MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE : • Dan Mason ダン·メイソン - Mi... MY SECOND CHANNEL : / danbellfilmit Dead Mall Series Playlist : • Dead Mall Series SUPPORT : / thisisdanbell FB : / thisisdanbell TWIT : / thisisdanbell IG : / thisisdanbell
Attention! Completely remastered episodes of the Dead Mall Series are now being archived in 4K at ru-vid.com/show-UCfCM_TfrSDMkkMpKuLNWuXA. The remasters have gone through an extensive AI Enhancement process as well as proper sound mixing and colorization. This Dead Mall Series Remastered project has been made possible through viewer support on Patreon. Go over now and watch in glorious 4K. ENJOY!
I don't believe you've uploaded the remaster of this particular video. This is one of the masterpieces of the series along with that Coventry Mall intro :D
ATTN: Dan Bell UPDATE on the Century III Mall. Apparently, there was a fire that broke out🔥 there!! Google on RU-vid for the news report on it. The station is WTAE(CH.4) abc(Pittsburgh, PA.)
LauraRN713 i hear ya!!!..i cant stop watching this SILENT HILL type of creepiness...silent hill is a movie based off of a 1999 video game.. very very creepy...like these dead mall videos...buy the way!!! im a huge fan of silent hill... shopping malls still open for business!! not so much...
i think this series has a highly abductive, hypnotic effect on many people (me included, so much) because it answers the question why generations 1970-above feel lost: our consumerist home is deconstructed and abandoned. dan bells series is like a funeral for a loved one that keeps on going. i freaking love the music.
This makes me immensely sad. Like, on the verge of tears. This mall was my childhood. The pet store visits, dragging my dad around so I could play Tekken and DDR in the arcade, getting my hair done at Regis, getting an Orange Julius before leaving for the day...that terrifying elevator. The carousel (which I think has been around longer than 2014 because I frequented it). And sitting by the fountain, waiting with my dad for my mom to get there from work. Running my fingers through the water. God, it's all so vivid! I remember every corner of this mall. I hope they save it. 😢
This mall was part of my childhood, I remember my dad taking me there in '79 and later in the 80's when i was in high school Century 3 was the hang out spot for me and my friends, It had 2 Arcades, 2 toy stores Circus World and Kay Bee(I still had my Atari 2600 and these were a goldmine for games when the NES was hitting the market) a great coffee shop and a really nice hobby shop with all the dungeons and dragons supplies to make any nerds head spin. The food court in it's prime was amazing! The 3 malls closer to where i lived had nothing on Century 3 (North Hills Village,Northway Mall and Allegheny Center Mall ) were dwarfed by the beast that was Century 3.
+MrKroogur YEAH, Kay Bee Toys, they were in every mall and I remember back on the late 90s, when Kay Bee started going out of business, I noticed that those vacancies spread outward from the Kay Bees and all those malls seemed to die out like some kind of economic virus.
+MrKroogur I had my first Orange Julius there. My dad was a steelworker and my mom was a homemaker so I remember that going to the mall was kind of an event for us in the 80s. It was a big deal for me to get clothes from the mall instead of Hills. LOL. We would shop and eat there and end the day at Morrow's Nut House where my dad would always get cashews. Such a strange little tid bit of my life but I remember it so vividly. I now have a 15 year old son and I'm wanting to take him there before it closes and walk around and tell him stories. LOL.
+MrKroogur I'm from West View so Ross Park was always the mall i most frequented which is still doing very well... Ross Park was completed in I want to say 1985 when I was 2 yrs. old.
Now the only stores left in the mall are Smoke Wizard, Life Uniform, a Comic Book Store, Chinese Massage Place, and a nail salon. The only anchors left are Dicks and JCPenny. Just recently Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works closed and most of the mall is closed off with gates that say no trespassing. Since this video a lot looks different the fountain does not work as well as the elevator and escalators, the carousel is gone, and the food court is closed off almost entirely, but oddly enough there is still a janitor there that fixes the remaining tables and chairs in the open part of the food court. Also the entire third floor is closed off and is hard to get to if anyone is looking to go up there.
