First of all – Sunday’s night game? 
I mean, geez-oh-man. All the adrenaline and cortisol rushing through my head when the Steelers tied it up with that Cotchery touchdown and then we lose so quickly in overtime? That sucked. But you know, life goes on. Seriously. It was upsetting and a crummy way to end the season but you win some, you lose some. I still heart the Steelers and can’t wait for what next season will bring.
(clears throat)
But on to other, more pressing stuff, like dead malls. Yeah, dead malls, which have apparently become such a part of our lives that there’s a whole web site devoted to people writing about their own experiences with formerly-vibrant retail districts, like our very own Parkway Center Mall. Since it’s close to my house and the K-Mart and Giant Eagle are never very busy, I find it to be the perfect place to run in and grab a few things with a hyperactive two-year old in tow.
But honestly guys, it’s kind of creepy in there with its out-dated carpeting, blocked off staircases and gated storefronts and what not. It’s kind of creepy and sad actually, especially when The Husband tells me about all the times he spent at the mall as a teenager when there were actual stores and even a (gasp) food court.
So with new camera in hand and on a mission to buy a hair dryer at K-Mart I thought that the Parkway Center Mall may be the perfect place for some interesting pictures.
Now I swear to you that anytime I go to this mall there are never more than 20 people in the whole place, but of course on this particular morning it was packed (meaning there were at least 30 people) and there was some kind of alarm malfunction occurring so that everybody in the place was hanging out in front of their empty store complaining about the alarm and looking at me like I was the one who pulled it. Wouldn’t they like to know?
So here’s the elevator. Not only is it closed, but how about that futuristic font they used? That is so eighties to me. Kind of like the teal paint, huh?
Here’s some steps. I know this isn’t exactly the most interesting picture, but I’d never been this deep into the mall before and for some reason this particular view made me realize how big it is and what it might have been like back in its hey-day filled with mullets and big hair and scrunchies. It totally makes me wish that Rick Sebak would have had the foresight to go to the mall and interview shoppers back then just so that we could see them for all eternity on one of those Things that Used to be Here shows.
And speaking of mullets, if you look at this one real close in the upper right corner? MULLET!
The 3rd floor is temporarily closed. As in forever.
Against an eerie backdrop of empty storefronts, Eden attempts to make an escape.
Oh, Foxmoor. I remember you. I was just young enough not to fit into your clothes and then when I finally did, you had the nerve to close. You’re one of many now-defunct mall stores that I am occasionally nostalgic for – Brooke’s, Merry-Go-Round, $9.99 Stock Room, Chess King, Hill’s, Montgomery Wards and National Record Mart to name a few. Can you name others?
Eden looks longingly at the escalators across from a store that is actually still open – 90′s Nails. I wonder if 90′s Nails come with 90′s prices?
The Husband tells me the food court area was quite happening and also included an arcade, a pool hall and a place called Dino Kingdom for the little ones.
Look, Mom, a mullet! (At least I imagine that’s what she’s saying.)
So I know Tony’s Got It. The problem is that neither me or The Husband can remember what he’s got. Empty shelves? Stacks of drop ceiling tiles? Do you remember?
Laurie Koozer: Writer. Reader. Lover of all things Pittsburgh.
Blogging Pittsburgh, readers, writers, pop culture and my book, What Happens on Sunday
Around ’82 or so I was doing security rounds there for Gregg Security when the mall was under construction. They had some pipe contraption sticking out of the ground, of what was to be the parking, lot getting rid of the methane they could before the asphalt got applied. Heard once that some guard had a man pressed up against a wall at the mall radioing in to the desk at building #7 that he had “some joker loitering around saying he was Paul Kossman”. The guy turned out to be Paul Kossman!, The security guard got fired or reassigned elsewhere. Used to get cassette tapes Of Asia, Van Halen,and AC/DC at Gold Circle, and remember Confetti’s just after it opened was pretty lively. Moved to the midwest in 86 – haven’t seen the area in 27 years – too bad to see the mall fade out – also heard that SS. Simon and Jude School closed not long ago. Hurts when your childhood home isn’t the thriving place you remembered – even heard they got rid of Foxcroft School in Scott Township. A shame. Places are still there like a dream.
