Century III Mall is an abandoned enclosed shopping mall located along Route 51 in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The mall was built on a former slag dump in 1979. The Century III Mall planning began in 1976, opened in 1979, and closed in 2019. Anchor stores included Kaufmann's, Gimbels, JCPenney, Sears, and Montgomery Ward.
It was the third largest shopping mall in the world at the time of its opening, but has since been surpassed by much larger malls. The mall was originally developed and owned by Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. A 1996 merger between the mall's developer, now known as the DeBartolo Realty Corporation, and Simon Property Group, brought Century III Mall under the Simon DeBartolo Group heading, who owned the mall until 2011. The vacant mall site is currently owned by Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC.
History
In 1969, USS Realty Development, a division of the United States Steel Corporation, wanted to find a more productive use for the slag heap, which had grown into an artificial mountain from years of industrial dumping. Locally known as Brown's Dump, the property encompassed 410 acres and overshadowed the landscape. The excavation and clearing of the slag was a monumental task that would span many years. As a result of the clearing, numerous businesses began to appear at the foot of the mountain by the mid 1970s.
In 1976, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation partnered with USS Realty Corporation and proposed a $100 million, 1.6 million square foot shopping center. The mall's moniker Century III was intentionally chosen as a way to reflect upon the 1976 United States Bicentennial. The first phase of seventy-five stores was dedicated on October 24, 1979. This included two anchors; a two-level 121,300 square foot, Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's, and a two-level 173,200 square foot JCPenney. The Kaufmann's unit was the chain's fourth shopping mall store and the first in the Pittsburgh region to anchor a mall-type center. Phase two, with the two-level 168,100 square foot Montgomery Ward and forty-six stores debuted March 12, 1980. The second phase of Century III Mall incorporated the third, fourth and fifth anchors to the complex, including a two-level 126,000 square foot Gimbels-Pittsburgh, which began business in July 1980 and a two-level 231,000 square foot Sears, which opened in October 1980.
The Montgomery Ward location at Century III Mall was the first such location for the Chicago-based chain in Allegheny County. The Wards location only lasted a few years, however, and ultimately closed in 1986. The Joseph Horne Company, owned by the New York City-based Associated Dry Goods Corporation, took over the space, relocating their store from an older open-air shopping center in Brentwood a few miles north. 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 1999, 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 opened a furniture showroom in that location. Kaufmann's was a division of the St. Louis-based May Department Stores Company.
Anchors
Gimbels – opened 1980, closed in 1988 due to the chain filing for bankruptcy. In 1994, the lower and upper levels were filled with Marshalls (upper level) and TJ Maxx (lower level). Marshalls closed in 1996, and in 1997, Wickes Furniture opened in its place. In 1998, TJ Maxx became TJ Maxx 'n More. In 2003, TJ Maxx 'n More closed, and Steve & Barry's moved in its place. In 2004, Wickes closed and Dick's Sporting Goods moved in. Steve & Barry's closed in 2009 due to the chain filing for bankruptcy. On March 24, 2019, a bankruptcy judge granted approval to reject the lease of Dick's Sporting Goods. They announced their closure and closed on March 30, 2019. Kaufmann's – became Macy's in September 2006, closed in March 2016. Montgomery Ward – opened 1980, closed in 1986, and Horne's moved into its place. In 1994, it became Lazarus. Lazarus closed in 1999 due to underperforming sales and became Kaufmann's Furniture Gallery, then in 2006, it became Macy's Furniture Gallery, which closed in 2009. Sears – opened 1980, closed December 7, 2014. JCPenney – opened in 1979 with Phase I. It closed on October 26, 2020.