Washington Mall; Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington Mall opened in a former cornfield in 1968 near the intersection of US 19/Murtland Ave and newly constructed I-79 (Now I-70 and I-79 run concurrently on this segment) in Washington, PA (population 15,000). The cost of the mall then: $4 million. The mall’s condition today: priceless.
Today, Washington Mall is a relic. The 800,000 square foot mall is anchored by a huge three-level 132,000 square-foot JCPenney store which dominates the center visually. Other major stores in the center include: Rex TV & Appliance, Eckerd Drug, Staples, Dollar General, Toys R Us, and Jo-Ann Fabrics. Click here for a current pdf of the mall’s leasable area. The inside of the mall is mostly vacant, and in doing research it has been that way for at least 5 years. Wally Janicki, owner of the former Pretzel Oven which had to close due to poor business, was quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette through tears as saying the mall is so empty at times that a bowling ball could be rolled down the corridor without hitting anyone. Interesting analogy, and we’ll take it.
The near future of Washington Mall is bleak. In 2004, the mall’s development agent, JJ Gumberg and Associates of nearby Pittsburgh announced massive plans to, what else, big-box the mall. The inside of the mall would be demolished and the remaining stores would be turned outward to the parking lot. The major tenants including JCPenney, Eckerd and Staples were to remain during the planned redevelopment.
However, in December 2004 plans inexplicably changed. An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that many of the mall’s remaining tenants were told they could ’stay awhile’ and wouldn’t have to relocate for demolition, because plans had changed or were delayed.
So what killed Washington Mall? I’m going to say the center’s age, competition, and possibly retail overkill in Washington all put this mall in its grave. Foremost, the center is 36 years old and although it looks like it received some touch-ups throughout the years, most of it looks extremely dated. People like renovations and clean, new looking shopping malls. That’s just how people are. Only in rare occasions (like Northpark Mall in Dallas) does an upscale shopping mall purposely go without renovations and makes it.
Second, and probably most importantly, Washington has another dominant mall. Washington Crown Center, then called Franklin Mall, opened only one year after Washington Mall on the other side of town. The two malls seemed to co-exist somehow in this city of 15,000, at least until the late 1990s. Franklin Mall renovated itself extensively and expanded in 1999, renamed itself Washington Crown Center, and attracted all the popular chain stores like the Gap. When I visited it in March 2004 it was packed with teenagers and families and clearly successful.
This leads into the third reason Washington Mall is failing: retail overkill in the area. Washington is a city of only 15,000 people. Although its trade area is much larger than a typical city of 15,000, and it does lie on the fringe of the Pittsburgh metro area, Washington is simply not large enough to support two enclosed successful malls. People in Washington also have the opportunity to drive 30 minutes or less and shop at many of the malls in metro Pittsburgh. In addition, Washington has a huge amount of strip malls and more are on the way. In April 2006, it was announced that JCPenney would leave Washington Mall for a new big-box development down the road. Perhaps this is why the mall’s redevelopment was halted?
In September 2005 I visited the mall on my way back from a trip through the southeast U.S. It was about 8pm, and I planned to make this mall the last stop of the night before driving into Ohio to my motel. My visit quickly turned from a non-event into a disasterous, scary fiasco. I parked in front of the main entrance and started snapping photos as I always do, making sure I wasn’t being watched by mall security, who tend to frown upon such horrible behavior. Mall policies officially forbid taking photographs or videotape inside a mall. The only reasons I’ve been able to get out of them for this are competition and security. With many cases, like Washington Mall, I can’t imagine either reason being valid. I’m pretty sure the mall is not going to be on the radar of any terrorists, and I’m absolutely sure no one would say “Gosh, I better go copy Washington Mall’s business practices, they sure seem to be doing well!” In any case, I was caught taking pictures inside the mall and some dire consequences were brought upon me as a result. My story follows.
