Any officer currently in the Department is more than familiar with the term “ 620 ”. The building on the northeast corner of 7th Avenue and Washington has been the nerve center of the Phoenix Police Department for the tenure of any officer actively employed . As many of you know , the Department has called several other locations home since 1881 . In speaking with many retirees , their era of service is typically indicative of the name they bestow upon their headquarters . Prior to “ 620 ” it was “ 17 South ,” referring to what is now Old City Hall , and the current location of the Professional Standards Bureau as well as the Police Museum .
But as the winds of change blow , there is a new chapter on the horizon . Everyone on the Department is well aware of the impending move to 100 West Washington , the former location of the Wells Fargo Building . While the landscape of the downtown skyline has changed considerably since its inception , it would be impossible to encapsulate the entirety of the history of Central Phoenix in a few paragraphs . The true intent of this article is to briefly speak about the land that our future home sits on , 100 West Washington .
Prior to the Wells Fargo Building , another structure stood at 100 West Washington , known as the Fleming Building . As mentioned before , the landscape of downtown Phoenix has changed dramatically over the years , and only a handful of buildings from the early 20th century remain . The Fleming Building will be a faint memory for most , as the former Wells Fargo Building opened in its place in 1971 .
For the most part , it seems that the Fleming Building existed just as many others did in the downtown area , in a somewhat unremarkable fashion . An 1896 article from the Arizona Republic touts the elevator of the building being operational for the first time and many people riding it for its entertainment value alone , as opposed to a pragmatic purpose . The article also mentions several other types of office space occupancy . Unfortunately , the building did not survive the evolving landscape of downtown Phoenix and was torn down to make way for a newer , larger building .
There are quite a few photographic resources available for the curious mind that would like to step back in time and peek at what the City once looked like , with a few relics for context that survive to contemporary times . The move to 100 West Washington constitutes a big change for the Department , and those who have served in our illustrious Headquarters at 620 West Washington will , in essence , become part of its legacy .
As an aside , I am always looking for ways to promote , document , and preserve Phoenix PD history . If you have a topic you would like researched , or have feedback on articles I have written for this publication in the past , please feel free to reach out .
The namesake of the building is its owner , James Fleming . The building was constructed in 1883 and had two stories added in 1896 . As an interesting side note , the building featured the first elevator in the Arizona Territory and housed the Phoenix National Bank . As I researched the former building further , I found some interesting parallels between its future use and prior public service to the growing city in the 19th century .
In 1897 , a group of twelve local women created what became known as the “ Friday Club ”. This group decided that the City should have its own library , and through some fundraising efforts on their part , they were able to move around 1,000 books into two rooms at the Fleming Building , effectively establishing the first City of Phoenix library until it was moved to City Hall in 1899 .
6415