On a First-name
Basis With the Community....from the Beginning
Chris-Town Mall was
named after Chris Harri, a Swiss farmer who
moved to the valley in 1904. Harri, a local
legend who died in 1971, owned and farmed 360
acres in what is now north central Phoenix,
including the site where the mall now
sits.
In the mid 1950s, Harri sold a large portion of his
land to a developer. In 1961,
the Chris-Town Mall opened with much fanfare at
North 19th Avenue and West Bethany Home Road.
It was
Arizona’s first air conditioned,
enclosed mall. At the time, it also was the largest
mall between Los
Angeles and Houston.
Above: Chris-Town in 1961. Notice hanging sign "Flu Shots Here."
46 years later, Christown Spectrum Mall still
hosts Baby Shots Free Immunization Clinics.
In 2001, the center’s
previous owner changed the name to Phoenix
Spectrum Mall to reflect its "spectrum" of
shopping choices. The new name was never
fully received by the established community.
In 2004, Developers Diversified Realty purchased the
mall and is currently in the
midst of a major redevelopment to revitalize the
center. After
the purchase, local community leaders approached
mall management about changing the name back
to Chris-Town Mall and, in June 2007, the
center's name became Christown Spectrum
Mall.
Cool Then
1961 ad touts that
Chris-Town is cool (literally).
Cool Now
2007 marketing campaign
reminds that Christown Spectrum Mall is
as "cool" as ever.
