Built by William Wrigley, Jr., the founder of Wrigley Chewing Gum and former owner of the Chicago Cubs, the Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, Arizona first served as the family’s winter vacation home.

A savvy businessman, Wrigley invested $1.7 million in Phoenix’s Arizona Biltmore Hotel in 1929. He built the mansion adjacent to the hotel as a fiftieth wedding anniversary gift for his wife, Ada. Sometimes referred to as their “winter cottage,” the family only used their smallest residence for a few weeks out of the year, during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Architect Earl Heitschmidt designed Wrigley’s home in a mixture of Mediterranean styles, complete with a living area of 16, 850 square feet. It included twenty-four rooms and twelve bathrooms.

After the home’s completion in 1931, the Wrigleys spent New Year’s in Phoenix; however, William Wrigley fell ill and died shortly thereafter. The mansion stayed in the family for nearly forty years.

Also referred to as “La Colina Solana,” Spanish for “the sunny hill” on which it was built, the mansion provided breathtaking views overlooking the Biltmore district. Following Wrigley’s example, other business barons constructed living quarters in the area, and the Biltmore district became one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Phoenix.

The Wrigley family eventually sold the mansion and afterward the property changed hands five times. Many locals questioned the mansion’s future until Geordie Hormel of the Hormel Foods Corporation bought and restored the home in 1992.

Under Hormel, the mansion operated under the title of a private club due to zoning laws. With the fees set at an affordable rate, many can enjoy the dining, tours, and events that the Wrigley Mansion Club offers.