I walked the entire length of the mall and snapped the photos you see below. The mall was virtually empty, except for this ancient security guard and an equally ancient janitor lumbering around the mall with his cart. I avoided them seeing me during most of my nefarious, purely evil picture taking activities. Then, as I turned to leave out the main entrance once again, I noticed the security guard had pulled up a chair to the WTAE-TV space in the mall and was watching Hurricane Katrina coverage on the TV they had on and broadcasting into the mall. I thought this was amusing so I quickly snapped a shot. Immediately, I noticed that the janitor, who was further up the mall, noticed me doing this and started walking toward the security guard who was seated watching TV. Even though I was leaving anyway, I decided it was time to leave with more haste than originally planned. I quickly walked to my car, but as I exited the mall I looked back and noticed the janitor was speaking to the security guard at that point and they were both looking at me. OH $#%$. Well, since I was leaving the mall, they wouldn’t actually pursue me, would they? They would. As I got into my car, which was not far from the doors because, hey, this is a dead mall, the mall’s security vehicle came speeding out of nowhere directly to where I was parked with the lights flashing. OH $%&# again. Right then, both the security guard and the janitor came running out of the mall’s doors after me and right to my car, screaming at me. I turned on the car and sped to the nearest exit, and to my amazement they all got into the security vehicle and were in hot pursuit! I had actually left the mall entirely by this point but I was stuck at a light waiting to turn onto US 19 and then I-70 so I could get the hell out of there. While I waited at the light, they caught up to me and started flashing their lights and screaming obscenities and honking at me. I don’t even remember exactly what they said, it was kind of traumatic. I do remember “We got your license plate, you’re in big trouble!” and other things like that. As far as I know, I hadn’t actually done anything against the law, they weren’t the police, and I was off mall property, so I continued to ignore them. I turned onto US 19 north toward the interchange with I-70, and they continued to follow! A few seconds later, I turned onto the on ramp for I-70 west. They were still following me! What were they going to do, follow me home to Wisconsin? At this point I became concerned for my own safety against these people, who were apparently insane, and considered calling police myself, but they immediately exited the Interstate as soon as they got on. I continued on my merry way, a little faster than usual, and 10 minutes later I was possibly the only person in history glad to see the “Welcome to West Virginia” sign.
So, if you want to take some pictures in and around malls, here are a few lessons. Look around. Security usually walk up and down the mall all day and are sometimes even in stores. If it’s dead, they’ll often be chatting with store employees or strangely even watching TV. Also, mall employees like janitors usually don’t care what you’re doing (however, they caused this horrible situation) but I always take precautions and avoid them seeing me too. Take pictures discretely. Don’t use a flash, or attract any attention to yourself by anyone. They will harass you for taking pictures, and it can be pretty nasty. I’ve also been kicked out of malls, and both politely and not very politely asked to stop. If you want to avoid the situation, don’t take pictures inside at all. But that’s not very fun. Overall, realize that you’re not doing anything illegal. They have no authority to detain you, call the police on you (unless you stay after they ask you to leave), or do anything but ask you to leave and not come back. They also probably won’t chase after you after you leave the mall entirely and follow you onto the freeway, screaming and honking, either. But it happened to me, so who knows? At least it made for a great story.
Pictures taken September 2005. If anyone has any comments, or can provide more information on the history of the mall before the 1990s, feel free. Also, if J.J. Gumberg is reading this, it’s my opinion that you hire some pretty wacky people.
Steven Swain
July 14th, 2006 at 12:44 am
The rest of the mall can go, but they must leave the JCPenney! That’s a really slick store. I imagine it was even nicer with the ‘Penneys’ logo on the front. Hopefully it was bigger tha the current sign.
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Caldor
July 14th, 2006 at 2:23 am
I don’t remember it being this desolate when I visited the Washington Mall in April of 2004, but it was on a Saturday morning so it may have been unusually busy. While it may be hard to tell from these pictures, the (frankly dingy) gold-and-brick motif is actually somewhat astounding in person. I thought this mall was really impressive.
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Prangeway
July 14th, 2006 at 3:33 am
Yeah, I’m pretty concerned about the mall’s future sans JCPenney. It could be why they abandoned ship on any sort of renovation for the time being.
