This video is so heartbreaking for so many reason's. Actually, just so you know it's a great area for I've grown up & lived nearby in Jefferson and the mall is surrounded with great neighborhoods. The biggest downfall was when they put the bus line in. That's when it started getting unsafe and full of trouble. Then when they built The Waterfront in Homestead PA, it was over. This mall was always full of cheer and great people it breaks my heart. My entire family would shop there and then as a teenager that was our place to be. The wall used to be a pet store with animals and loud parrots, Payless, Claires, a salon and so much more. My company had talks of purchases and CCAC considered moving their campuses to CIII and UPMC was in talks of making an offer for a hospital & independent doctor's offices and as it stands nothing happened from there. Thanks for the video it helped me reminisce of walking hand & hand with my now husband of 16 year's. Great Work!

I sound like the old guy I am becoming when I tell younger folks how busy and bustling this mall once was. When it opened it was like the 2nd or 3rd largest mall in the USA. It was PACKED. It could take an hour to drive thru the parking lot! I at least once had someone offer to drive me to my car to get my spot! The stores were not crap stores, either, all the best retailers only. This was the 1980s (it opened fall 1979, but only half opened then. "Phase II" was where the ramp started, opened about 1981. At the time the older generation told us how great downtown shopping was, at the time downtown was falling apart. It all comes full circle.

Nice video, I've always been a fan of the architectural style that DeBartolo used in his malls. Even though this one had been renovated, it still retained alot of it's 70's-ness. Most DeBartolo malls built in the mid to late 70's still have this decor to the present day or until the wrecking ball intervened.. Anyway, if you're a fan of vintage mall storefronts, decor, architecture, etc. then you HAVE to check out the SCHUYLKILL MALL in Frackville, PA. It was built in 1980 by Crown American properties and it shows, this mall was NEVER updated. (with the exception of the movie theater) It still has 5 vintage fountains, totally original decor, and plenty of in tact vintage storefronts, including a old Spencer's that was completely trapped in 1978 until its ultimate closure in 2002. Nothing has occupied it since, so it is a very well preserved vintage storefront. There are many more to see inside and its kind of amazing. If you plan to go though, I would go ASAP. The mall is in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, is missing 3 of its 5 anchors, and is atleast 70% vacant. It will be well worth it though, and it will make a nice addition to your series, which btw I have been addicted to lately. Keep up the good work!

As a kid my parents went to that mall all the time. Christmas to see Santa and the Easter bunny. I remember the train they had in the middle. Car dealers would show off there new cars in there. They had a pet store with puppies, rabbits, birds and fish. I live 15 minutes away from it. I haven't been in center lll mall in 15 years. Thanks for posting this video!

For some reason "dead malls" or soon to be, are so fascinating and captivating, so glad someone is doing video of these malls as I will probably never get to experience that, so I can then experience it through YT. A great video even with the limited gear you have. Thanks

@AcesAdventures1

7 жыл бұрын

I appreciate the comments but please stop telling me i have limited gear, im not a professional and this is the best i have to work with, im self teaching myself everything, again, thank you for watching

My heart was breaking watching this video!! This is the mall I used to hang out at and I even worked here from 92 to 97... what a shame to see its demise...

So sad to hear this mall can now be considered formally dead, rather than dying. I visited it in the late 80’s and it was full of happy shoppers. Who would have thought things would come to this. Thanks for videoing this place for all of us. If you do go to New England be sure to visit Berkshire Mall.

I grew up close to here and spent a lot of time in this mall when I was growing up. I worked in Camelot Music in the late 90's (at 6:34 of this video on the lower level behind the escalator) and my Mom worked at Victoria's Secret (at 4:25 of this video). We still go to this mall a lot because the comic and game shop is incredible (at 12:32 of this video). I could explain what almost every store front was at one time and that's why it's so sad to me. You said you like the look of it now, well you should have seen it before the 1997 remodel. The mall was built on Andrew Carnegie's dumping ground for slag. You can actually see what's left of the old slag piles in the background at 4:08 (looks like steps in the hill). This caused many structural problems while they were building it and the ground shifting is why the upper parking lot is falling apart now. This is unverified information but this was the rumor that was going around to mall employees a few years back. A company named Simon used to own it along with South Hills Village and Ross Park Mall. The Village and Ross Park have become really high end malls and are still thriving. Apparently this company used any profit from Century III to put into the other two. Even going as far to use Century III for a dumping ground for old equipment and such while putting all of the money into the other two. When the Village needed an AC unit, they took one from Century III and never replaced it. The Village and Ross Park have been beautifully remodeled while Century III kept the same shitty carpets. They sucked off whatever they could from Century III and sold it when it started going down hill. By that time, it was too late to save. There have also been rumors about turning it into an outpatient medical facility but these rumors have been going around for many years now.