Elizabeth P i met the janitor there awhile ago and he said he’s been working there since 1985. he said to sneak onto the third level if no one’s looking and if we didn’t tell, he wouldn’t.
Was just here yesterday. Macy's is gone, fountain is off and drained. the entire foodcourt is empty with no restaurants open anymore. the plants are gone from the 3 story section and are just areas of mulch and dirt. Gunk has been splattered on the walls and dirt and cracks are everywhere. Paint is peeling, ceilings are falling apart. The entire third floor is blocked off and no longer accessible. That gym by jc penny is gone. I was literally rained on in several parts of the mall because there was a Crazy storm when I was there. More games were running in the arcade than at Pittsburgh mills tho. Outside the mall was just as bad. The second story parking lot is crumbling and is closed off and the whole blocked off section of the mall is just so disgustingly dirty on the outside its really depressing. Carousel is fun tho!
Carousel is gone also, JC Penneys Closed Down And The Ceilings Are Falling apart on the 2nd and 1st floor. AT&T Is Gone, Sears Is Gone Also, Lights are falling apart in Sears, the music stopped working in the mall, the plants are dead, Nothings left over, and the mall is an inhabited and unsafe structure, Dicks Sporting goods is all boarded up. And finally Century III Closed down and is also boarded up..
Poor service along with poor product selection doomed the malls. Shopping for men at least is like hunting are you going to waste time and energy (gas) if the item is not likely to be there.
Seriously, that intro commercial is the greatest thing I've ever watched. Omg Dan Bell, if you created that, you're a genius, you still are one if you didn't but please link it. The music too
This is Dan Bell. Omg you're right! Thanks dude, you're seriously the best, not just saying that. That minute is the greatest thing I've experienced haha. All downhill from here man! Thanks again.
+Blahsheep If you want to find more music like this, visit reddit.com/r/vaporwave. It's an entire genre, not just a couple of random songs. I absolutely love vaporwave music; the vaporwave scene is really starting to get big.
Please, please don't ever stop doing these videos. I absolutely love them and have watched each and every one, many more than once. These videos you do are more than urban exploration, it's documenting the decline of 80's and 90's mall culture. I hope they continue to remain uploaded, as it will likely be the only way the next generation will ever glimpse a way of life their parents and grandparents enjoyed and experienced. As a former mall rat myself, I grew up strolling the gleaming tiled corridors, filled with easy listening muzak, as I made my way from Waldenbooks, Electronics Boutique, Kay-Bee, The Wall, Sam Goody, The Gap, and Orange Julius. I enjoy joining you on your visits and getting to see malls I never got to shop at, trying to imagine what they looked like in their hey day. Thank you Dan Bell for these videos!
FYI From Century III Memories. BREAKING: Century III Mall to close, has been deemed UNSAFE and UNINHABITABLE by the West Mifflin code enforcement. These notices were posted at the mall entrances just moments ago. We were told that some store managers were not told about this prior to the notices being posted. At this time, we don't know if this extends to the anchors JCPenney and Dick's Sporting Goods. More details to follow.
We lived in Pleasant Hills in the 50s and 60s when our shopping was done at Southland Shopping Center or South Hills Village. The slag mountain that Century III was built on was used by U.S. Steel to dump molten slag and at night from where we lived on Marhoefer Dr., we could see the glowing river of slag cascading down the mountain. About 8 years ago when I made a trip back, we visited the Century III and I couldn't believe they'd built the mall on the slag heap.
It's much worse now. The Food Court is COMPLETELY GONE. The third floor is completely blocked off to all shoppers. The entire middle section of the mall upstairs and downstairs has ZERO STORES available. There are maybe 20 stores left in there. The business the mall is, is when they have Dungeons and Dragon's events Monday and Wednesday nights.
