The man that Christown Mall is named after - Chris Harri, Phoenix, Arizona


Christown Mall (now called Christown Spectrum), at 19th Avenue and Bethany Home, in Phoenix, Arizona, was named after Chris Harri, who owned the land.

Chris Harri
I've always had a particular fascination with names, and the fact that they named this mall after a farmer's first name really tickles me. Although I can't imagine that they were ever tempted to call it Harritown, but they could have called it anything, like the Super-Dooper Tropical Paradise Mall, or something. But they called it Chris.

It must have been amazing. Time-travel with me to 1961. We are going to step into the air conditioned comfort of the brand new Chris-Town Mall. And whatever we had seen in Phoenix before, in the 1950s and 1940s, just couldn't compare. This mall was an immediate success from the day it opened and still remains a place that people love. And I've asked around to see if I'm supposed to call it Spectrum nowadays, and I guess some people do, but I just checked their website, and the official name is Christown Spectrum. Chris would have approved, I'm sure.

The interior of Christown Mall in the 1960s.

1958 article about the land being purchased from Chris Harri for the Chris-Town Mall.

Chris Harri in 1958.

 Image at the top of this blog post: The entrance to Christown in the 1960s.
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