Parkway Center Mall

Parkway Center Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1982, the mall closed in 2013 after losing Kmart, its last anchor store. The only remaining store in operation is a Giant Eagle supermarket. In 2016, the entirety of the mall was demolished, except for the Giant Eagle/Kmart building.[1]

Parkway Center Mall
LocationPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
AddressParkway Center Drive
Opening dateNovember 4, 1982
Closing date2013 (demolished 2016, except for Giant Eagle with Kmart location above it)
DeveloperKossman Development
ManagementKossman Development
No. of stores and services1
No. of anchor tenants1 (5 at peak)
Total retail floor area500,000 square feet (46,000 m2)
No. of floors2 (2016-) (Giant Eagle with former Kmart above it)
3 (1985-2016)

History

Kossman Development opened Parkway Center Mall on November 4, 1982.[2] Original anchor stores included Gold Circle, Giant Eagle, Zayre, Thrift Drug, and a David Weis catalog showroom.[3] Other major tenants included Chi-Chi's, Kay-Bee Toys, Radio Shack, Payless ShoeSource, and Jo-Ann Fabrics.[4] An exit from Interstate 376 was built specifically to service the mall.[5] Gold Circle became Kmart in 1986, and shortly thereafter, the foundation shifted resulting a crack in the floor that ran the length of the store. 8 inch wide steel plates were used to cover it.[4]

Zayre closed in 1989 along with three other stores in the area.[6] David Weis closed in 1990, and its space became Phar-Mor a year later.[7] Also in 1990, the former Zayre became a Kaufmann's clearance center.[8] By 1992, the clearance store was closed, and one-third of its space was converted to CompUSA.[9] The rest later became Syms Corporation. In 1997, Thrift Drug became Eckerd when the latter bought out the chain. In 1999, the arcade and food court were closed, with the latter later converted to a dance studio and a drivers' license office.[10]

Syms and Phar-Mor both closed in 2002,[11][12] and CompUSA moved to Robinson Town Centre.[13] By 2006, the center was largely vacant, with all tenants consolidated to the second floor after the first and third floors were closed to traffic.[14] The mall building also had foundation issues that caused it to shake as the building settled on the fill dirt on which it was built. Some of the vibrations were caused by truck traffic passing by on the nearby Interstate.[10]

Kmart announced its closure in late 2012, with its last day of operation January 6, 2013.[10] After this closure, the last remaining tenants were shuttered or relocated within the month,[4] including GNC, a sports apparel store, a nail salon, a martial arts studio, and an optician.[15]

The mall began to undergo demolition in August 2016.[16]

As of February 2019, The mall has been completely demolished except the Giant Eagle/Former Kmart building. Small hollow chunks of the mall still remain on the back and side of the building.

References
  1. Lindeman, Teresa F. (October 11, 2012). "Parkway Center Mall developer plans large changes after loss of Kmart". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  2. "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  3. "Parkway Center Mall to open". Beaver County Times. November 3, 1982. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  4. Widmer, Jeff (December 6, 2012). "Parkway Center Mall ready to close doors for final time". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  5. "Green Tree exit ramps work starts". The Pittsburgh Press. December 26, 1982. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  6. Gallagher, Jim (December 6, 1988). "Zayre to close 4 stores". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  7. Iwanowski, Jay (September 2, 1991). "Empty David Weis mall space attracts Burlington, Phar-Mor". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  8. "Kaufmann's to open new clearance center". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 4, 1990. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  9. "Computer discounter coming". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 2, 1992. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  10. Spatter, Sam (January 10, 2013). "Where does Parkway Center Mall's future lie?". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  11. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Business Briefs Column". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 6, 2002. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  12. "Phar-Mor(e) opportunities". Pittsburgh Business Journal. August 12, 2002. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  13. Schooley, Tim (October 12, 2001). "Parkway Center Mall could lose pair of anchor tenants". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  14. Leonard, Kim (May 10, 2006). "Mall insecurity". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  15. Spatter, Sam (September 26, 2012). "Parkway Center Mall to lose Kmart". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  16. "Parkway Center Mall's demolition making way for new development". post-gazette.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

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