You should have seen this place when it opened 39 years ago. I remember walking through a brand-new Gimbels and then into this mall. Thousands and thousands of people all just as amazed as me. Every one of these hundreds of stores had the most appealing presentation that brilliant retail minds could possibly come up with. It was perfection. It will never be duplicated, as there are now much cheaper ways to connect the public with merchandise than to envelop them in a fantasy world of air conditioned, masterfully-designed real estate.
Moonbeam is the grim reaper for malls. They take malls that need a helping hand and push them into grave. It is a shame that nearly every mall they have is closing or dying quickly.
That drone footage in the beginning was fantastic!! Loved the intro. I’m actually torn between how I feel about the sheriffs sale... on one hand, the new owner could come in guns blazing with a ton of ambition and revitalize the place. On the other hand...they may get a great deal because of very few bidders, and then just raze the place to make way something new. While the prospect of a white knight coming in to save the mall is what I *want to see*...at this point the mall has been through so much, it may just be time to put it out of its misery. Moonbeam killed this amazing mall that Eddie DeBartolo constructed. Eddie is rolling in his grave. Thanks for the shout out, man! I’ve loved your content since you started, and I appreciate the help you gave me when I was first starting out. Always a pleasure to talk to you!! Looking forward to much more content for years to come!
AZDuffman yeah...while I do agree, many malls have sold at sheriffs auction...most wind up on the chopping block, but a few have survived. My hopes are low, as are my expectations, but time will tell!
It is 40 years old and falling apart at the seams. For shopping it could be flattened and turned into one of those "main street" kind of shops, but I doubt it given how over-retailed the area is. Most likely becomes mixed-use after sitting for a decade. Look for the end to get crazy. I know of one game of nerf-ball and "capture the flag" being planned as a flash-mob.
Sal Hey Sal love your work! You're way underrated right now and I can see people (like me) being drawn to your channel for a long time to come. Please keep it up and let me know if you're ever in California! We might not have a lot of dead malls but we got some urbex places 👍🏾
Moonbeam didn't help, but the past few mall managers of the place embezzled A TON of money from it. Poor poor money management and no advertising meant it was doomed. South Hills Village mall is booming, and they're adapting with the times to stay afloat.
Anthony, I find your timing impeccable. Today, April 15, is not just another date. 106 years ago, at 2:20AM, the Pride of the White Star Line, RMS Titanic sank. 1500 lives were lost
So sad. Brought back memories of our own malls in the Kansas City metro that have since been torn down. Change can be good. But it can really suck too.
A big reason that the indoor shopping mall model doesn't work anymore is, the garden-variety middle class family doesn't have the disposable income anymore. People work with much tighter budgets. Over the years that malls have existed, most incomes stayed the same, but prices everywhere else rose, so now the same incomes that could generate mall sales no longer have the capacity to do so. That's why, I think, the only malls still standing, and the only malls that will last, are those that appeal to the luxury market. Incomes of probably $150,000 and greater make up the meat of the mall customer base now. You could argue that malls which serve city hubs, like the Cherry Hill Mall or King of Prussia Mall, will last, but that's only because they also include high-end stores/restaurants like Louis Vuitton and the Capital Grille.
It is sad that these once jammed malls are going to dust so fast. I have so many wonderful childhood memories of visiting Randhurst and the excitement of eating in a terrific restaurant and seeing Santa.
Haha, awesome intro! I almost wanted to bust out my vintage dance move but then remembered this was about a dead mall and got sad. Great video work as usual!
I also loved the drone footage, and wonder if some brave soul will ever fly a drone through an empty mall, like, say, the Irondaquoit Mall, ferinstance. Also, thanks for the shout out to Sal; he's one of the real rising stars in this business, and it's cool that you & he are communicating about dead malls, etcetera. Anyhow, many thanks for yet another instant Ace's classic...
Me being a Pittsburgh native, it’s hard to see Century 3 go, bought lots of good things from there and hopefully it’ll be left as it is and they won’t destroy it, I still wonder when and why they walled off so much of it, last time I was there was around 1999-2002ish, man time flies when your having fun, only the future can tell us what is in store for this great mall, RIP CENTURY III 1979-2018.
Thank you ace adventures for a the awesome mall walk the mall itself looks so beautiful and absolute shame it went down will. I really hope the future of the mall comes back alive again (well may be depends on the owners) and doesn't fall victim like the former Rolling Acers mall did falling in to a state of decay, disrepairs and vandalized but more important who ever purchases land be may rejuvenated the mall back it it's former glory. Ace Adventures i hope you can keep up to date with this absolutely Fabulous mall.
Thanks for the update video. This was my favorite mall as a kid when I lived in the Pittsburgh area. I was just at the mall last Christmas shopping and reminiscing. If you are ever in the Tulsa, Ok area there is a mall called the Promenade Mall that is a dying mall.