I used to walk around that mall with my grandparents in the early 90's when I was little.. We saw Richard Simmons dance there in 94, they used to have a smoking section in the food court, and they even had mascots there. Most of the people that live in the area are struggling, and or older people like my grandparents, whose kids are boomers and gen X's that live, and raised their kids in surrounding areas like Bethel Park, Mt Lebanon, and Peters Township instead of where they grew up walking distance to the mall. The mall outlived the areas demographic.

there's no hope for this mall man. it's been going downhill since 2006 or 2007. many memories hanging around this place on the weekends back in middle school. every time I stop in it seems like another store is gone. RIP.

Just found your dead mall vids. Good work. I do follow Dan Bell's work to it's cool to see some follow ups from what he did to see how the malls have fared since he was there.

@AcesAdventures1

8 жыл бұрын

thank you, im an amateur still but learning lol

even the ambient music playing in the background is a time warp. 😱

I remember when I was in college, we used to take the bus to this mall. It was a hour trip and the mall was still relatively healthy. I bought my copy of Metropolis at the Suncoast there, and it became my favorite movie of all time. I also bought a pin striped blazer at Hot Topic that I wore all throughout college and is still in my closet, I met my best friend the first night I wore it. It's weird the memories a place brings.

Wow, this mall reminds me of two malls from my childhood combined into one! It is indeed legendary. I am the sort that loves to preserve things, too bad that opposites exist and there are those who only destroy. I can only pray this mall survives!

i hung out at this mall in high school back in the 90s. i worked at a dippin dots kiosk right outside of kaufmans, next to the fountain.

The fountain isn't drained, it was probably turned off for mainteance. I went there and it was still operating.

Century III before it plummeted into the disaster it has become. Found out about your from Sal. Working my way through your videos. Excited to see your take on dead malls and other creepy abandoned places. 😁

C III mall was built to service all the middle class families in the "Mon Valley" which was a major steel producing area. When steel started to decline this mall started to decline. Add to that the trend for strip mall shopping ( you should have checked out The Water Front a shopping area built on the site of a very famous former steel mill) and internet shopping and you can see why this mall is dead. I live in the North Hills of Pgh and our Dead mall, North Hills Mall, is currently being rebuilt with stores like Nordstrom's Rack and the Container Store.

@chartle1

7 жыл бұрын

***** Into what? It seems like there is not as much need currently for indoor malls. Each area in Pittsburgh is only supporting one of the 4 major indoor malls left. Ross Park, South Hills, Monroeville and Robinson. Of those I think only Ross Park and South Hills are what you would call thriving. I found this in a story from CBS News. "No new enclosed mall has been built since 2006, and Lewis (author of "The New Rules of Retail") predicts fully half of all our malls will close in the next 10 years." In the north they they built McCandless Crossings. An outdoor "neighborhood" style mall like the Waterfront.

@bandombeviews6035

7 жыл бұрын

You mean northway mall.

@chartle1

7 жыл бұрын

RandomReviews yea always mixed those up when young. I really thought of them as either the Hornes mall or the Gimbles mall.

@Des9301.

7 жыл бұрын

There is a change of this mall picking back up however, there is a large boom of construction in Jefferson Hills, South Park, Pleasant Hills, and Finleyville. Also, Turnpike 43 had permits granted on the final phase of construction, and UPMC is planning on building a hospital down the road. Obviously, West Mifflin and other areas are dead, but there is a chance. Finally, a lot of new stores have been opening up in the relative area, so it might attract new tenants to the mall is Moonbeam ever decides to commence renovations.

@realazduffman

7 жыл бұрын

Never going to come back in its current form. Phase II (Where Sears/Lazurus was) needs to be flattened and repurposed. The "old" part, anchored by JCP/former Macy's might be able to survive. But it all needs a total re-work. Reality is it will soon close and then sit a decade or more, empty.

The layout of this mall is amazing. My dead mall had its charm but this is on another level.

