You don’t need to a have a degree in architecture or art to appreciate the stature and beauty of architectural landmarks in Arizona. Although they don’t quite compare to our stunning landscape, these buildings still leave a lasting impression on their visitors.
1. Arcosanti
This place is about 70 miles north of Phoenix and is its own town. Built as an experimental town that would have little impact on the earth, many of the buildings feature a unique style.
2. Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix
This famous Phoenix location was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s former drafters, Albert Chase McArthur. At the time of the building’s design, Wright dismissed the resort but then later tried to claim credit as the primary designer.
3. Arizona State Capitol, Phoenix
Designed in the Classical Revival style, this building showed that Arizona was ready for statehood when it was built at the beginning of the twentieth century.
4. Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix
The main library in the city, Burton Barr Central Library’s exterior was designed to resemble the Monument Valley mittens.
5. Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona
Like many of the examples on this list, this church looks beautiful on the outside and inside.
6. Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, Tempe
One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s final commissioned pieces, this was actually originally designed to be an opera house in Baghdad.
7. Luhrs Tower, Phoenix
One of the first skyscrapers in Phoenix, this fine example of the Art Deco style was also the tallest building in the Southwest for decades. The building has escaped demolition and, thankfully, has been restored for future use.
8. Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson
This is an excellent example of the Spanish colonial architectural style and is still an active church today.
9. Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix
This example of the Spanish Revival style was built in the late 1920s and went through several ownerships before undergoing a 12-year restoration by the city.
10. Pima County Courthouse, Tucson
This blend of Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles really show off some of the Moorish influences of Spanish architecture in the 1500s.
11. Taliesin West, Scottsdale
More evidence that Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style entered the Southwest, Taliesin West was Wright’s architectural ode to the desert.
12. Tempe Municipal Building, Tempe
When you first see this building, you probably think the construction workers were looking at the building plans upside down. In reality, the upside pyramid shape was designed to keep the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
13. Viad Tower (formerly Dial Tower), Phoenix
This building was originally built for the Dial Corporation and was designed to look like a bar of Dial soap.
What other architectural landmarks do you recommend visiting in Arizona? Tell us in the comments below!
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