Casa Grande Train Station (Gone)
Casa Grande, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70

Here's the Casa Grande Train Depot, located in the Arizona town of Casa Grande. This gem of a train station was built in 1930's, replacing and older station. The style of this train depot is "Pueblo Deco". Many thanks to Gorb70 for info. 03-06

With its Southwestern details, rounded corners, and Art Deco lines, the replacement station had plenty of personality. It remained standing long after regular passenger service ended, although the old building eventually fell vacant and began to deteriorate.

UPDATE: Plans were being discussed to move and preserve the depot when it was destroyed by fire on June 5, 2009. The ruins were later cleared, leaving Casa Grande without either of its historic railroad stations. 09-26

Bell Telephone (Closed)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70

Here is the old Bell Telephone Building tucked into downtown Tucson. The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company expanded the building in 1958 as Tucson’s growing population demanded more telephone service. A decade later, a huge microwave relay antenna was lifted onto the roof to connect communications with Nogales and Mount Hopkins. 04-07

The building even has a connection to Tucson’s St. Patrick’s Day tradition. In 1970, a young man painted a green shamrock in a nearby intersection so his mother would see it while walking to work at Mountain Bell. The city still repaints the shamrock each year.

UPDATE: Unlike the famous Mountain Bell building demolished in Phoenix, the Tucson complex survived. It has since been repurposed as Alameda Plaza and now houses Tucson City Court and other municipal offices. 09-26

Consolidated Bank of Tucson Building
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70

On the National Register of Historic Places and built in 1928-29, the Consolidated Bank of Tucson building was Tucson's first high-rise with 11 stories. Today it's home to Bank One. Many thanks to Gorb70 for info. 04-07

The new tower replaced an earlier Consolidated National Bank building designed by noted Southwest architect Henry C. Trost. For its 1929 replacement, the bank went all out. The grand banking lobby featured pink Italian marble columns, two enormous chandeliers, a vault with more than 3,000 safe-deposit boxes, and hand-painted ceiling murals by Anthony Heinsbergen. His decorative work can also be seen inside such Los Angeles landmarks as the Pantages Theatre and Biltmore Hotel.

There is even a Hollywood connection hiding above the banking floors. The rooftop was used as a filming location for the 1956 noir thriller A Kiss Before Dying, starring Robert Wagner and Joanne Woodward.

UPDATE: The tower survives and has carried several banking names over the years, including Valley National Bank, Bank One, and Chase. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 and remains in commercial use. 09-26

Wells Fargo (Closed)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70

Here is the old Wells Fargo Bank Building along Stone Avenue in downtown Tucson. The Mid-Century Modern structure was built in 1957 for the Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company and later passed through several banking names before becoming Wells Fargo. 04-07

For years, the lobby displayed Arizona Pageant of Progress, a huge historical mural painted by Arizona artist Datus Ensign Coon. The artwork was carefully removed and preserved when Wells Fargo closed the branch in February 2023.

UPDATE: Pima County purchased the former bank building in 2025 and plans to convert it into the new Joel D. Valdez Main Library. The Wells Fargo signs have been removed, but the 1957 building survives and is being prepared for its next chapter. 09-26

Emmanuel Trinity Methodist Churc
Ash Fork, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Emmanuel Trinity Methodist Church sits quietly along old Route 66 in Ash Fork. The doors may have been closed on this bright Sunday, but the building has seen considerably livelier days. 03-19

Built during the 1920s as a general merchandise store, it later became the Arizona Cafe and then a local bar. According to town history, its windows were broken so often during fights that a stone mason replaced them with decorative local sandstone panels.

The former bar was eventually cleaned up and converted into Emmanuel Trinity Methodist Church, giving the old Route 66 building quite a change in clientele.

UPDATE: The historic building and its unusual sandstone panels survive as a small Ash Fork house of worship. 09-26

City Hall
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Flagstaff City Hall stands beside Wheeler Park in the city’s historic downtown area. Although sometimes identified as an 1894 building, the present City Hall was actually completed in 1987. 05-20

Its brick walls, native stone, and large exposed wooden beams were designed to reflect Flagstaff’s historic architecture and logging heritage. The nearby 1894 building is the Coconino County Courthouse, a separate downtown landmark.

UPDATE: Flagstaff City Hall remains open as the center of municipal government. 09-26

Sunwest Bank
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Sunwest Bank occupies this classic-looking commercial building in downtown Flagstaff, only a few blocks from Route 66. Its stone exterior fits nicely among the older buildings found throughout the historic downtown district. 05-20

The branch previously operated as First State Bank of Flagstaff. When that bank was closed by federal regulators in September 2010, Sunwest Bank acquired its assets and took over the location.

UPDATE: Sunwest Bank remains open at the Birch Avenue building, providing business banking and commercial lending services in downtown Flagstaff. 09-26

City Hall (Closed)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Federal Building is one of several government landmarks clustered around downtown Flagstaff. Built between 1935 and 1937, the three-story structure originally served as the city’s main post office and housed other federal offices. 05-20

Plans for the building were drawn during the early Depression but were delayed until New Deal funding revived the project. Its Art Deco exterior features buff-colored terra-cotta tiles, tall vertical windows, and copper panels that recall Arizona’s mining heritage.

A wooden relief titled Arizona Logging was created for the lobby in 1939. When the Postal Service sold the building in 1983, the artwork was moved to the nearby Coconino County Courthouse for safekeeping.

UPDATE: The former Federal Building now contains private commercial offices. Its 1930s exterior and historic marker remain intact. 09-26