Compass Bank Building (Albuquerque)
The Compass Bank Building (originally known as the National Building) is a high-rise office building located at 505 Marquette Avenue NW in Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was the tallest building in New Mexico upon its completion[2] and remained the holder of that title until the completion of the Albuquerque Plaza towers in 1990, making it currently the third tallest. It is 238 feet (73 m) tall and has 18 stories, the lowest six of which are occupied by a parking garage. With the rooftop antennas included it reaches a height of 272 feet (83 m).[4]
| Compass Bank Building | |
|---|---|
 Viewed from 6th Street NW | |
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| |
| Former names | National Building |
| Record height | |
| Preceded by | Bank of the West Tower |
| Surpassed by | Albuquerque Plaza |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | 505 Marquette Avenue NW Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 35.0886°N 106.6525°W |
| Construction started | 1965[1] |
| Completed | 1966[2] |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 82.9 m (272 ft) |
| Roof | 72.5 m (238 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 18 |
| Floor area | 232,900 sq ft (21,640 m2)[3] |
| References | |
| [4][5][6] | |
Ground was broken on the building on January 25, 1965 and it was completed in 1966, surpassing the Bank of the West Tower and becoming the tallest building in the city. The project was developed by the National Building Corporation of Tennessee.[1]
Architecture
The building was designed by William E. Burk, Jr., who also designed the Park Plaza Condominiums. It has twelve floors of office space above a wider six-story base which incorporates a parking garage on floors 2–6.[7] The exterior walls of the parking levels are molded concrete with an open grillwork pattern of stylized quatrefoils inspired by Moorish architecture.[8] The upper floors have recessed rectangular windows arranged in a simple grid pattern with beveled surrounds. At the ground level, the exterior walls are battered masonry punctuated by narrow paired windows on the south side.[9]
References
- "Groundbreaking". Santa Fe New Mexican. NM. AP. January 24, 1965. p. A6.
- "New View from the Top". Albuquerque Tribune. NM. June 28, 1966. p. A1.
- Moskos, Harry (August 15, 2004). "Where It's Happening". The Albuquerque Journal. NM.
- Compass Bank Building at Emporis
- "Compass Bank Building". SkyscraperPage.
- Compass Bank Building at Structurae
- "National Building is impressive addition to Albuquerque skyline". Albuquerque Journal. Advertisement. July 10, 1966. Retrieved November 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Harmony achieved in modern design, southwestern charm". Albuquerque Journal. Advertisement. July 10, 1966. Retrieved November 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- Dodge, William A. (September 2013). "A Survey of Albuquerque's Mid-Century Modernist Architectural Resources" (PDF). City of Albuquerque Planning Department. pp. 40–41. Retrieved November 15, 2017.