Century III Mall Condemnation Hearing Scheduled

WEST MIFFLIN, PA — A condemnation hearing will occur next month that could be lead to the eventual razing of the abandoned Century III Mall.

Borough officials have scheduled the hearing for June 14 in council chambers. Testimony will be taken from the building inspector and any affected property owner as to the dilapidated and unsafe condition of the building. The findings then will be forwarded to borough council for recommendations and potential actions.

The hearing was scheduled a month after a fire broke out on the third floor of the mall in the old recruiting station. No injuries occurred, but multiple fire companies needed several hours to extinguish the blaze, which West Mifflin police Chief Greg McCulloch said likely was deliberately set.

Once one of the largest malls in the world, Century III's interior closed in 2019. J.C. Penney, which had an exterior entrance, was the mall's last remaining store; it went out of business in 2020.

Since then, squatters and drug activity have been reported in the mall's derelict ruins. Authorities have advised people against breaking into the graffiti-strewn building, which has mold, pooled water and no power.

The owner of the mall, Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments, long promised to renovate the property but never followed through on those pledges. The company's website appears to be defunct.

A subsidiary of the company, Moonbeam Leasing & Management LLC, has a website that includes a list of Moonbeam properties nationwide. Century III is not on that list.