Its construction, far from the existing highrises downtown, reflected an ongoing shift of people and capital from Albuquerque's decaying city center to the more suburban Northeast Heights.

The First National Bank branch originally occupied the first two floors of the building, while the basement housed the vaults and lock boxes, an event room, and a cafe.

[8] The club went out of business after only two years[9] and its space was eventually converted into two residential penthouses, which remained in place as of 2015 along with a rooftop racquetball court.

[12] The Bank of the West Tower was designed by the Albuquerque firm of Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn, which was also responsible for the nearly identical Del Webb Building in Phoenix (later extensively remodeled).

The frame was constructed from poured-in-place reinforced concrete and employed post-tensioned girders to distribute the weight of each floor to the tower's exterior columns and central core, allowing for a column-free interior.

[4] The building's ground floor features pillars faced with gray Italian marble framing 28 large plate glass windows.

The lobby and banking hall were originally finished in gray and cream-colored marble with walnut and aluminum trim, while "a dark green Grecian marbleized vinyl covering" was used on the upper floors.