I'm a huge fan of your videos, and part of the time I watch them for the work you put into the intro on them. Wanted to put a bug in your ear for a mall I think should go on the radar. Charleston Town Center in Charleston, WV. My Daughter and I went shopping there about three weeks ago, and it's not in serious trouble, but I did notice four or five stores in the process of liquidating to close. NY and Company, Pac Sun, and Teavana were three that I can remember. Sears closed last Spring leaving JC Penney and Macy's as the remaining anchors. I read that Dillard's was supposed to work a deal to move into the former Montgomery Wards space in the mid '00s, but that fell through. There was floor traffic there on the Sunday we were there, but it felt like it could've been a lot better. It's not dead, yet. But I fear it's starting to decline. Just something to watch. Keep up the great work here.

Now, I have THE WORST memory ever. But let me tell you.. I distinctly remember one trip in particular with my brother and former sister in law. I was probably around 7-9 years old and I remember going to chick-fil-a, build a bear, this play place like this giant indoor soft playground place, and going to a pet store. I remwmber the little puppy chewing on my shoe lace. I think that was the last time I was ever there.. I'm almost 24.. .. This makes me so sad.

There used to be malls nationwide- In retrospect, I love the memories I have of my late Mother pushing me in a stroller around a couple of the ones in southern California. ... Not 100% of malls nationally necessarily need to be torn down. Malls that have essentially passed on, can be used as community colleges and/or trade schools and/or museums. Malls were 'THE THING' back in the 80's that's an olden fact of forgotten epicness. The buildings can be rezoned, reincarnated- as a loving tribute to the customers and up-and-coming college students who'd get their careers, back when malls were solely 'just malls'. fuck, goodbye again, 80's! :.D

@jmjfanss

4 жыл бұрын

Or mixed used developments.

@jenniferloving9054

Жыл бұрын

Exactly! I was a 90's kid who grew up in the 'burbs and have great childhood memories of my parents taking me and my brother to one of the malls in the city. I was glad to hear that my childhood mall became a community college.

There is now nothing in the food court, escalators don't work now and it is almost no stores left now

Definitely gonna check this out only about 45miniutes from me but never been there, always went to monroville or Ross park

when Dan Bell did this mall the fountain was working and it was amazing. so need to road trip here to see it. it looks like where I hung out at back in the day.

I live in Pittsburgh and without a doubt, crime is the reason this mall died. Port Authority (which is the public transportation department in this area) decided it would be a good idea to put a bus line to the very entrance of this mall from a really bad surrounding neighborhood called Clariton. Bad people came here to cause trouble and rob law-abiding citizens. People feared being mugged so the middle class that regularly shopped this mall stopped coming, and with that the mall started to perish.

Even the music is old from the 1998 it's the same cd I guess

I love all your videos so much!!!!!

@AcesAdventures1

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Im an amateur still but im learning :)

I remember going there as a kid and going for lunch at Wolfie's and seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks there. So sad to see it so deserted.

Reminds me of one of the malls in my city (Crossroads Mall in OKC) in it's second to last days before it was bought out by a company that is now trying to revamp it into a Hispanic theme mall. It's nice to see what they've done with it to redo it but it will never be the same

I have a mall in Miami called the southland mall and it opened in 1960 and is still booming today!

Great video. This place use to ROCK!

There's a mall here where I live called Cincinnati Mills, it used to by called Forest Fair before it got remodeled, and it's almost nearly completely abandoned. Kohl's is pretty much the only anchor left, Bass Pro is leaving at the end of August 2016. Century III reminds me a lot of Cinci Mills in that there are entire wings blocked off from people going into, lights out and everything. I think Cinci Mills has even less stores than Century III has. It's sad to see it happen.

Nice video! I'm glad to see this mall getting more attention around the dead mall community. I've only been there once, at that was 10 years ago. It was dead exactly the same back then, so I don't know how it's hung on for so long.

@AcesAdventures1

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@8Oblivion_Lost8

8 жыл бұрын

I remember. It's even more decrepit now, and less than half the stores open then still exist.

I believe that bordered up storefront is an old Sam Goody. I remember going up those little steps to the CD store and buying CDs

Nice video! Every time I go in here it seems more vacant than the last time. Now that Sears and Macy's are gone, the place is pretty dead. I remember when I was little the place was still semi-busy, but since the turn of the century the place has gone so downhill. Great video!

When I was last inside, after talking with a security guard, even security knew it was on its last days.

FYI From Century III Memories FB. "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."

Took a peek at this after seeing the newest video. The place looks vibrant here compared to now!

