The modern “Brutalist” building located at 3434 East 22nd Street across from Reid Park, originally designed as the Valley National Bank Operations Center, is at risk of being destroyed. Constructed in 1970, the Valley National Bank Operations Center was designed by the architectural firm of Cain, Nelson, Ware, and Cook. The building is an early and rare example of the Brutalism phase of modern architecture in Tucson.
The term "Brutalism” was taken from the French beton Brut, a construction technique utilized by Lecorbusier that expressed the pattern and texture of wood formwork onto the surface of the concrete. The term started as a reference to the mass and severity of concrete construction, but eventually also came to encompass a concurrent trend of using massive severe, monumental forms to create dramatic statements of architectural significance. Only a handful of brutalist buildings were constructed in Tucson, and planned changes to the few historically significant buildings that are left threaten their architectural integrity.