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Daniel
July 19th, 2006 at 5:40 am
Add to that Toys “R” Us and their future. The store up the road 20 miles on 19 in Bethel Park was closed, so that may help it, but that store is very quiet (as with the rest of the mall). It doesn’t help that there is so much big-box development on the other side of I-70/79, where Wal-Mart, Sam’s, Target, Lowe’s, Kohl’s all operate.
Giant Eagle operated in the basement below Toys “R” Us before opening their store next to Target. Lang’s was a local department store based in the mall at one time too that had other area stores. This mall I have asked about numerous times on my group (Remembering Retail) and no one knows much about the history.
As for JJ Gumberg, they are a terrible developer, outside of their work at Butler’s Clearview Mall.
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RollingAcresDotOrg
July 21st, 2006 at 4:37 am
But where is the pic of the security guard?
JJ Gumberg indeed sucks. They seem to specialize in small town malls and shopping centers, most of which (the malls, anyway) are not fairing well and will probably continue to do so.
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Prangeway
July 21st, 2006 at 1:46 pm
That picture didn’t turn out at all, unfortunately. And then I had to run for my life.
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M
July 24th, 2006 at 1:09 am
i remember a while ago, they used to have a super bowl of chili….and i seem to remember a penny’s logo with a blue/black lettering. anyway the sad thing is with all the new developments in the area ” foundry @ south strabane” etc that the developers/owners wouldnt want to use this mall
ps…i was there last week and the funny thing is they have NEW signs up that read ” washington mall….fun shopping for all ” or something like it…i started busting out laughing when i read that….what shopping buy a shirt at pennys and some coca cola at the drug store?
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Prangeway
July 24th, 2006 at 2:29 am
Yeah, that old Penney’s logo was pre-1970s, when they invented their current logo. I rarely see them anymore, and I think they’re cooler than the rather bland-ish new one.
I’m surprised they’re rebranding the mall with new marketing. Are more (structural) changes afoot? Maybe they’re just going to make it work as an enclosed center. That’d be neat.
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JC
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:06 pm
I recently moved from the area, but grew up shopping at this mall. It fell on hard times soon after the Washington Crown Center renovation you mentioned. This past winter, it felt as though they were not providing heat to the corridors. I spent several Friday nights here as a teenager shopping at National Record Mart (NRM), browsing the fish at Jerry’s Pet Shop, eating at Shorty’s and the pizza shop whose name now escapes me. Before the Toys R Us/JoAnn/Giant Eagle addition was built, the Giant Eagle occupied the spaces that is now Rex TV. That space went from Giant Eagle in the 1980s to Pottery Factory Outlet (selling pottery and other home items) in the early 1990s to a Sun TV and Appliance in the late 1990s prior to that chain’s bankruptcy, and ultimately a Rex TV as current.
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JC
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:15 pm
Additionally on the mall’s current appearance: The mall looked even more dated than this prior to the late 1990s. Seemingly in hopes of better competing with the renovated Washington Crown Center, Washington Mall installed all new flooring and repainted to the current brownish-red and yellow theme. Prior to this the floor was that gold-colored speckled type of flooring original to the mall. The interior walls were all white, and the exterior of the mall was a hodgepodge of various colors showing the additions over time. It was given a unifying paint scheme of brown and lighter brown. Also, the fountains you see in the photos were added in the 1990s.
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Rick
August 15th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
I now live close to Monroeville PA, just east of Pittsburgh (that has it’s own mall with some history.), but I grew up in Washington and spent a lot of time in both malls. The Wash. Mall was by far the better draw before any additions were made, or at least it seemed that way. One reason was before the Toys R Us/JoAnn/Giant Eagle addition was built, there was also a 2 screen movie theater on the ground floor underneath the mall. Back then, the end of the mall was where you now enter Joanne Fabrics and the theater lobby was directly underneath. With the expansion, Giant Eagle probably ended up using some of the lobby and seating area for storage. I always thought it was a unique idea for a theater and plus, I took one of my first dates there, so I remember it well. And I believe the name of that pizza joint was Pizza Boy…big slices that were nice and greasy! It was a shame about Shorty’s moving both from the mall and uptown, as I now have to drive a detour clear out to Wolfdale on my way to my parents off Beau St. just to get a dog.
