We switch back to color photos for the following spread. These reveal the true beauty of the original CHRIS-TOWN, which -to the author- qualifies as one of the most stunning Mid-Century Modern malls ever built. Here we see the Court Of Fountains, which was situated at the center of the 1,000-foot-long "refrigerated mall."
Photo from Phoenix Public Library Collection / Petley Studios, Incorporated
Photo from Phoenix Public Library Collection / Petley Studios, Incorporated
Photo from Phoenix Public Library Collection / Petley Studios, Incorporated
Photo from Phoenix Public Library Collection / Petley Studios, Incorporated
To get our bearings, we have a basic physical layout of the original CHRIS-TOWN CENTER. This drawing shows the mall proper and its three outparcel structures; the aforementioned Bob's Big Boy, a First National Bank branch and Convenience Center, which included an El Rancho Market grocery store.
Getting a bit more detailed, we present a high-definition Complete Plan which shows all of the fifty stores and services that were in operation at the August 1961 grand opening of CHRIS-TOWN CENTER. Three spaces are still available for leasing.