They used to call it the Rock & Roll mall, because when trucks went down the highway outside, it caused the mall to shake. Worked at Radio Shack there, spring 1989.
The mall was built on a land fill that was never allow to settle the normal 10 or so years before construction. Once the mall built it always had tremors and kept sinking. When it was built it was level with the road! They kept saying that it didn’t but for those of us that were around when it was constructed watched it sink. Allegheny / USAir’s call center was located in the building next to it which kept the mall busy because of it being so convent when getting off of their shifts.
closed on jan 1st 2013 giant eagle is still open though. i was gona’ chian my self to it:<.
closed jan.1st 2013;[
Parkway Center Mall is all but gone now, all but Giant Eagle. SO sad
The owner, Kossman Development, owns TOO much land in Pittsburgh to really worry about the mall property. It’s a shame because it is such a good location. Kossman would not renew the leases of the smaller stores on the bottom level. So, that is why all the smaller stores had to leave. I was told this when my daughter was taking dance lessons at Roslyn Kenneth Dance Studio which was downstairs near the food court. They were forced to leave the mall because he would not let them renew their lease. So, who knows really what happened to that mall?
Without putting much thought into it, here are some more stores that were there in the heyday.
At least 3 women’s shoe stores, Baskin Robbins, Thrift Drug, Confetti was a former version of the nightclub, Papermart, Jo-Ann Fabric, Chic was where I worked before it was $9.99 stockroom, Gold Circle/Zayers/Syms upstairs, Chess King, Hallmark, bookstore, National Record Mart, Foxmoor, County Seat, the 2 good women’s clothing stores down at the Allegheny Valley bank end – shopped both, but mind’s blank…, Lee Wards crafts, a furniture store, a hair salon, the Space Center – had actual airplane seats & huge screens where you could watch videos & they had dances there when I was in high school (bought a really awesome shirt at Zayres prior to a dance – I remember its 80′s glory well!) There was briefly even some type of head shop place with incense & jewelry. It really was a happenin’ place in the 80′s & 90′s. My friend opened a Carson Street Deli in the food court for awhile, Rosalene Kenneth had her dance studio there, there may have been a photography studio as well. Dino Kingdom was a later addition – think, mini Chuck E Cheese.
I heard that a developer wanted to build condos behind the mall & offerred to buy/revamp the mall as a shopping destination/selling point for her properties, but they wanted more $. What a shame. I remember when you had to fight for a seat in the food court…
My wife and I met at Rodeo in 1993….loved that place while it lasted.
Mark it an end of an era….that finall;y breathed it’s last breath..Sad, if a mall closing iso traumatic..It was a great place at one time
I was just there this past weekend to check out Phantom of the Attic, and it is indeed scary. I remember when the mall was PACKED. There’s now maybe a half dozen stores or so plus the K-mart & Giant Eagle. I was an 80′s kid and remember going there when it was almost brand new when I was maybe 4 or 5. I loved the food court and the arcade, and even remember the Roller Coaster simulator and sitting on Santa’s lap. I remember hanging around Radio Shack a bunch too, they always had some of the coolest toys & electronics back then. Nowadays, even Radio Shack is nothing more than a cell phone store with a paltry selection of electronics and electrical wiring accessories and such.
The CompUSA there was great as well, it almost felt like a Best Buy but obviously geared more towards computers. Once that moved out to RTC into the old Sears store, it didn’t have the same feel since their new location was much smaller.
I think the mall began to die a slow death once Robinson Town Center was put in, but I’m sure the final nails in the coffin would be when the major places such as CompUSA and Chi-Chis left, as well as the new Wal-Mart in Robinson, which as we all know sucks the life out of everything else.
Yes i was club zoo at parkway center back in the day every weekend in high school and in the summer 3 or 4 times a week it was the place but i cant say that for the rest of the Mall, It nees a major overhull which is will probably never get, it could be a great plaza if it was done right its a shame!
Ah, the PCM. The deadest mall ’round Pittsburgh. It’s always been a source of fascination for me, and a morbid part of me can’t wait for it to close so I can UrbEx it. The elevator works if you want to ride it. You can only go up to the 3rd floor though, the first floor is locked/keyed-out.