Great video again of this mall. It's a shame it's now come to this. I've been in the Pittsburgh area since 2005. I have enjoyed this mall for quite some time. I remember that the closed off wing had a few stores. Even a pet shop. Hopefully the new owner will be having some great ideas for the location. Even if it's tearing it down. Sad to see it go, but in today's world. It's all about the internet shopping.
Enjoy your films on Century III and this one is no exception. How could they owners let a great property like this decline? I"m surprised the JC Penney is still there hanging on. But all those stores shut. The Intro music was music I danced to in clubs (New Shoez?) Your hallmark episode was getting into the secret wing of Century III and seeing it looking virtually untouched. You always do unique toches for every video which makes each one unique. Hope you get back one more time to say GoodBye. Thanks for doing this even with working so many hours at your "real life job."
As someone who loves all the malls in Pittsburgh it truly pains me how tgis mall died how it did, this and parkway centre mall were may faviorates and on pained to see another faviorate of mine to go.
Awesome video! My Sears Hicksville (NY) (the Premier Sears on the Island) closed a week ago! I got plenty of content with my camera, now figuring out how to voice over like you do after I edit it. Going by you and Dan Bell for ideas.
You're right about the competition in Pittsburgh Ross Park Mall killed Allegheny Center Mall in the 90's and the renovation of South Hills Village Mall and opening of the Water Front in Homestead was the one two punch for Century 3 in the 00's.
Agreed about the Drone footage, that is so very cool! Very unique way to start the video. Also very sad to see the mall going downhill the way it has, considering many people have said that it was the place to be back in the day. This is very much what happened to Greengate Mall right before they closed.
It's obvious why the owners of these particular malls is allowing them to fail: They'll simply sell off everything inside of the mall and then sell off the most valuable portion - The land these malls are on. They'll get redeveloped into something else like more retail space, industrial areas or homes.
The owners of this mall were very invested in it's demise because they thought they were going to sell the property to UPMC. However, the UPMC South location is still up in the air because everyone who lives in the area seems to not want another hospital in the neighborhood with Jefferson only a few miles away. Also, some thoughts to mull over, if it weren't for Allegheny County's higher tax rates AND this new bill on the table that could force online sales to pay sales tax to the state in which it is being purchased, this would be a rather decent location for Amazon. Shipping routes aren't constantly congested south on Rte 51 and Rte 43 connects directly to I-70 without stop lights.
Even sadder: Even if there are open stores, the pending Sheriff`s sale signs would make shoppers circle like vultures waiting for the "final days" closeout/liquidation sales.
U know what's sad is when greengate mall in Greensburg went out of business, buts what's nice people on Facebook group still get together and talk about the great times of the mall especially around Christmas time
Awesome video, sad to see this one go.... But you are right, most of the east and midwest is malled and retailed to death, meanwhile get further west its suburbia....
Not surprised by this. Doesn't really have anything to do with Amazon, or Malls Dying, there are just too many places to shop in the area, or nearby. A lot of the stores this mall DID have were suffering already.
a lot of these places planned on this...but to rebuild. but the cost is just outrageous. most retail buildings in the last 50 or so years were meant to be replaced and modernized. many of the malls and even strip malls buildings even with the best of maintenance life expectancies are 20 to 30 years.
Another fabulous video. Hopefully this structure can be repurposed into something good. Although with it being such a massive building, my guess it’s going to sit vacant for a while until finally being torn down. Much like Rolling Acres.
I'm going to miss the zombie walk at Century 3. Anywho when I was growing up and hanging out in the mall in the early and late 80's the carousel was not in Century 3 Mall.
Great job on the mall tours. This building is a beauty. And to reply to someone who said it was the only 3-story mall - it was not. There were several. The 3-story ones seem to be the most beautifully designed though, for sure.
Fiesta is over at Century III as well. JC Penney facade is similsr to the one at Paradise Valley Mall. Metrocenter in Phoenix is a little slice of San Dimas, CA you need to see as it was the filming location for mall scenes in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
It's true many malls are failing. But there are some indoor malls that show zero signs of decline. One is the mall in Pentagon City in DC, always packed even on the weekdays. The Woodfield Mall minutes from Chicago's O'Hare airport is another. King of Prussia Mall in Philly.
To my knowledge this is/was only 3 story mall ever built and had a 2 story carousel to boot. Perhaps someone with vision and money can convert to retail, residential, governmental, college mixed use development. Probably a pipe dream, but let us still dream something good will happen. Remembered when opened and still working at Gimbels downtown and loading merchandise for Century III branch.
