Century III Mall is the fourth largest shopping mall in the Pittsburgh region. Situated in the southern suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, the three-level mall contains 1,290,000 square feet of retail space and about 110 stores (out of approximately 180 locations). Anchor retailers at Century III include Dick's Sporting Goods, J. C. Penney, Macy's and Sears. The mall underwent a complete remodeling in 1997.
History
The planning and development of Century III Mall began as a collaboration between the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation of Youngstown, Ohio and the Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corporation in the early 1970s. The name Century III was conceived at the time of the nation's Bicentennial, making light of the time at hand – the advent of America's third century. When the mall opened in 1979, it was the 3rd largest enclosed shopping center in the world. The site is a recycled former U.S. Steel industrial area, a huge slag pile once known as Brown's Dump . Slag, a waste product of steel making, had for years been transported by rail cars from the mills of Pittsburgh to this once remote valley. The pile grew until it became an artificial mountain, as hard as concrete and large enough to contain a mall (as well as many satellite stores). Because of abandoned coal mines beneath the construction site, real concrete had to be pumped underground before construction could begin; more concrete was said to be used in the filling of the old mines than was used in the mall itself.
Decline
The gradual decline of Century III Mall can be attributed for the most part to the development of the Waterfront in nearby Homestead, which opened in 1999 and expanded over the years. Other factors, such as the worsening economy and retailer bankruptcies are also negatively affecting the mall. In 1999, it lost a major tenant when Federated Department Stores closed the Lazarus store due to underperforming sales. Other major stores, such as T.J. Maxx & More and Wickes Furniture, have since closed, only to be replaced by stores typically found in less productive and/or mid-market malls. As early as 2003, Century III Mall was about 20% vacant , and as of 2006, it was 30% vacant . Today, the mall is at 70% occupancy with much of its spaces occupied by discount stores and local specialty stores selling odds and ends. As of January 2009, KB Toys, Steve and Barry's, Old Navy, and Macy's Furniture Gallery, four major tenants of the mall have closed their stores. Ruby Tuesday, a longtime dining establishment, also closed down in December 2008. Although Macy's has closed their furniture and clearance store due to under-performing sales, their main store will remain open.
Century III Mall has been on the selling block since 2006, according to Simon Property Group, claiming that it doesn't fit the company's portfolio of more upscale malls, such as Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh's North Hills and the nearby South Hills Village mall.
As the mall continues to languish, this has also affected the mall's assessment value, which stood at $66 million in April 2009, a 40 percent decrease from the previous $112 million in recent years. Prior to that, the mall was valued at $128 million. In June 2009, it decreased further to $58 million.
In June 2009, Century III Mall was named one of America's most endangered malls by U.S. News & World Report.
Former anchors
- Gimbels – later split between Marshall's (upper level) and TJ Maxx (lower level), latter eventually becoming TJ Maxx & More
- Horne's – later Lazarus
- Kaufmann's – now Macy's
- Kaufmann's Furniture – later Macy's Furniture Gallery
- Lazarus – later Kaufmann's Furniture
- Marshall's – later Wickes Furniture
- Macy's Furniture Gallery
- Montgomery Ward – later Horne's
- Steve & Barry's – closed January 2009
- TJ Maxx/TJ Maxx & More – later Steve & Barry's
- Wickes Furniture – now Dick's Sporting Goods
The empty anchor location that used to house Macy's Furniture Gallery & Clearance Center has a very full history. In 1979, it was built as a new location for the Chicago based Montgomery Ward chain, which was attempting to expand its presence in the Pittsburgh area. This Wards location only lasted a few years however, and ultimately the entire Wards chain went bankrupt and was liquidated. In 1986, the location then became a unit of The Joseph Horne Company (owned by the New York City based Associated Dry Goods Corporation) which then closed its nearby Brentwood store. In 1994, the location changed names again when the Cincinnati based Federated Department Stores purchased Horne's and converted the chain's locations into its own Lazarus regional nameplate. In 1998 after operating a few years as Lazarus, Federated closed several locations including the Century III store. The location then became a unit of Kaufmann's (which was the largest of the three Pittsburgh based department store chains), who then opened a Furniture Gallery in this location. Kaufmann's was a division of the St. Louis based May Department Stores Company. On July 18, 2005, Federated Department Stores purchased the May Department Stores Company. This purchase brought Kaufmann's under Federated ownership. On September 9, 2006, Federated converted all former May Company regional department store nameplates, including Kaufmann's, into Macy's as part of a nationwide rebranding program. This caused the Kaufmann's Furniture Gallery location to be returned once again to Federated Department Stores ownership and renamed Macy's Furniture Gallery. In January 2009, the Macy's Furniture Gallery shuttered its Century III location as a cost-cutting measure.
References
- ^ http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_622244.html
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09155/974693-55.stm
External links
- Century III Mall
- DeadMalls.com on Century III
Coordinates: 40°20′17″N 79°56′38″W / 40.338°N 79.944°W / 40.338;
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