The Crystal House apartment building, which opened in 1964, was the first Crystal City high-rise built. The ornate chandelier in its lobby lent its name to the up-and-coming development.
Photo from the Katsias Company

The Crystal Plaza superblock included the first Crystal City commercial and office components. Eventually, eight high-rise buildings would be linked by Crystal City Shops; a subterranean network of shopping concourses and passageways. The first of these were in place by late 1967.   
Photo from the Charles E. Smith Companies

 

Crystal Plaza South was the first completed structure in Crystal Plaza. There were 270 units in the 12-story apartment building. We posted this October 1965 ad to demonstrate the drastic difference in rental prices between then and now. In the mid-1960s, a 1 bedroom efficiency rented for $118 per month. Renting the same unit today will cost $1,880! A deluxe Crystal Plaza South apartment rented for around $300 per month back in the day. A similar unit in the 2020s goes for a whopping $3,000 per month!

Advert from the Charles E. Smith Companies  

A circa-1969 aerial shows the original components of Crystal City, along with two adjacent facilities. Going from left to right are A- Crystal House apartments, B- Crystal Mall superblock, C- Crystal Plaza superblock, D- Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad (relocated in early 1980s) and E- Washington National Airport (renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 1998).
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / "Crystal City" / Andrew D'huyvetter