Century III Mall Declared Unsafe, Uninhabitable

PITTSBURGH, PA - Century III Mall was declared unsafe and uninhabitable Tuesday by the West Mifflin building inspector Wednesday. It's unclear if that means the massive interior of the building is closed for for good.

It also was not immediately clear if the mall’s two remaining anchors with entrances accessible from the outside, JCPenney and Dick’s, will remain open.

The three-level mall has 1.2 million square feet of retail space, but only 14 storefronts, including the two anchors, were occupied when the notice was posted at the mall.

Century III opened in 1979 and arguably was western Pennsylvania's busiest mall during its 1980s heyday. Its decline was gradual, but the loss in recent years of anchors such as Macy's and Sears had a snowball effect and prompted many other businesses to exit.

The mall was scheduled several times this year for sheriff's sales that were canceled
at the last minute for reasons that aren't clear. Mall owner Moonbeam Capital Investments of Las Vegas filed for bankruptcy in September.

Photo: Eric Heyl/Patch staff.

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