Heard Building
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The Heard Building (alternatively the Greater Arizona Savings Building) is a 7-story high-rise building in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, United States, it housed the offices of
The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...
(formerly the Arizona Republican) and the
Phoenix Gazette The ''Phoenix Gazette'' was a newspaper published in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1881, and was known in its early years as the ''Phoenix Evening Gazette''. History In 1889, it was purchased by Samuel F. Webb, who at th ...
from 1920 to 1948. The building was constructed between 1919 and 1920 and was the first high-rise building to be erected in Phoenix. It held the title of tallest building in Arizona for four years until the completion of the Luhrs Building in 1924.


History

Construction of the building began on September 2, 1919, and was financed by Dwight B. Heard and the Commonwealth Investment Company as a new home for his investment and publishing ventures. The building was designed by Llewellyn Adelbert Parker, an architect formerly associated with Mayberry & Parker, who designed several other structures in the valley including the Central Avenue Bridge, the Goodrich Building, and the Goldberg Building. General contracting was awarded to James William Martin who supervised the buildings construction. Contracting for plumbing, heating and ventilation was awarded to D. S. Horrall Company and the plans for heating and ventilation were drawn by Elliott Lee Ellingwood, consultant engineer. The building was plastered with cement by
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contractor Duncan MacDonald and a crew of eight men. It took them eight months to complete. In the wake of a devastating 1910 fire that consumed the Adams Hotel, Heard committed to constructing all future projects out of concrete to reduce the chance of fire. The Heard Building is no exception. The entire frame of the building is reinforced concrete and although several minor fires were reported over the years, they were extinguished quickly with minimal damage. The Heard building was sold in December 1951, to a group of New York investors for $710,000.


Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette

When the building opened in 1920 offices of the ''Arizona Republican'' occupied most of the first floor and portions of the basement for printing press equipment. In 1930 the Arizona Publishing Company, parent company of the ''Arizona Republic'', purchased the ''Phoenix Gazette'' and moved its employees into the offices of the ''Republican'' of the first floor. Both newspaper publications were sold in 1946 to Eugene C. Pulliam and in 1948 they were moved to new headquarters.


Remodeling

In December 1937 a reconstruction project was launched to modernize the facade and expand the offices of the ''Arizona Republic'' and ''Phoenix Gazette''. The offices of the Dwight B. Heard Investment Company were moved from the first floor to the third floor to make way for the expansion. William Peper Construction Company was awarded the contract. The project was directed by E. W. Larson, general manager of the Commonwealth Investment Company, and William Peper. Architectural plans were drawn by
Lescher and Mahoney Lescher & Mahoney was an American architect, architectural firm from Phoenix, Arizona. History The firm was established in 1910 by Royal W. Lescher (1882–1957). Lescher practiced alone until 1912, when he took John R. Kibbey (1883†...
with reconstruction expected to take 60 days. The buildings original elevators were replaced with modern automatic leveling elevators and the air conditioning system was upgraded the previous year.


Radio station KTAR

In September 1929 it was announced that the '' Arizona Republican'' newspaper and the Electrical Equipment Company of Phoenix had filed articles of incorporation creating the KAR Broadcasting Company, which intended to take over and upgrade radio station KFAD. Ownership was transferred to the new company in November 1929, and in December the company received permission to change the call sign to KTAR (Keep Taking Arizona Republican), which it began using on January 1, 1930. In conjunction with the ownership change, the station's studios and transmitter were relocated to the Heard Building. A 1000-watt
Western Electric Western Electric Co., Inc. was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company that operated from 1869 to 1996. A subsidiary of the AT&T Corporation for most of its lifespan, Western Electric was the primary manufacturer, supplier, ...
transmitter was installed on the 7th floor and two towers were installed on the roof to support the antenna. Demand increased, and in 1941 KTAR moved to a new 5000-watt transmitter plant at 36th Street and Thomas Road, although operations were still run from atop the Heard Building. This station was purchased by advertiser John J. Louis, Sr. of
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in 1944, and the studio was eventually moved to a new location in the early fifties.


Gallery

File:HeardBuilding2.jpg File:HeardBuilding3.jpg File:HeardBuilding4.jpg File:HeardBuilding5.jpg File:HeardBuilding7.jpg


Popular culture

The building can be seen in the opening sequence of the 1960
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 â€“ 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
film '' Psycho''. The clip fades in centered on
Hotel San Carlos The Hotel San Carlos branch in Phoenix, Arizona, also known as San Carlos Hotel, is both an operating hotel and tourist site. It has been associated with ghost sightings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1983 ...
, which is located on the northwest corner of Central and Monroe. You can see the former Arizona Bank Building under-construction just west of Hotel San Carlos; this building was demolished in 2005 to make way for the new 44 Monroe building.
Camelback Mountain Camelback Mountain () is a mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The English name is derived from its shape, which resembles the hump and head of a kneeling camel. The mountain, a prominent landmark of the Phoenix metropolitan area, is l ...
can be seen in the background. When the camera pans to the right you can see the Heard Building in the foreground with its antenna; behind the Heard Building you can see the Professional Building. In 1922 Bill Strother, the "Human Spider", climbed the face of the building and sat on top of the flagpole In February 2018, the Swiss artists duo NEVERCREW was requested to realize a series of mural paintings on the walls of the building. The three murals are called "El oso plateado and the machine" and are intended as a tribute to the past of the building and to the extinct Mexican grizzly.


References


External links


The Heard Building Website
* on {{s-end Skyscraper office buildings in Phoenix, Arizona Office buildings completed in 1920 National Register of Historic Places in Phoenix, Arizona