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A rendering of the new Christopher's at the Wrigley Mansion

Something Old, Something New

Newly created contemporary restaurant keeps the focus on the historic Wrigley Mansion

Text by BEVERLY MEDLYN ❖ Photos by MARK LIPCZYNSKI

A second wedding venue was added at the Mansion entry, reached by a poured concrete driveway that used to be asphalt T he historic Wrigley Mansion has reopened to the public with spectacular new dining and event venues, following a six-month closure in 2020 for renovation.

Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion is making its debut early this year, offering an upscale, intimate dining experience for a select 26 people.

The fixed-price menu is $250 per person, which includes service fees but not wine.

Christopher Gross, a James Beard Awardwinning chef, promises surprises are in store for guests. “We are trying to put a lot of fun into it,” he says.

The contemporary glass design of the restaurant brings the outside in, with a rooftop that opens to the stars. Chefs overseen by Gross prepare fresh, seasonal courses on a centerstage hearth, then personally present their creations to diners. Customized furniture comes with unique features like drawers in dining tables containing tableware for guests to set their own places. Table lamps have a magical element to illuminate the people and the special setting.

Geordie’s Restaurant and Lounge, the Mansion’s main dining room that seats nearly 100, reopened in November. Ashley Goddard, chef de cuisine, offers refreshed menus for lunch, dinner and brunch. Sunday brunch is served in new ways, with unlimited orders from the menu and baskets placed on each table rather than the traditional buffet setup.

Paola Embry, CEO and wine director, has assembled what may be the state’s largest wine cellar, with more than 1,200 labels and 12,300 bottles, including Arizona wines.

A second wedding venue was added at the mansion entry, reached by a poured concrete driveway that used to be asphalt. The entire mansion is now fully accessible and ADA compliant. COVID precautions are taken throughout.

“We want our guests to feel they are in a place like their home, an understated elegance of fine dining in a comfortable atmosphere where everyone is welcoming and kind,” says Jamie Hormel, owner. “You will be surrounded by history.”

The Wrigley Mansion, 2501 East Telawa Trail in Phoenix, was built in 1932 by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. as a 50th anniversary gift to his wife, Ada. The home’s architecture reflects Spanish, California Monterey and Mediterranean styles. It sits on a hilltop with panoramic views of the mountains and the Valley, including the nearby Arizona Biltmore.

The Wrigley family sold the property in 1973, and it went through several ownership changes. In 1992—just before it was destined for the wrecking ball to make room for condos—the historic structure was purchased by the late Geordie Hormel and his wife, Jamie. They restored and improved the property, adding the restaurant, a wedding venue and private dining rooms.

Geordie Hormel died in 2006. A musician known for playing piano at the mansion’s Sunday brunch, Hormel was heir to the Hormel Foods company.

Subsequently, Jamie Hormel and Christopher Gross connected and have been partners ever since—in business and at home.

Gross is among the state’s best-known chefs, earning awards locally and nationally for his French-influenced cuisine. He owned and operated Christopher’s & Crush Lounge—the last of his several eponymous restaurants—until 2018, when he closed it and joined the Mansion.

“We put in a beautiful kitchen, super

Christopher Gross and Jamie Hormel in the Mansion’s 12,300-plus bottle wine cellar

Christopher Gross is particularly proud of the bright blue Hestan range in the main kitchen, which provides food for all of the Mansion’s dining venues

functional, one of the nicest kitchens almost anywhere,” says Gross, who is particularly proud of its luxury Hestan range. The main kitchen provides food for all Mansion dining venues. Gross designed it himself, with construction by National Builders and Edward Don & Company out of Chicago. The flooring was selected by Jeffrey Rausch.

Jamie’s Wine Bar, designed by Wendy Black Rodgers, was added next to Geordie’s Restaurant. With mahogany walls, crystal chandeliers, candlelight and music, the cozy gathering spot boasts 25 wines by the glass and a bottle list of 850.

Gross began envisioning his dream restaurant— ”a glass-enclosed, very small dining room with a roof that opens to the sky and the stars—cooking in front of people on a hearth 20 feet away.”

Noted architect Wendell Burnette was chosen to make the vision a reality. “We saw it as an extraordinary opportunity,” Burnette says. “We were very excited to do a contemporary building added to a historic structure.” A tenet of historic preservation is that any addition should enhance, not imitate, the original building, he says. He describes the glass restaurant as “a garden pavilion.”

“From a guest experience, the idea is that who you are with, the food, the newly lit historic façade of the Wrigley Mansion and the city lights below are the stars. And the architecture recedes,” he says. Like the night sky, interior finishes are dark with ebonized white oak floors.

Art also plays an important role at Christopher’s, from high-impact paintings and photographs to repurposed items with a local connection.

Touches of blue throughout are inspired by notable French artist Yves Klein (1928-1962), creator of the famed IKB (International Klein Blue). A work by Rotraut Klein-Moquay, Klein’s widow, greets guests at the restaurant’s entrance.

On a lighter side, Gross asked famed Phoenix artist Ed Mell for any castoffs from his sculptures that could be turned into candlesticks or doorknobs.

“Then I went to Arcosanti,” Gross says. “I said, ‘Hey, I’m not here to insult you, but could I take one of your bells and maybe take the chain off and put a handle at the top of the bell and use it as a plate cover to present dishes?’ They’re making me 32 with the dingers inside.”

Gross, 64, is clearly having a good time and hopes his guests will, too.

“Some people wind down at my age,” he says. “I’m winding up.” ❖

The Wrigley reflects a marriage of the old and the new. These peacock lamps are original to the Mansion.