You can get into the mall from the drive-through corridor, that door is unlocked too (the one by the old bank). I like the boarded up ATM. I really keep meaning to ask if I can have the MAC machine sign. Next time I’m there I’ll talk to the security guard and see if they’re willing to let me onto the first floor for pictures.
The old flea market/CompUSA is pretty well locked up. Can’t get in there. The ChiChis is remarkebly intact, I’d like to make my way into that place. There are a few ways into some REALLY interesting parts of the mall if you look around hard enough
Let me know if you ever get in and post some pics, would be very curious to see them! Thanks!!!
Ha, this is so depressing, sad, funny, and true.
First, I just found your blog and have spent almost an hour LMAO at all of the Pittsburgh memories you have resurrected! Think you already have the answer, but the *ahem* rather large and slick Tony was a mattress slinger. And where is he, because we certainly do not have enough mattress stores do we?
In middle school my band (that sounds too cool, it was the 6-8th grade band full of squeaking clarinets kind) went there to play carols for the shoppers. We ate at the food court and had time to play in the arcade! There was the roller coaster simulator, the ball pit (where I lost a bracelet), and the rows and rows of arcade games that we couldn’t drag the boys away from.
In later years we would go to Chi-Chi’s (oh how I miss thee) and pretend it was our birthday for free dessert and a picture with the sombrero. As time went on we also learned that they didn’t card, so we would get buzzed on frozen margaritas and walk around the mall.
There is one thing that it sounds like you may have forgotten….PCM was built on landfill and the big thing was that you could frequently feel the floor shifting, almost like a mini-earthquake. There was talk that the mall would eventually just collapse from all the shaking, but the allure of slushies and pretzels at the mall K-Mart kept us going back!
Awesome blog, sister! I live near C3 (we call it Skankery III) so if you ever want a ghost hunter friend let me know!
Thanks for reading! It is SO funny that you mention the landfill because I actually forgot about it until this week I heard that part of the Parkway Center Mall K-Mart collapsed into the PCM Giant Eagle deli!!!! Oops.
Hey – late to this, but there is a REALLY yummy Chinese restaurant near the mall. It’s in one of the office buildings on the first level. You should check it out! Makes the trip to that sad ghost town worth it. If you find out the name of the restaurant since I can’t remember, let me know.
Sorry for the vague advice. ;p
I just remembered – It’s called East Wind! It’s in 7 Parkway Center. So so so yummy.
Thanks for the tip! I recently noticed that place & wondered if it was any good!
East WInd is not very good>>>About 5 miles down Greentree Road up on the hill near the Applebees is the Best Chinese Restraunt.
Dino Kingdom!
Not having grown up in the area, I don’t have legitimate memories of that place, but it was still open when I lived in Pgh and I would sometimes browse the SYMS or Famous Footwear at PCM, slightly buzzed after a meal of breadsticks and guilt at the Olive Garden, and I was fascinated by Dino Kingdom! Tell me, what went on there?!?
I never went to the mall when Dino Kingdom was there, but my sources tell me there was a ball pit.
Don’t be jelly, but I totally used to get school clothes at Foxmoor freshman year. Parkway Center Mall also had a County Seat which is where I believe I got my denim jeans vest and matching denim SHORTS outfit with a leather ruffle trim. I looked like a hip hop girl heading to a rodeo.
I’m also pretty sure there used to be a Zayre there, too. Or Zayre’s? It’s hard to really know seeing that lots of life-long Pittsburghers like to attach the “s” to the end of a store…another topic worth discussing!
Another dead mall is Century III Mall. Stores of days past that lived there were Contempo Casuals, Silverman’s, Gantos, Marianne, Herman’s, d.e.m.o., I could go on! I practically lived there when I was younger!
I know, Century III Mall is pretty dead. I was just there recently and the food court was dead but at 10:30 in the morning it was PACKED with oldsters hanging out and drinking their coffee. I think I may have to go back with my camera!
The most interaction with Parkway Center came in my early teens when Club Zoo was the biggest hot spot in the South HIlls. They gave you membership cards and everything. I know that Kiss took some video there about a year ago. It had me cracking up.