"The business the mall is, is when they have Dungeons and Dragon's events Monday and Wednesday nights." You practically could do a DnD LARP in this place!
I live not too far from here and stop by on occasion. I was just here last week (October 2016) so here are a few updates since this video was filmed: 1. The Macy's is now closed and the storefront has been walled off with windows. 2. The fountain is no longer working. (January 2017 update. It's been turned back on). 3. All of the plants and planters you see have had their plants removed. 4. ALL of the restaurants [in the food court area] are now closed except for the Italian Village Pizza. 5. The comic shop is now renting an additional storefront and is used for Magic competitions.
Yes, they are still there. I stopped by yesterday, actually. Sorry, bad wording on my part, should have said all restaurants in the food court area are gone except IVP. The fountain is turned back on BTW and they put some new plants in place of the old ones.
Comic shops were 1 of my most popular hangouts well into my 20's. Any1 who has a mall with 1 still inside is lucky. Theres almost none of those left anywhere near me.
the nostalgia i get from these videos, even as a 21 year old brit, genuinely physically hurts. there is a lot to be said for modern life but I can't help but feel like i really missed out on a lot of life prior to my birth. there's a comfort in these aesthetics that match what i remember from my very earliest memories. these videos are really special, one day there won't be any of these malls left to make them about.
I know what you mean by this - I'm 2 years older than you assuming you're 23. It feels like a longing for the 90s, since we were born right in the cusp, we were at a weird in-between point. We're familiar with he 90s despite you not being born, and my being barely born. Because it hadn't phased out yet. I get similar vibes from music and TV shows.
Yay! Isn't that place great? It's dead now, but back in the 80's and 90's...it was THE PLACE to be. Holidays were person to person shoppers. I remember going there all the time and we had to drive round and round to find a place to park. I used to drive my parents crazy to take me there every time we'd go to Pittsburgh. We went about once a month. We loved 30-35 minutes away. You could go on any Monday afternoon any time of year and it would be hopping with business. It had three arcades, all spaces rented...it was so alive and fun to go to. I have many many wonderful memories with this mall. It really saddens me to see what has happened to it. It's a beautiful place and will forever be my all time fave mall. I would have never believed the mall would have this fate if I were told it through my teens, 20's and 30's. Hope you enjoyed seeing it and thanks for the video. It holds a special place for all of us Pittsburgh people. :)
If it wasn't for the fact I live in Chicago, I'd really like to visit this mall just once for myself! This one looks really cool, from all the online pictures and vids I've seen of it. Ah well, I should try to get to Cincinnati Mills/Forest Fair at least once, myself. That one looks insanely dead, and even deader vs. this mall!
As someone who has been a victim of layoff twice, I can't help but feel sorry for everyone who used to work at those shops and the business owners. It must've been really hard for all them, especially the smaller businesses.
The one thing that all the malls in Dans videos have in common are that they catered to the middle class. The middle class is dying and so are their malls. The idea that internet sales killed these malls is hogwash. Mall that cater to high end customers are thriving. If your malls anchor store is JC Pennys, then your customers have no money and your mall dies. If the anchor store is Bloomingdales, your mall is doing just peachie. This country is rapidly becoming a two tiered society and these malls are symptomatic of that process. But hey, just keep voting for the same bozos from the same two parties that got us into this mess...Im sure it will all work out fine.
Mirrors what I've seen locally, thriving malls full of high end luxury stuff, no more hobby stores, music stores or anything like that but lots of sachs n similar places peddling $500 gucci shoes n handbags. Even the food courts have gone from the usual fun fast food places to bistro type places typically costing $20+ for lunch. that stuffs ok if you've got piles of cash (many don't) but the lack of variety makes it pointless.
