Compass Bank Building (Albuquerque) Explained

505 Marquette Avenue NW
Former Names:Compass Bank Building, National Building
Location:505 Marquette Avenue NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Coordinates:35.0886°N -106.6525°W
Start Date:1965[1]
Completion Date:1966[2]
Highest Prev:Bank of the West Tower
Highest Next:Albuquerque Plaza
Building Type:Commercial offices
Antenna Spire:82.9m (272feet)
Roof:72.5m (237.9feet)
Floor Count:18
Floor Area:232900square feet[3]
References:[4]

505 Marquette Avenue NW (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 238feet 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 272feet.[4]

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.[5] The exterior walls of the parking levels are molded concrete with an open grillwork pattern of stylized quatrefoils inspired by Moorish architecture.[6] 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.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Groundbreaking . Santa Fe New Mexican . January 24, 1965 . AP . NM . A6.
  2. News: New View from the Top . Albuquerque Tribune . June 28, 1966 . NM . A1.
  3. News: Moskos . Harry . Where It's Happening . The Albuquerque Journal . NM . August 15, 2004.
  4. Web site: Emporis building ID 129674 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022754/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/129674 . dead . March 6, 2016 . Emporis.
  5. News: National Building is impressive addition to Albuquerque skyline . November 15, 2017 . Albuquerque Journal . Advertisement . July 10, 1966 . Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Harmony achieved in modern design, southwestern charm . November 15, 2017 . Albuquerque Journal . Advertisement . July 10, 1966 . Newspapers.com.
  7. Web site: Dodge . William A. . A Survey of Albuquerque's Mid-Century Modernist Architectural Resources . City of Albuquerque Planning Department . November 15, 2017 . 40–41 . September 2013.