The history
In 1867, Jack Swilling of Wickenburg stopped to rest his horse at the foot of the north slopes of the White Tank Mountains. He looked down and across the expansive Salt River Valley and his eyes caught the rich gleam of the brown, dry soil turned up by the horse's hooves. He saw farm land, predominately free of rocks, and in a place beyond the reach of heavy frost or snow. All it needed was water.
Returning to Wickenburg, he organized the Swilling Irrigation Canal Company, and moved into the Valley. The same year, the company began digging a canal to divert some of the water of the Salt River onto the lands of the Valley. By March 1868, water flowed through the canal, and a few members of the company raised meager crops that summer.
PHOENIX IS BORN
By 1868, a small colony had formed approximately four miles east of the present city. Swilling's Mill became the new name of the area. It was then changed to Helling Mill, after which it became Mill City, and years later, East Phoenix. It was Darrell Duppa who suggested the name Phoenix, inasmuch as the new town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization. That is the accepted derivation of our name.
Phoenix officially was recognized on May 4, 1868, when the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, formed an election precinct here. A post office was established in Phoenix on June 15, 1868, with Jack Swilling as postmaster. The sharp whistle of the first steam mill in the Valley added a brisk note to the sound of emerging industry.
Phoenix Flood of 1891 Courtesy of the Phoenix Museum of History.
2nd Street and Roosevelt, circa 1920. Courtesy of Ron Heberlee.
ROOSEVELT ROW
In 1880 and 1891, flooding in the Salt River Valley had a devastating effect on the area's agriculture and subsequently the cities growth. In February 1891, the Salt River overflowed its banks, covering the lower Valley bottom lands, forcing the evacuation of families to higher ground. Floodwaters came as far north as Jackson Street and as far west as 1st Ave., and threatened residences in the Collins, Murphy, and Linville additions.
As a result of the floods, people left the southern area of the city and its outlying areas and moved to higher ground north of the city along Central Avenue, westward along Washington Street, and adjacent to the Grand Avenue diagonal. This northward movement was a major impetus to the development of the residential additions that constitute the Roosevelt Neighborhood.
The Roosevelt Neighborhood helped shape Phoenix in the late 19th and early 20th century. The neighborhood was one of the first to begin Phoenix’s northward pattern of development, which continues today. This development was influenced by the proximity of Central Avenue — the primary north-south thoroughfare — and the extension of the Phoenix Railway Line, creating “streetcar suburbs.” Prior to the development of streetcars, Phoenix residents generally lived within walking distance of their places of employment. By 1920, the importance of the streetcar gave way to the automobile. The construction of Kenilworth School in 1920, one of Phoenix’s major elementary schools, also spurred development.
By the end of Word War I, realtors were expressing a need for more housing for new residents and winter visitors. To accommodate this demand, a number of major apartment buildings were erected in the Roosevelt Neighborhood, focused along Roosevelt Street. Post-war prosperity, along with the rise of the automobile as a form of rapid personal transportation made it possible for thousands of American tourists to visit the Southwest. Tourism continues to be one of the city’s largest sources of income.
THE GOLD SPOT MARKET CENTER
To serve the winter visitors and tourists in the Roosevelt Neighborhood, in 1925 developers built Gold Spot Marketing Center, one of the first shopping centers in Phoenix, built specifically to serve a specific residential area.
In 1948, Morris Gordon and his sons opened Gordon's Grocery store on the southwest corner of Roosevelt and Third, which remaining in operation for nearly four decades. The Gold Spot continued to evolve and by the 1960s, it had a Rexall Drugs and Otis Kenilworth’s barbershop, among other shops.
Unfortunately, Gordon's officially closed it's doors in July of 1984 when it's lease expired and the property owner refused to renew it. Subsequently, the remaining surrounding shops soon closed too.
The Gold Spot 2004 Courtesy of Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects
RESTORATION
For over 20 years, the once-vibrant commercial center stood vacant and in disrepair. Previous attempts had been made to save the building, but all plans required partial or complete demolition, however a team of experts did exhaustive structural testing and determined that the entire structure could be saved. The restoration included foundation repairs, masonry wall stabilization, seismic structural upgrades, concrete column repair, and asbestos and lead paint abatement. The team saved existing wood trusses while adding a new roof and steel canopy. A custom glass storefront was designed and a new recessed corner entry installed according to historic photos.
The Gold Spot Marketing Center historic restoration revitalized a key corner of the City of Phoenix Roosevelt Historic District, and subsequently helped preserve an important part of its neighborhood fabric. The project is invaluable to the Roosevelt District neighborhood for its faithful restoration of not only the building’s physical structure but of its historic use as a small neighborhood shopping center. Today, the Gold Spot Marketing Center serves as a functional symbol of the community’s vibrant past and promising future.
The Gold Spot 2004 Courtesy of Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects
The Historic Gold Spot
Downtown Phoenix Historic
Market Center
THE GOLD SPOT TODAY
The icon golden building continues to leave a positive impact on the residents of Roosevelt Row and surround communities near Roosevelt and 3rd Ave. Downtown Phoenix is where history meets the future, showcasing Phoenix’s historic town site,
its recent revitalization, and continued resurgence into the future.
The Gold Spot now houses 5 prominent businesses. Pita Jungle, Lola's Coffee, Salon Ro5, Elevate Yoga center and a modern American food eatery, First and Last.