When did Century III Mall start to decline?

[Jbraybarten65]

The Waterfront was a serious blow to the mall. The sharp decline of the mon valley that the mall pulled from of course hurt it too.



I don't get blaming "city leaders" for mass issues when national trends are at play for all malls.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

i guess i was never at Parkway Center Mall in its heydey. i NEVER remember a buzz there - even back in the early 1990s eating at Chi-Chis (my first experience ever w/ mexican food - it was a food orgy, i tell you!).

huh - i had no idea it was filled w/ 2 levels!

i am a fan of allegheny center. i think it is a cool looking structure and hopefully they can retain and increase tenants and put that building to good use.

i see the failing of parkway center mall and the Kaufmann's building downtown as indicative of the type of leadership we have had in this area. in some cities, leaders will fight, plan, orchestrate to help resurrect dying projects. they've done nothing for K'mans, and i am not aware of anything for Parkway Center Mall, unless letting it and its surrounding pavement rot is some contrived plan.

This is simply not true. The Kaufman's Grand project is in full swing. The Hotel and apartment component experienced delays along the way but there is an Even Hotel, Cafe, and Luxury apartments. Target is moving in and construction is underway.

The only good thing in the Parkway Center mall was Syms....."The Educated Consumer". The mall was never popular in the metro and was never considered a destination.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by Jbraybarten65

The Waterfront was a serious blow to the mall. The sharp decline of the mon valley that the mall pulled from of course hurt it too.



I don't get blaming "city leaders" for mass issues when national trends are at play for all malls.

Parkway Center mall was trash. Century Three never modernized or adapted to change. The mall never retained Banana Republic or Gap type stores let alone the trendy H&M and sneaker stores. Century Three sold junk and people did not buy it.

[wpipkins2]

I should add that most of Pittsburgh's major department stores have been adapted for reuse.

Horne's is now Highmark

Gimbels is now Port Authority/Heinz and Burlington Coat Factory

Allegheny Center Mall is now office and tech space

Sears (East Liberty) is not the Home Depot......one of the best performing

Saks Fifth Ave - is now a Restaurant / Parking / Wine and Spirits / Condo Tower

Kaufmann's / Macy's - Even Hotel / Luxury Apartments / Target

[svband76]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

I should add that most of Pittsburgh's major department stores have been adapted for reuse.

Horne's is now Highmark

Gimbels is now Port Authority/Heinz and Burlington Coat Factory

Allegheny Center Mall is now office and tech space

Sears (East Liberty) is not the Home Depot......one of the best performing

Saks Fifth Ave - is now a Restaurant / Parking / Wine and Spirits / Condo Tower

Kaufmann's / Macy's - Even Hotel / Luxury Apartments / Target

I think the Saks building was demolished?

Anyway, yeah imagine a time when 4 department stores were downtown. A simpler time. Bus rides with my folks downtown for shopping and Stauffer's or Tic-Toc restaurant. Almost magical. Today's kids don't know what they're missing. Living life mostly online, virtual...not healthy. My opinion.

[USC1986]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

This is simply not true. The Kaufman's Grand project is in full swing. The Hotel and apartment component experienced delays along the way but there is an Even Hotel, Cafe, and Luxury apartments. Target is moving in and construction is underway.

The only good thing in the Parkway Center mall was Syms....."The Educated Consumer". The mall was never popular in the metro and was never considered a destination.

I remember Syms; they had some nice items, but a terrible returns policy.
You had to exchange returned items for something else in the store; no cash or credit refunds.

[MountainDewGuy]

The was a recent episode of Abandoned on Youtube focusing on CIII Mall. I recommend watching.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RuAVg-VgHo

[Knepper3]

Originally Posted by Independentthinking83

I really liked Parkway center. It was two levels filled with stores and a 3rd partial level. The mall was in the city. It was built in 1982 and officially closed in the early 2010s.

W is right about Allegheny Center.

I remember when north hills village and northway malls were enclosed as well. I think north hills village went open air in the early 2000s and northway mall in the later 2000s. You had 3 enclosed malls on McKnight road on a 2.5 mile stretch of road. Of course Ross park is the remaining enclosed mall of the three. Northway Mall had a decent food court and I don’t remember north hills village much at the end. It was like a one level parkway center at the end and then target moved in and it just ended up open air strip shopping.

Actually Northway Mall, now The Block Northway, has been in constant upgrade over the past 5+years. I still don't think if it as a "Mall" but it is. The old mall area has been all redone and expanded, more higher end stores but I think they need more smaller niche type stores to make it interesting. No food court but better chain offerings. The do have big draws there now though with Dave&Busters and while not connected also has shopping in another open air section plus BJ's coming soon (make you jokes). Those are all over NJ, when my dad was alive we spent more time there than at his house. I like them, between a Sams and a Costco and I'll be joining.

[Doowlle34]

Just to confirm the previous observations, I was at the Century III Mall several times in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when my sister was living in West Homestead and Munhall; accordingly, I feel like I did observe the mall (somewhat) during its heyday. Later, I distinctly recall visiting the mall in June or July of 1999, as we were outfitting my wife for a Sierra Club hiking trip in the West of Ireland. I think we dropped over $400 at EMS (R.I.P., at least locally) that day. At this time, I did not notice a distinct decline in the number of stores/shoppers. Flash forward to 2005 or 2006, and we went to the Sears to buy some vacuum cleaner bags (pardon the "flex"), and we noticed the drastic changes that had occurred since 1999.

On the Northway Mall, I'll just add that, at some point in the 2000's, someone had revised the Wikipedia entry to note that "naked mole rats" were terrorizing shoppers at the mall, which gave me quite a chuckle, when my co-worker pointed it out.

[Moby Hick]

I did not know there ever was a local EMS. I've never been inside one.