Cleftintwain That’s not entirely true. I’m in the ‘upper middle class’ catagory and I shop at JC Penney a lot. I also shop at Nordstrom’s. The mall nearest my home north of Boston has JC Penney as one of the anchor stores and the mall is doing well enough that Nordstrom moved in where Macy’s was. The mall is actually expanding now, adding more stores, restaurants and parking areas. The entire mall has been updated over the last 5 or so years, including a number of charging stations near each of the four entrances for electric vehicles.
I believe it... the higher end malls seem to be thriving. Honestly between my husband and I, were upper middle class, but if I were classified by my salary alone I’d be middle class for sure, but on the lower end of it.
Thumbs up for saying its in West Mifflin and not "outside Pittsburgh". When I was little my mom was the manager of a book store. I used to go with her to work then I got sick. Now I think back to it and remember seeing people all over and even a mini golf course.
You know when someone tells me there's no real art on youtube that isn't derivative of popular media, I always point them here. It's a bit of sad but I'd be a Luddite if I didn't say I thought these places were sort of set up to fall. I think Malls will eventually be shipping hubs from online shopping that could be accessible by the public to save the companies' money on delivery.
I lived just a few blocks from this mall. I was one of the first customers to walk in the doors when they first opened. I even played a couple of musical performances here. Lots and lots of great memories. It was my favorite shopping mall of all time. I loved the food court and the restaurants here as well. I hate to see it deteriorating like it is!
Although this has nothing to do with this mall, if you're ever in Florida, stop by Palatka Mall on a Thursday afternoon. It won't disappoint. Vaporwave is already echoing throughout the building; no need to edit it in. :)
Monroeville Mall was the mall we went to as a kid in the 1970's but then used to hit this mall once I learned to drive in the mid 1980's and recall it being so busy and big! To add to what others said about what has brought malls and retail to an end (online shopping, big box stores not in malls, WalMart, bad economic times since 2001, etc)...think about this...the money we all used to spend on clothes and retail shopping at malls in the 1960's-1990's now goes to cell phone, internet service, and cable/satellite TV monthly costs/bills...seriously add up those three expenses we all have now that we did not have then and you will easily find the money that used to be spent at malls! So sad to see this era over and that my teenage daughters will not experience teenage years at the mall...but they have cell phones, computer access, and a zillion TV channels to choose from! Not sure how I feel about the tradeoff.
The irony isn't lost on me now I spend much time on the net looking at videos like this n looking up malls I hung out as a kid. I've popped in on a few still within driving distance, all are not vastly different from what they once were. Even those that are still doing well are dull beige / grey and lifeless compared to what they once were. the kinds of stores I liked to shop in all gone.
It’s one thing in a department store because that’s limited foot traffic where clothing etc is , but it’s another in a big “ high traffic” area (not much of that in this mall😉)
So sad to say goodbye to the past. I'm glad I grew up in the 80's. Great music, malls were crowded with people and safe to hang out at. People seemed happier. Sure, there was cruelty even then, and unrest in the world. But you generally weren't exposed to hateful ugliness on a daily basis, which seems to be the case now. These videos are sad, but they are fascinating and thought provoking. You always capture the ghosts of yesterday so well, Dan Bell.
I feel much the same. Back then lotta these places were more colourful too and a lot more variety inside. Didn't have to spend more hours driving between big box stores than actually in those stores. It was actually fun not the churn it is now.
You can upload 1,000 of these fantastic videos and it'll never cease to amaze me that, at one point, this mall was the place to be. Now it's ready to become history. Great work Dan. Hope all is well!
The worst anchors a mall could possibly have are Sears and Kmart. Most of those malls were the small town discount-oriented malls that were doomed to fail anyway.
This video makes me really miss the 90's for some reason. I can just picture that place thriving with people. It would be cool if we could see some before pics when the mall was popular and compare it!
I literally was looking through the newest comments to see if anyone had an update on this mall. I was going to Google it if I had to scroll much more. Thank you. How long ago did it close?
I used to love going to century 3.. Most of my teenage years were spent shopping in this mall. I was sad when they took Old Navy out. Good times with friends.
