Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Timeless Beauty


It's been a very long time since I featured a photo of this very distinctive building.  In fact, it was back in 2011.  However, the July issue of Arizona Highways was dedicated to The Architecture of Arizona and this was one of the many buildings it featured.  That inspired me to go out and get a new photo of this wonderful midcentury modern building.

This Chase Bank branch was originally commissioned by Walter Bimson, who was President of Valley National Bank (a predecessor to Chase) back in 1968.  It was designed by Frank Henry.

I love this quote straight out of the article in the Arizona Highways magazine:  "This is a shotgun wedding of Wrightian geometric expressionism and International Style modernism - an unlikely union, but one that works because a slightly goofy sense of fun chips away at sober rationality (and visa versa), creating a poised and complex balance of personality.  It exudes an emotional warmth that few mainstream modernist buildings in the 20th century ever manage."  Amen to that!

7 comments:

  1. I love it, Sharon! It was interesting looking at the old post and reading the comments from so many bloggers that we don't hear from anymore. It is a bit sad.

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  2. Interesting architecture but super looking too.
    MB

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  3. The building is a beauty, I like it too. I also liked the way you composed this shot compared to the previous time you photographed it. Well done, Sharon.

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  4. I like Mr Henry's 'goofy sense of fun' very much Sharon ✨

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  5. I'm usually not a fan of this period, but I really like this one.

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