I also ended up having a kind of 2nd life at each mall as for a short time after college, I ended up working at Thompson Hardware(whose owner also owned the Pottery Factory Outlet) located at both malls and then at Altmeyer’s at Wash. Mall. That’s also when I finally got to visit the previously forbidden XXXI Admendment Lounge.
But I’ll always remember sharing some dogs with my dad at Shorty’s, the Pretzel Oven’s pretzels being the best with a coke slush, and G.C. Murphy’s (where WTAE-TV is now, which includes most of the current Staples) was the place to go for a cheap toy and a sandwich at the old fashioned counter.
Quite the trip down memory lane…now I just need a Shorty’s in Monroeville!
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M
August 22nd, 2006 at 3:02 pm
i think shorty’s is still open in downtown washington, i always thought that were giant eagle was below toys r us that a best buy would bring some life to the mall, or maybe a large borders bookseller. but i wouldnt count on borders since on the map for the foundry showed a borders.
i was recently up at staples and they had removed a small section of the wall behind what i think would have been shoe sensation/ dress barn section. the opening was about the size of maybe a 2 door entrance or a small garage door couldnt see inside, maybe there gonna do something…finally.
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XISMZERO
October 26th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
What a fascinatingly outrageous story I surely will not forget (being a mall/hobbyist photographer). The deplorable (and beyond the call of duty) actions of those mall workers should result in both of them being fired. The janitor and security guard were ptobably both zombies who probably died years ago. If you don’t want to believe the zombie angle, maybe the place has just gotten to them mentally – the pictures do it enough.
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Sam in NYC (originally PA)
December 13th, 2006 at 3:40 am
Ah, yes, good old Washington Mall. Like one of the commenters above said, the decor they had prior to this was even more ridiculously dated. The yellow panels above the entrances had this bizarre red & green box-like pattern on them…and the exterior of the Penney’s was decked out in a two-tone pink & green(!). It’s a shame I never was able to get pictures of this scheme, my description really doesn’t do it justice…
I always liked the place when it was healthy, though…all the local businesses and the kitschy design gave it the feel of a real community mall. Shame to see it become a victim of Pittsburgh’s ongoing, pointless retail cannibalization…
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m
January 15th, 2007 at 6:09 am
jj gumburg no longer owns the mall….january 14th post gazette ( washington section ) reported that the mall has been sold to Oxford developments ( village square )
)
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Y
January 25th, 2007 at 4:15 am
I just went to JCPenney’s this week, for the big going out of business sale. That store is still packed with clothes and everything is nice and tidy. It doesn’t even look likes it going out of business. I still remember the days of the Washington Mall–I think it was more popular than Franklin at one point. My mom just said tonight that she misses John’s Bakery and that there is no place around to get any good bake goods. Penney’s is supposed to open at the Foundry in February and who knows what else is going over there. Everyone is moving to strip malls again. Long live the Washington Mall : )
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daniel fife
January 29th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
how is this mall of picture taking? that is rediculious they followed you onto the highway. I told my dad this and I thinks that was way out of line.
I am freaking out about this. I was never caught, I went to the King of prussia mall on a two week road trip (I went to cleveland, erie pa, niagara falls, buffalo, rochester ny, southwestern ny, king of prussia mall, allentown, phillipsburg and I took 8,000 pictures with my digital, I drove this myself) last june and the mall was huge and I took pictures and if I was caught would I have been asked to leave, how much of the time does that happen. If I did not leave and they called the police, could I leave and then not be charged with tresspassing. if you are asked to leave, do they follow you out to your car? if your car is in the mall parking lot, would they remember the car if the saw my car and remember who the occupant is? I am freaking about if that had happened (I was even nearly paralized by this thought all yesterday and today and it took me until 5 am to fall asleep due to it). do they warn you of tresspassing if you don’t leave. I have been to 100 malls in my life and have only been caught in like 2 3 or 4. last year one happened in the great northern mall in clay ny. I know they cannot confenscate your camera, but at that time my memory stick (one of the 4 I used on that trip) had like 2,500-2,700 pictures on it (And it had pictures all the way from cleveland to king of prussia) which was hard work.
