J. W. Walker/Central Arizona L

The J. W. Walker/Central Arizona Light & Power Building was built in the spring and summer of 1920 by Phoenix businessman and real estate developer J. W. Walker. Designed by prominent early Phoenix architect L. M. Fitzhugh, the Neo-Classical Revival styled building was originally planned as an eight story high-rise. The additional six stories were never constructed. The first two floors opened in 1920 as the J. C. Penny Co. In 1926, the building became the headquarters of the Central Arizona Light & Power Company which later merged with Arizona Edison to become Arizona Public Service (APS). The building later housed a furniture company and labor union office, prior to being purchased by the City pf Phoenix in 1959 for municipal offices. The Walker Building is architecturally and historically significant because it is one of the only remaining commercial buildings in the downtown area that dates from the early decades of the twentieth century. With the evolution of uses over time, the Walker Building provides an excellent representation of the development of Phoenix as a commercial and government center.