One of the tallest and most iconic buildings in downtown Phoenix may soon be in line for a major upgrading.
Members of the Phoenix City Council have voted in favor of purchasing for $46.5 million the Wells Fargo Plaza building at 100 West Washington Street.
The 27-floor structure is expected to be used for 911 operators and dispatchers, and may also eventually provide a new headquarters for the Phoenix Police Department.
As planned, the building will also house a number of other city departments that are currently located in various locations in the downtown area.
In repurposing the structure, which was completed in the fall of 1971, the council also approved spending $90 million to upgrade it, carving out new high-tech space for police operations.
Phoenix officials say the project, which has been talked about for several years, will save money for the city, noting previous estimates of up to $350 million to build a new facility.
Currently city dispatchers and operators work out of two separate facilities, one of which has space and structural issues.
With a floor area in excess of 419,000 square feet, the Wells Fargo building, designed in the Brutalist style, is the 11th tallest building in Phoenix.
The structure, lauded at the time of its completion as the tallest building in Arizona, was originally opened as the First National Bank Plaza.
More specific plans for the Wells Fargo building’s repurposing are expected to be announced after the purchase agreement is finalized this fall.
By Garry Boulard