I like everything about this post. But the best thing? Eden in front of the shut-down, 80s, futuristic elevator. She may be a toddler, but she gets it.
Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure that Eden definitely gets it, but those escalators to nowhere really make her sad. They’re such a tease. I’ll have to look for the Kiss video, I’m sure it’s good, this place is just begging for some kind of video exposure.
Maybe the next time you visit on a Giant Eagle or Kmart run consider photographing and posting the massively undulating parking lot–including all of the spots that now sit behind a fence. I really enjoyed this post because it reminds me of a mockumentary project I would like to complete called “Eastland Days” as a tribute to the former North Versailles icon. I remember tripping and falling in Gee Bee’s there as kid (stitches required) and how the store manager blamed the fall on me. Oh, good times!
I’ve never seen the parking lot spots behind a fence, that must be in the back. I will have to check that out. Also, I really like your mockumentary idea, you need to get on that! Gee Bee’s! That is a blast from the past. And I can relate to your falling story and raise you an automatic door – when I was a kid I got my arm stuck in one of those sliding doors at our local Ames. I was fine but Ames management must have been scared because a few weeks later they got brand new doors!
Great post.
I had been here a few years ago because I went to a training that was hosted at the hotel nearby and I was amazed at how dead it was. I was looking to get something to eat at the food court but was disappointed to realize the only option was Little Ceasar’s inside of K-Mart.
Incidentally, Parkway Center Mall was built and owned by Kossman Development who also built the nearby office building. They still own a lot of properties in and around Pittsburgh. (I knew Kossman’s son from CMU.) The billiard place that The Husband referred to was owned and operated by the Kossmans as well. From what I understood, the billiard place (Mr. Pockets) and Parkway Center Mall itself was a money loser and a tax write-off at least back to the early 90s.
But it’s a shame to see it so desolate. I remember that it also had one of those large Kaufmann’s Furniture locations and one of the large (pseudo) Mexican chains. I think it was a Chi-Chi’s (which all closed after that hepatitis scare). There was also a large CompUSA store there for a while.
…and to add another significant one… what (old enough) Pittsburgher wouldn’t get a little nostalgic remembering that there was also a Phar-Mor at Parkway Center? Phar-Mor was a great drug store done in by massive embezzlement.
(I hope I’ve added a bit of value to your ghost story.)
This does add value to my post! There was definitely a Phar-Mor and a Chi-Chi’s there. You can still see the Chi-Chi’s unique albeit dilapidated exterior and what looks to be a dining patio from the parking lot. Maybe when it’s a little warmer I can get some pictures from the outside.
The billiard hall was called Mr. Pockets. Classic.
okey these pictures are seriously making my day so much better, like i need them in a photo book of some sort!
Haha well I’m sure you could make one on Shutterfly!
I didn’t know you could still go inside of the Parkway Center Mall! How creepy and kind of awesome.
Yes, the only entrance to K-Mart is by going inside the mall. It’s kind of like K-Mart just has a really big front lobby (with a Pennsylvania Lottery kiosk).
I believe that Tony had mattresses. That “Elevator Closed” sign is very “Chopping Mall,” the robots-go-crazy slasher film from 1986.
Mattresses! Chopping Mall. That’s fantastic. If there’s ever a sequel, I think I found them a set.
Have no fear, $9.99 Stockroom still exists! It’s now rue21. They went from $9.99 Stockroom to the Stockroom to rue21 to employing me for 5.5 years during high school and college.
But what I don’t remember is what Tony had…
Maggie, As I wrote this I actually remembered that most of the $9.99 Stockrooms I knew where replaced by rue21, I just wasn’t sure if that was an official take-over or coincidence. Now I know. But still no clue on Tony. I don’t want to Google it either, I want to see if anybody actually remembers!
I seem to remember going to a birthday party at Parkway Center Mall, but I don’t think Dino Center was the name of the place. They had a simulator where you would sit inside with a big screen in front like you were sitting in the front row of a roller coaster ride and the simulator would move up and down. Does any of this sound familiar?
Yes, The Husband confirmed that there was definitely a roller coaster simulator there at one point.