Monroeville Mall facts for kids
An entrance to Monroeville Mall
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| Location | 200 Mall Circle Drive Monroeville, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 40°25′47.12″N 79°47′42.60″W / 40.4297556°N 79.7951667°W |
| Opening date | May 1969 |
| Developer | Oxford Development Company d/b/a Shopping Center Management LLC |
| Management | CBL Properties |
| Owner | CBL Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 115 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,418,700 square feet (131,800 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 (1 in Barnes & Noble, Cinemark, Dick's Sporting Goods, and H&M, 1 plus 2nd floor offices, in JCPenney, 3 in Macy's) |
| Parking | 6,800 spaces |
| Public transit access |  Port Authority bus: 67, 68, P67, P68 |
Monroeville Mall is a huge shopping mall located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. This town is just east of Pittsburgh. The mall sits near busy roads like U.S. Route 22 Business and Interstate 376.
It first opened its doors in 1969. Later, it got a big makeover and expansion in 2003–2004. Today, it has many popular stores. These include Barnes & Noble, Cinemark Theatres, Dick's Sporting Goods, H&M, JCPenney, and Macy's.
Monroeville Mall is one of the biggest shopping centers in Western Pennsylvania. It has over 1.4 million square feet of space. This makes it a major spot for shopping and fun.
Right next to the mall, you'll find other shopping areas. These include the Miracle Mile Shopping Center. Many well-known stores and restaurants are along U.S. Route 22. This area is the largest shopping hub in eastern Pittsburgh. The mall is also across from the Monroeville Convention Center. This center used to host the Pittsburgh Comicon, a famous comic book event.
The mall is most famous for a movie. It was the filming location for the horror film Dawn of the Dead (1978) by George A. Romero.
Contents
History of Monroeville Mall
Before the 1950s, Monroeville was mostly farmland. But new highways like the Pennsylvania Turnpike helped the area grow fast. In 1954, the Miracle Mile Shopping Center opened. This brought many shops and places to eat.
As shopping malls became popular in the 1960s, people wanted bigger places to shop. They visited malls like Eastland Mall or Greengate Mall. This led to the idea for Monroeville Mall.
Building the Mall
In the mid-1960s, a company called Don-Mark Realty had a big idea. They wanted to build the largest shopping mall in the United States. They chose a large piece of land called Harper's Mine.
Even though some people wondered if it was the right spot, Don-Mark believed it was perfect. By 1966, work began to level the land. They moved tons of dirt to prepare the huge site. Building the mall cost $30 million and took two years. It opened in 1969. The mall also had huge parking lots for 6,500 cars.
Grand Opening Day
Monroeville Mall opened in May 1969. It had 1.1 million square feet of space. Two big department stores, Gimbels and Joseph Horne Co., were at opposite ends. JCPenney was in the middle.
The mall had 125 stores spread across two levels. A special feature was the Ice Palace, a skating rink. There was even an Italian restaurant next to the rink. Its large windows let diners watch the skaters. The new mall caused other nearby shopping centers to lose business.
Mall Features and Fun
The mall was beautifully decorated. It had fountains and lots of plants under huge skylights. The Gimbels court had a tall yellow clock tower. Inside the tower were 12 animated puppets. Each puppet represented a different group from the Pittsburgh area. One puppet would perform every hour. All of them performed together at 1 PM and 6 PM.
The Horne's end of the mall had a large, round fountain. It was surrounded by a comfy seating area. The stores offered everything from fancy clothes to hardware. There was even a bank, places to eat, pharmacies, and pubs. The goal was to make the mall feel like an indoor "town center."
Changes Over Time
As the mall grew, the areas around it also developed. A movie theater, a hotel, and more stores were built. An annex behind the mall added a supermarket. This supermarket later became a Burlington Coat Factory and then Dick's Sporting Goods.
In 1984, the Ice Palace skating rink was replaced by a food court. This made some local residents sad. Over the years, many of the mall's decorative ponds and bridges were removed. They made way for more carts and kiosks. The famous clock tower was taken down in the early 1990s. The fountain at the other end was removed in the early 2000s. It was replaced with a children's play area. This play area was themed after Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Modern Updates and Expansion
The biggest changes to Monroeville Mall happened in 2003–2004. A company called CBL & Associates Properties bought the mall. They redeveloped the main entrance area. It became an 80,000-square-foot lifestyle center called The District.
Inside the mall, many parts were updated. Entrances, restrooms, and common areas got new looks. New escalators, lights, railings, and flooring were added. The food court also got a big makeover with new tables and seating.
More changes came in 2012–2013. A new section was built with a 12-screen Cinemark Theatres. New stores also opened in this area. In 2015, CBL Properties announced more renovations. These included new colors, lighting, and seating. Restrooms and the food court also got fresh designs. These updates aimed to make the mall a more welcoming place for shoppers.
Main Stores at the Mall
When Monroeville Mall first opened in 1969, it had three main "anchor" stores. These are big stores that attract many shoppers. The original anchors were Joseph Horne Company, Gimbels, and JCPenney. A Montgomery Ward store also opened in the 1970s but closed later.
Changes to Gimbels
In 1986, the Gimbels store closed. It was then taken over by May Department Stores Company. They reopened it as Kaufmann's. In 2006, Kaufmann's became Boscov's. However, Boscov's closed its Monroeville store in 2008.
Changes to Joseph Horne Company
The Joseph Horne Company store operated until 1994. It was later bought by Federated Department Stores. They changed its name to Lazarus. In 2005, all Lazarus stores became Macy's. So, Macy's is now in the spot where Horne's used to be.
JCPenney and New Stores
JCPenney was the last original anchor store. From 1969 to 2012, it was in the center of the mall. In late 2012, JCPenney moved to a smaller spot. Its old building was torn down to make way for the new Cinemark Theatres and other shops.
H&M opened in the summer of 2013. Dick's Sporting Goods moved into the mall in 2014. In 2018, Macy's Backstage also opened.
On June 4, 2020, it was announced that JCPenney would close. But on July 9, 2020, the store was removed from the closing list. This means it will stay open for now.