If I had "Stupid Money", I would buy this and make a contained community out of it. Plenty of room for apartments, a library, daycare center, recreation area, grocery store, other retail, etc. and then I would make a "farming area" outside to grow vegetables.
Not proper area to grow anything from, structurally unsound. Oprah could buy this place and try to make something work but would still find it best to bulldoze and redo the entire complex.
So sad that the majority of malls will die out because of the fact that EVERYONE Is using online sites to shop now, instead of going to malls and thrift stores like they used to in the past.
i disagree and will speak some truth here that others wont....first, im born and raised in pittsburgh, went to C3 mall all the time....it was more than the generic 'economic downturn' they keep harping on....just check South Hills Village out...vibrant, good demographics, and a mixture of young and old, good location, vibrant surrounding businesses, i watch C3 deteriorate mainly due to the bus lines bringing in a bunch of thugs who caused trouble, scaring away families and individuals alike....places that are available generally by automobiles only, are fine...SHV, Ross Park, the Mall at Robinson, etc...all thriving, all busy.....
When I was last in Pittsburgh in 2010, I noticed the area surrounding Century III was doing well, but Century III was already in decline. My impression is that Simon's generally poor management did them in. Even upscale Simon malls in South Florida are surprisingly poorly maintained. Anyone who questions the vitality of malls should visit Aventura Mall north of Miami, which is vibrant and full of life. They are replacing the old (but still great looking) food court with a gigantic $300 million palace of food. Yikes. Until then I starve every time I go there ... LOL.
When I go to the states I usually go to a mall, buy a couple of suitcases spend a day shopping to fill them. That is the incentive from the cheap retail prices in the states compared to the U.K. Mind you I had better wait for a stronger pound before I travel there next time.
People really need to go into these malls and skate them. I think the contrast between the dead lifelessness of the mall with the extremely high-energy sport would make for an awesome video. Plus, there's the fact that security probably are so thin on the ground and they likely care so little that you could get away with it, and there seems to be some absolutely awesome spots in these malls.
ganymedeIV4 skateboarding private property is not innocent. You are purposely skating in a building you know you aren’t supposed to. This is why people call cunts and why when citizens, security and police catch them they get slammed into the ground.
Years ago you used to be able to rollerblade and skate around the metrodome in MN on certain days of the week. Had I lived in the cities I totally would have done that once or twice.
There are literally about four or five stores left in this mall aside from JCPenney's and Dick's Sporting Goods. The waterfall is shut off, and there's no longer music played through the mall. It was supposed to go up for Sheriff's earlier this year, but that was postponed twice.
5 years later, this mall is completely closed. It makes me sad, I used to go here as a child with my mother. I remember throwing pennies in that fountain. I would also go to sears with my grandfather and uncle. Really sad it’s closed. I think there supposed to be doing something with it, but I’m not sure what. It doesn’t look like it has been touched since it closed.
Dan Lord Back by where the Sears was there's a nice ramp. It's carpeted, though. I remember it from losing my friend's wheelchair and ruining my back catching it. Once it was worth the hour trip to hang there, so many stores.
Funny how people say it's sad that malls are dying but do they actually even shop at indoor malls? The answer is simply no, if they were it would show. Love the dead mall series Dan, keep it up
+k1773ns I was thinking the EXACT same thing. If you feel it is that tragic, maybe, you and your friends go there this weekend and spend money there? Maybe? Sort of? No? No, didn't think so. Then jobs are lost, the economy in that area dumps and people mourn the loss.
Well I feel sad because thats where my family used to go to hang out. When we moved to the US we were going to keep tradition of going to the mall on the weekends but it stopped cuz malls over here are boring and there is really not improvement. You only see decay and is not fun
totally just watched an old episode of Dance Moms & the girls had a performance in this mall. & as soon as the moms & dancers walked in they were like "nobody is here!" haha. When they performed it was probably the most the mall had been packed for years.
