# Chinese Cultural Center, Phoenix Phoenix, AZ · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-64ce9cbf6c` · release 2026-10-21 Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/az/phoenix-chinese-cultural-center-phoenix/ JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-64ce9cbf6c.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-64ce9cbf6c.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-64ce9cbf6c ## Facts | Field | Value | Provenance | |---|---|---| | Status | operating | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | Strategy | reinhabit | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | New use | office | reported · model extraction, unreviewed | | What is there now | Outlier Center | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | Opened | 1998 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | Closed | 2017 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | Retrofit year | 2017 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed | | Acres | 26.0 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | Original developer | BNU Corporation | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | | Owner of record | 668 North LLC | reported · Wikipedia | | Zoning change | changed | documented · model extraction, unreviewed | ## Quoted support - **year_opened**: “The center opened in 1998 with visual elements imported from China and installed by Chinese craftsmen.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **year_closed**: “In 2017, a new owner announced the property would be repurposed as a modern office building” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **acres**: “to be built on 26 acres (11 ha) of vacant land on 44th street, between Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and Arizona State Route 202” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **original_developer**: “It was developed in 1997 by BNU Corporation, a subsidiary of COFCO, a Chinese state-run enterprise and the country's largest food processor, manufacturer and trader.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **after_notes**: “now the Outlier Center” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **status**: “now the Outlier Center” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **strategy**: “In 2017, a new owner announced the property would be repurposed as a modern office building” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix - **zoning_change**: “The project required that the zoning classification of the property of the land be changed by the Phoenix City Council.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix ## Anchors 99 Ranch Market ## Parties - BNU Corporation — owner (from text) (1997–2017) ## Timeline - 1996: Groundbreaking ceremony - 1998: Center opened - 2017: Announced repurposing as office building - 2022: Chinese elements removed ## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened) The Chinese Cultural Center, now the Outlier Center, was a Chinese-themed retail complex in Phoenix, Arizona. It was developed in 1997 by BNU Corporation, a subsidiary of COFCO, a Chinese state-run enterprise and the country's largest food processor, manufacturer and trader. Although the center was developed as a for-profit investment by its owners, it was portrayed as a "cultural center" for the Chinese community in the greater Phoenix area. The developers thought the traditional Chinese architecture and landscaping, its concentration of Chinese-related businesses, and its use as a venue for celebrating Chinese holidays would attract both tourists and local Asian-Americans, and make Chinese business people feel more at home and welcome in Phoenix, thus helping Phoenix attract more foreign investment. The center opened in 1998 with visual elements imported from China and installed by Chinese craftsmen. It struggled with low occupancy, suffered further during the recession of the mid-2000s, and never recovered. In 2017, a new owner announced the property would be repurposed as a modern office building and the distinctive Chinese roof would be removed. This led to a sustained multi-year effort by the Chinese-American community to block the redevelopment and preserve the center as it was built. Despite demonstrations, petitions, lobbying, and several lawsuits, the new owner ultimately prevailed and most of the Chinese elements were gone by 2022. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix ## Sources - Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center%2C_Phoenix ## Cite Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Chinese Cultural Center, Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ." Record m-64ce9cbf6c, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/az/phoenix-chinese-cultural-center-phoenix/ (accessed 2026-10-21). ```bibtex @misc{retrofitatlas_phoenixchineseculturalcenterphoenix, title = {Chinese Cultural Center, Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ}, author = {{Retrofit Atlas}}, howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/az/phoenix-chinese-cultural-center-phoenix/}}, year = {2026}, note = {Record m-64ce9cbf6c, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21} } ``` Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.