2021 ALHAMBRA VILLAGE ANNUAL REPORT

The Alhambra Village area grew primarily when neighborhoods were becoming popular in the late 1940’s and early 50’s to satisfy the housing needs of a growing population after World War II. Many of these new residents discovered Phoenix when they were stationed at Luke Air Base to the west of town. It is now characterized by small ranch-style homes of the postwar era. The beautiful Spanish name of “Alhambra” was first used by W.J. Murphy, the builder/developer of the Arizona Canal and the namesake of the Bridle Path, to designate one of four areas of north Phoenix that he subdivided and later developed with residential homes. The eastern portion of the village is graced by large homes and the tree-lined historic Murphy Bridle Path which runs alongside Central Avenue, an area that first saw growth in the 1920’s and 30’s as the wealthy built large estates north of the city limits. The central Uptown area boasts the Windsor Square Neighborhood which is the city’s only historic district that features homes built in primarily the 1930’s through the 50’s and Uptown Plaza, the first strip shopping center in Phoenix, originally built in 1957. The village core focuses around the Christown Spectrum Mall (formerly Chris-Town Mall), a shopping center built in the 1960’s and originally named after the Chris family who had a farm on this site.

More information about the character of the Alhambra Village can be found  here  .