There are key ingredients to a successful mall. Parking garages isn’t one of them at least not in the south. People generally don’t like parking garages. They increase stress levels. I think people would rather have just one big open air parking lot where they can see from a distance open parking spaces rather that having to keep going up different levels of a parking garage hoping at each level that there is a open spot. You do that at airports because you have no choice. With malls you have a choice. You shop somewhere else where you don’t have to deal with a parking garage. Another thing is to have your mall close to where people live in the suburbs, not at a busy interstate exit. A busy interstate exit makes it a pain getting in and out of there. Remember, a mall is more about just shopping. It’s about having the mall experience and getting to and from the mall is part of the experience. It’s important to make it a pleasant experience rather than a painful one. Security is also an important factor both on the parking lots as well as inside. A single murder on mall property can doom a mall. People need to feel safe at a mall. These are factors that many owners of a mall neglect in order to fatten their wallets. You have to understand and know your customers. When the mall experience becomes no longer fun is when a mall dies. These monolithic commercial real estate companies overflowing with hubris fail to realize these things. They have their greedy heads so buried in numbers that they fail to understand the human aspect of things.

and being dead for 2 year it doesnt make since to keep it open nothings in there anymore sad to see it go my dad used to go here all the time with my mom

You should do Shenango Valley Mall in Hermatige PA! While it still has it's three anchor stores (Sears, Penny's, and Macy's), the mall is dying a slow, agonizing death. The main concourse is probably only 30% occupied, and there's another concourse that is not only totally empty, it's decor is frozen in the 80s due to being sealed off from the public between 1997 and 2004 (long story), meaning it wasn't remodeled with the rest of the mall in 2002

@9:24 I think the last time I was in a mall that looked like that, Madonna's Secret was playing too. Uncanny!

You have to wonder why a mall like this failed. It was one of the biggest malls in the world when it was built. I live fairly close to this mall (Mt. Lebanon)and the road that it is situated on is always congested with traffic. Nearby malls like south hills village, the mall at robinson, ross park and the waterfront are booming. Maybe there's too much competition in the area and poor management caused it to fail. Or Maybe the demographic of the area changed drasictally since when it was built. Either way, it is sad to see that a mall in my area is doing this bad. Thank you for making this video, it really opened my eyes, and broke my heart. I haven’t been to this mall in years. Maybe people like me are the reason why Century 3 mall failed.

@brianjansen3103

11 ай бұрын

Walmart & Amazon dude, Walmart & Amazon

The silence is boring yet at the same time unsettling.

My dad would take my brother & I into the arcade, game time if i remember correctly & give us each $5 worth in quarters, then give the change guy $20 to keep an eye on us & that was a friday night when i was a kid

What someone could do with this is renovate this to apartments on the third floor second floor Dr offices, insurance offices, and a medical center and the bottom floor retail stores make it like an indoor living center.

You should check out The Orchards Mall in Benton Harbor, MI. Almost empty.

To your question, that section of West Mifflin that borders Pleasant Hills where the mall is located is not a bad area as far as crime and stuff and never has been. I guess you could say it was upper middle class. And now maybe it's middle class with a 50/50 mix of seniors that own the homes in the area and regular homeowners. Besides the Waterfront in Homestead killing Century 3 another thing that helped kill Century 3 was when Walmart moved a little higher up on the mountain and put in the Supercenter.

Eastland Mall, Greengate Mall and Century III Mall. 3 of my old hangouts...GONE.

Here's the weirdest thing about this situation, outside of the fact that the current owners of C3 seem to have big thoughts but never seem to try to do anything with them: an hour away, you have a shopping mall in Ohio, the Ohio Valley Mall that's about 5 minutes west of Wheeling, WV, owned by Cafaro, that doesn't do that bad, and those owners seem to know what they are doing with their properties. A few of their anchor stores are closing (Elder Beerman's and K-Mart), but one of them is getting replaced by another tenant, and they still have quite a few. Maybe Moonbeam should sell C3 to Cafaro and give it to someone who will know what they are doing. Well, ANYONE would be better than who's currently in charge, because whatever they are TRYING to do with it is obviously not working!

Wow night and day to what it looks like now

I dont understand, these malls should be turned into factories! They could run power and water along the ceilings, divide up spaces. They are bright and airy. With a few modifications, these could be smaller scale factories!

@annv1169

7 жыл бұрын

***** True, but just look at Regency Mall in Augusta GA. Must be dirt cheap, and has been gutted already!

@realazduffman

7 жыл бұрын

Some places do that, whack up the space for incubating small start-ups. This mall would not be the best for that because of location and some other reasons too detailed to go into here.

