Other Western Savings Branches

Phoenix area

 

Other Western Savings branches:

- the Western Savings at 55 South Mill in Tempe, by William Cody / Alan A. Dailey, dating from 1963, razed

- Western Savings at the northeast corner of 44th and Camelback, designed in 1963 by Calvin Straub as a group of pavilions, extant and in original-looking shape

- the Al Beadle-designed branch on Central and Thomas, designed, for some reason, symmetrically in two parts and 'detachable' in the middle. Circa 1966. Razed.

- Western Savings branch in Yuma, designed by Bennie Gonzalez, 1966

- WS Sun City at 10743 Grand Avenue, 1970, Fred Guirey's office, brutalist in style and still there (but a looooonnnnng drive, sorry)

- WS office on Campbell, designed by Ned Sawyer, circa 1974, razed.

- WS branch Tucson at Wilmot and Speedway, designed by Swaim Associates in 1979, the famous black upside-down pyramid

- the WS Fiesta Mall branch at 1331 West Southern (pictured on this page), the one with the space-frame hat, designed by Brock and Craig and built in 1980

- WS Paradise Valley Mall branch at 4620 East Cactus, designed by Ned Sawyer in 1981. Razed or modified beyond recognition.

- WS branch in Tucson designed by James Gresham, Ina Road east of La Cholla, circa 1982. '"It was the client's fault," he says with a grin. "They bought it; money was no object."'

 

 

Lurking in the background: the 16-story Western Savings Financial Plaza, now branded Bank of America, designed by Los Angeles firm Langdon Wilson Mumper. Locally famous for being outlined in blue neon. Western Savings executives could have kept watch on this particular branch with binoculars.

Western Savings also ran the Phoenix Financial Center after acquiring it from David Murdoch, and ran the 'Westerners' club there.

Research by Donna Reiner indicates that the relatively-famous Los Angeles archtiect William Pereira had designed Western Savings's previous headquarters, also on Central south of the Financial Center, and now razed.

Western Savings also bought and ran the Wrigley Mansion for a period in the 1980s (reportedly negotiating with the city in 1983 to allow the mansion to be used as a branch bank), and commissioned the Western Savings Corporate Center nearby on 24th Street in 1987, well-appointed with expensive imported marble and vaguely reminiscent of the look and feel of the Phoenician. This center is now headquarters for Del Webb.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2008 Walt Lockley. All rights reserved.