I live right next to this mall. I suggest you do a follow up video because this mall has become even more dead since you were last here. The fountains aren’t on, there are no vendors, and the elevators are no longer in operation
I remember this mall from when I was a kid. I used to love going there because they had so many stores that my local malls didn't have. You should also see about doing on on the Fort Steuben Mall in Steubenville, OH.
Dead mall with the baddest jazz playing in the background... that was Alex Bugnon playing, that alone was worth watching the video thanks for another good share
thank you thank you thank you for doing this. I had one of my most nostalgic childhood memories at this mall when my parents took me when i was little. It brought me back to that time again seeing this. Plus the music you put to it would have matched the time period when i was there in the 80s. It means so much to me to get to see this place again
Northland mall ca. 1960? America's first mall, located in Southfield, MI BONUS: there are two abandoned luxury hotels adjacent to the mall. Might wanna check it out. The back story is similar to this mall Macy's pulled out, mall defaulted on loans an was foreclosed last year. Very sad.
Sorry forgot to specify, Southdale (which was developed by the same developed albeit before the merger) was the first enclosed shopping center, Northland (as per a cursory google search and wikipedia entry) is older than Southdale (by two years), although it was originally constructed as an outdoor shopping center and later enclosed in the mid 70's
This was my favorite mall growing up. So sad to see it and others gone. This one has now been condemned. I wish you could go back and redo this video now.
I love the way you film the plants and give their backstory too!! The food court was definitely very 90's, but that carpet looked more 80's! A real time trip indeed!
Dan, IF you are ever in the Detroit metro area of Michigan, there is a mall in Pontiac, MI (Summit Place Mall) that closed a few years ago and is really dilapidated and would be REALLY cool foe you to check out!
One of my high school year malls, we spent tons of time there, it was packed almost every day of the week. Now it's a ghost town. The newest owners promised to bring it back, but no one shops at the malls anymore, so there you have it. Goodbye old friend.
The 100 Oaks mall here in Nashville was exactly like this until Vanderbilt purchased it and turned half of it into a medical center. That was great for business though as the other half of the Mall is almost completely filled up with stores now.
It is amazing how much retail has declined over the years. Mergers, sell-outs, downsizing, online shopping, less consumerism, changing times, etc have killed so many malls over the years!
I would love to go here and just sit around for a while, taking in the peaceful and relaxing feelings of 90's childhood nostalgia. Would be nice especially if this music played too.
So sad to see it go down. I grew up going to this mall. Its been going downhill for years. Macy's leaving is the nail in the coffin, imo. The only malls that are good around here are South Hills Village Mall, The Mall at Robinson and Ross Park Mall.
Just there the other day. It was so barren... I thought I was gonna get mugged. Thanks for the video, Dan. I'm from Butler, PA. Originally Natrona Heights
Yeah. I was there yesterday. I actually used to work there when they originally opened. My first job ever was as a 17 year old at Villa Pizza. Surprisingly, it's still there.
One lady mentioned South Hills Village. That one is smart, they have a Target, it's right across the street from public transportation, you get off that, walk through Macy's and to the opposite end of the mall to get to Target and there's other big name chains and a movie theater right by but if Target ever had to close that location for some reason that mall would probably take a nose dive.
i totally got the "time warp" vibe watching this. damn, the video medleys you throw together as intros are ingenious. this dan mason fellow really puts out some excellent mellow tunes, also. another great Dead Mall installment.
Awesome video Dan! I live in this area and this mall is infamous around here for being dead. For all the attention it receives, it makes you wonder why people stopped shopping there. This mall is so interesting to walk through; I love the platforms and steps and levels throughout it (like in your shot at 10:00-10:15). I haven't been there in 10 years and it was dead just like this back then. Your video makes me excited to go back out there, and I think I will :) Thanks so much for a really great video and walk-through!
I loved this mall , I had such great memories of with this mall . I remember after seeing spider man 3 my dad took me here to buy some old classic spider man comics🕷 . It's sad how the mall is looking now 😢
