened in 2012.
The building is located close to the Park Central station of METRO Light Rail
METRO Light Rail (Phoenix)
Metro Light Rail is a 32 km light rail line operating in the U.S. state of Arizona. Part of the Valley Metro public transit system, it serves the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. Construction began in March 2005; operation started December 27, 2008...
, which contains displays detailing the history of the Phoenix Financial Center building as well as other buildings in the area.