It’s hard to believe how a complex so big could fail. While Pittsburgh is over retailed, I think there’s more to the story. Middle America just doesn’t have the disposable income it had in the 70’s. They have stopped shopping at these malls. Now they frequent Walmart, Target and clothing stores such as Old Navy. Additionally malls are no longer viewed as an entertainment center with young folks amusing themselves there. They all have smart phones and tablet to fulfill that role. So this decline is both socio and economical. In any event, I fear more malls will soon meet with the wrecking ball. Thanks to Ace’s Adventures for documenting these places for us.
For this mall, these are the main factors: Population decline, aging population that loved "brick and mortar" stores, "The Waterfront" and mismanagement. Western Pa has been declining in population since the 1960s. Mill and mine closures forced families to either adapt or uproot. Those who stayed saw a noticeable decrease in salaries. Add that to salaries not keeping pace with the cost of goods in the following years and...... The mean age of the population in the area is higher than the national average as there has been very few career opportunities for the youth who grew up here. In the last decade, this trend has been changing as medical and service sector jobs have made a large rebound but it hasn't fixed the problem fast enough for C3. The ending result is an older population on average. The older generations tend to prefer stores with physical locations but if they cannot physically go to the stores, delivery is a more convenient option. In the early 00s, the Waterfront opened up in Homestead, about 7 miles away. Although located in in a "drab" part of town (sorry Homestead and Hays), it offered new infrastructure, influx of youth as well as new housing developments to draw in patrons. A lot stores either moved here from C3 or lost out to the shops that did move here through competition. In recent years, the building and it's property has been locked in constant purchase negotiations. The ownership has changed hands a few times and has always been a toxic asset. The property has been falling in value and "buy high / sell low" has never been a great business model. So no one wants to seriously buy it but hangs around long enough in negotiations that the current owners never invested in the integrity of the structure. A little long winded but this pretty much covers it.
Wonder who will bid for it at the sheriffs sale. I also wonder if the date will be adaptive reuse or wrecking ball? I did see a couple of years ago that University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was eyeing Century III mall at one time for a possible expansion. Wonder if they will perhaps bid on it?
I've been trying since the announcement to make it back to Century III for another look around. I'm curious on what it would take to revive a mall like C3. Given how developed the surrounding area is, with South Hills Village and the waterfront within 10 miles, is it even possible? Should C3 be saved by the new owners, what would folks like to see in the mall (stores, attractions, events, etc.)?
despite working a few days at sapporo japanese steak house at 14 for a week before they told me to come back when I say 16 lol (under the table), my first job was at century 3 mall, I spent so many years at century 3, both working, and i even attended the mall school xD, i worked at flamers/manchu wok/la hacienda, I also worked at KB Toys for the season they closed, Gamestop, and Orange Julius (that was my first job before flamers).. All in all, 5 years of being a worker and mall rat, having done my fair share of stupid things there, it was a home away from home, and it will always have a place in my mind.
What was the music? Awesome. I found out why I haven't been in an enclosed mall in well over 10 years (I frequent an outdoor one in my area). There's an enclosed one next to a training class I'm taking and went in for the food court. The food court is awesome (has mainly ethnics ones), but most all the stores are clothes and shoes and bath - I guess that's one of the reasons why they're failing...
Nice background music to open the video. "How do you talk to an angel" by "The Heights" back from 2010. Also nice music selections throughout. Great work overall on this!
Gotcha! I was referring to the overhead "mall music" playing, but thanks for the info on the other music. That was bugging me to remember the group that sang Point of No Return. I always liked Nu Shooz, especially "I Can't Wait" from their album "Poolside" cheers!
I was just there today. They had a company board up all the entrances all around the mall, today. Pennys is the only store open. Do not know if they will be closing.
I live in Pittsburgh...yes we have alot of malls but the majority of them are very vibrant...pittsburgh mills is dead...but it is built in the middle of nowhere....right off a highway that was so poorly designed it has constant multi hour traffic backups....and century 3 was brought down by crime/violence in the area....other than those 2 the malls here are still booming
Can you inform me on how you got into the hidden wing because my sister and I go in the day and during that time the mall is never occupied by security guard so we want to explore
Honest question. Who would support a cause to buy Century III and transform it into mixed-use? Pure retail obviously won't work given how developed everywhere around the mall is, but what about some entertainment venues, community organizations, indoor events (car shows, live performances), perhaps even some apartments, all with minimal modification to the mall? Do the obvious roof and parking lot repairs as well as fixing up what the water damaged inside and a fresh coat of paint? Restore a bit of the DeBartolo charm and adapt to the changed business climate of West Mifflin. Late notice, I know, but the sale is coming up fast. It could be done.
It's ironic that certain small local stores closing down because of big shopping malls but now a days its the shopping malls that are closing down due to online shopping but how will online shopping get replaced ?