WOW!

This mall reminds me alot of Madison Square Mall in Huntsville, AL.... its also a jumbo dead mall :(

Alton square mall in Alton Illinois is a time warp and a dead mall check it out

It's sad to say that the music on the radio probably has the most life in the entire mall.

To my knowledge this is the only mall that has a three story section. Not sure if the third story is still open or has any stores left open. Sad to see the decline of malls and retail in general in America.

@ColleenCCA

6 жыл бұрын

I was just there a few days ago, and the third floor is completely closed off. All escalators are turned off now. Very sad indeed!!

@bigbird51

6 жыл бұрын

ColleenCCA thanks for the update, a truly great decline of retail in America. I think the problem is/was developers mindset build it and they will come, rather arrogant looking back today at what has happened.

Wait, was that a store named Jimmy Jazz at about 4:45? That was a Clash song! Which album, anyone, anyone? Beuller, Beuller?

Interesting place. Mind if I ask what the intro music is? I promise I won't ask every time you make a new upload but if you can think of any others you've used, I'll probably want to hear those, too. :V Thanks!!

@MilkAndCornbreadd

8 жыл бұрын

The first track played is "Point Of No Return" by Nu Shooz (1986). It peaked at #1 for one week on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Singles Chart and #28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

Those stars that are hanging are still up

What was the most challenging mall to navigate in your series?

@AcesAdventures1

7 жыл бұрын

Ash Lynn this was one of them

Too bad it's currently being torn down. They are working on the parking garage right now.

Gangs killed this Mall. This was a hang out for gangs.

this is SAD ASF!!! I remember going to this mall all the time when I was a kid & my mom used to go to this mall all the time in the '80s...it's declining so badly now because it's in such a bad area and most of the stores there are ghetto asf now, too...sooo sad... I pray this doesn't happen to south hills village!

@AcesAdventures1

8 жыл бұрын

I agree, super sad, thanks for watching:)

@Des9301.

7 жыл бұрын

I don't think, since SHV has Upper St. Clair and Peters Township around it

I predict this will close on or about Januray 2018

The mall is now condemned and inhabitable. It very sad.

I keep expecting to see a Dingo Junction...

Go to Roanoke Virginia Tanglewood mall

We will see what the statue of the mall will be in six more months.

Were you just riding on a two level carousel?

Visit Plaza Central in Arlington, TX

@natekidren

8 жыл бұрын

Yes i second that please do! I'm too scared to go there. Is it bad?

Lets face it, i guess everybody and i mean everybody outright HATES this mall probably ever since it first opened considering this a bad idea and i bet everybody's so glad its closed! this is one of the reasons why i don't go to any other malls anymore! all malls are dying very hard not joking! am i the only one sticking up for this place?

@Jimmy-3294

Ай бұрын

You couldn’t be anymore wrong. I’m from Pittsburgh and live about 10 minutes from this place. When this mall opened up it was the third largest mall in the world for a time being. This place was always busy up until I’d say the early to mid 2000s. The mall was in a great location for the area I live in because otherwise we have to drive out about 20 to 30 minutes to get to another mall. Unfortunately the neglected the mall, let crime happen and ultimately ran it into the ground. It’s now in the process of getting demolished. Everyone loved this mall when it opened and everyone around the Pittsburgh area would bring their families because it was such an event.

your videos gives me major motion sickness

Where is this mall

@AcesAdventures1

7 жыл бұрын

That kid on KZread pittsburgh

@thatkidonyoutube4290

7 жыл бұрын

Ace's Adventures Thank you

Was the mall music the actual music playing in the mall, or was it added in post? Because all of the songs playing are as new as 1999...crazy.

@AcesAdventures1

8 жыл бұрын

They were actually playing, i know i lose monetizing on videos by them playing but yes thats the in mall muzak lol

@Wingnutcaseman

8 жыл бұрын

Strangely, I noticed the same thing about Granite Run Mall before it closed. It's almost as if the mall itself is living in the past trying to recapture its glory days. xD

@Zynyster

8 жыл бұрын

+Lee Dubay - Thank you Lee, I gave myself a challenge trying to find one of the songs that is playing in this video and I was having trouble until I notice you said 1999. Thank you for that. That song I was looking for was Tal Bachman 'She's So High'. I love that song :)

we saw it coming (the mall being abandoned) it dosent make since that one part is open and the other was closed and the location isnt popular any more 🥲