Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Pyramid Central

When I photographed this building, I foolishly thought it would be easy to locate information about its architect and why this design was chosen. After an exhausting search, I have not been able to find any information on this structure. I do know that the building is occupied by the Clancy Real Estate Group, that much is obvious from the sign outside. Since there is another inverted pyramid building located in Tempe Arizona I assumed (again foolishly) there might be several of these types of structures located around the world. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I found one housing Slovak Radio located in Bratislava Slovakia, one that forms the pier in St. Petersburg Florida, the familiar Tempe City Hall in Tempe Arizona and this one.


Thanks to Dan Brown and “The Da Vinci Code”, internet searches about inverted pyramids are dominated by references to the book, movie, and the myth his imagination created.

So here it is, an interesting building situated in the mid-town business area of Phoenix right on Central Avenue. The reason for its shape, unknown at this time.
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11 comments:

  1. HildaSeptember 10, 2008 at 5:05 AM

    Love the more distant view of the building. Looks like a giant got mad at a pharaoh and slammed his pyramid point-first into the ground. ;D

    And I refuse to give in the curious cat in me who wants to ask how the bottom of the building can be smaller than the top and not have a disaster…

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  2. angelaSeptember 10, 2008 at 5:10 AM

    It's certainly eyecatching but, like Hilda, I've got to wonder how come it's still standing up...

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  3. Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.comSeptember 10, 2008 at 8:50 AM

    Sharon,
    The upside down pyramid has several advantages. (1) It leaves more room for ground level landscaping and amenities. (2) It increases the amount of rentable space on the top floor, which typically copmmands a higher price. (3) Of particular benefit in Phoenix, it provides more shade, even at noon.

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  4. Laurie AlleeSeptember 10, 2008 at 9:58 AM

    Hilda, I can just see that angry pharoah!

    Well this truly is a curiousity. It seems to defy what we know about structural integrity. What an interesting place!

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  5. marcinkoSeptember 10, 2008 at 10:10 AM

    I'm pretty sure the blueprints were upside-down.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2008 at 1:11 PM

    Are you sure it's not a crash-landed UFO?!

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  7. Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.comSeptember 10, 2008 at 3:51 PM

    Jackie,
    About two blocks away there is a large office building that looks like it is a spaceship that crash landed sideways. Wait until Sharon posts a photo of what is sometimes referred to as the "punchcard" building (for those of us who ae old enough to remember IBM punchcards.

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  8. • Eliane •September 10, 2008 at 5:13 PM

    That's such a bizarre building. It is amusing in a way. It makes me think of a theme park installation for some reason. I like the angle you chose for the first picture - it almost looks like a boat.

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  9. Ming the MercilessSeptember 11, 2008 at 10:43 AM

    Oh, I love it! It makes so much sense in terms of the shading that shape provides.

    I wonder what the inside of the building looks like. Ahem! Sounds like a mission for someone to undertake.

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  10. marcinkoSeptember 11, 2008 at 2:32 PM

    P.S. Sharon, the one housing Slovak Radio is made of ACTUAL RADIO WAVES.

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  11. MonkeyChikApril 26, 2012 at 6:56 PM

    http://www.desertlivingtoday.com/2011/05/10/the-man-who-turned-tempe-upside-down/

    I work in the pyramid

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