I am stewing about that If I was caught in the king of prussia mall, what would have happeend as that was a zenieth of my trip. that mall was a big part of the trip and had 400 stores and 8 anchors. the mall was busy that day. I saw a few mall security cars. if you take pictures from within your car windows rolled up, are you still at liable for getting it for it? would they notice? are they more likely to kick you out when you take pictures inside the mall or outside?
when it says photography, filming require the prior written consent of mall management, how much of the time do they approve picture taking? I only take pictures outside the mall because of getting nailed if I do it inside and If I want to take the pictures inside I will go to mall management for permission (I did that in towoson mall in maryland last november and the manager was hesitant to, I wanted those few pictures as the inside was unique). I was told that “you can’t take pictures of storefronts”. I know that malls are this way becfause of advertising and I GUESS THE STORES DO NOT WANT THEIR DISPLAYS TAKEN PICTURES OF. the way I take pictures, outside the mall, what if the chances that if I ask for permission they would say no. I am also an out of stater in those malls.
because of this mall being big and crowded, how are mall security do you think with seeing someone taking pictures? it said say among the rules photography, videotaping and filming require the prior written consent of mall management. how are they with that
WHAT IS THE CHANCES THEY CAN SPOT YOU IF YOU ARE TAKING PICTURES IN THE PARKING LOT FROM WHILE THEY (SECURITY GUARD) ARE IN THE MALL if they are like 100 feet from the entrance and how close are they usually when they are in the mall near the entrance.,
i am stilling obessing about what if I got caught taking pictures at this mall. the only malls I have been nailed at doing this were the Great northern mall near syracuse and holyoke mall.
and ABOUT THE SURVEYLANCE CAMERAS!!!!!!! HOW OFTEN DO THEY NOTICE THAT (SOMEONE TAKING PICTURES)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but if you refuse to leave and they catch you (or if they catch you back on the property and taking pictures), would they call the police and if so will the police take away my camera and the memory stick? can the police do that and can you fight them with that?
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M
March 8th, 2007 at 5:02 am
well, now penny’s has closed and opened there new wonderful store, the now have signs up
big box opportunities avaiable
anyway…i heard a rumour that the mall is going to be redeveloped with a boscov’s or some other dept store as the anchor
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XISMZERO
April 15th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Any idea when Toys “R” Us opened here? It appears to have been remodeled (the road sign is up-to-date) and contains one of those typical blue-roofs that most remodeled stores have.
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fsf
April 27th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
that mall is dead i don’t know what they want but i heard staple is leaving as well i hope some thing big come hear its dead
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joe
June 8th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
This has been the third time this mall died… i use to work at the taco bell that was next door and grew up in washington..i rememeber having birthday parties at giggles the old arcade and eating at shortys. giant eagle use to be there,pearle vison,langs dept store,g c murphys,nat record mart, video game exchange, pizza boy,shortys,sun tv, the movie theater, natl city bank,a tux shop,pastries by john. there also still standing is the old cimena world theater now a cheaie theater and a cicis pizza buffet where big boy use to be. There also use to be a strip mall that had a kmart next to the taco bell. the kmart closed in 1996 i believe. the strip plaza was tore down for a home depot. taco bell was closed in 2002 due to contract obligations. there also was a mcdonalds across the street that was managed off and on by my father. it had the greatest playground ever!!!
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JAC
July 6th, 2007 at 12:01 am
Cool that I stumbled onto this site. I have been to the Washington Mall a couple of times. The first time I stopped there was just out of boredom. Inside they were having some sort of yard sale/flea market. I thought cool, used records. Found some records and was happy. I also lucked out by finding a really nice hobby shop inside as well. I spent some money on paint and supplies and went on my way. A year later (2005) I came back through and I thgouht i’d check the mall out again. Unfortunately the hobby shop was gone, and the yard sale was gone. This time it was dead. I mean depressingly dead. I think i might have seen 5 people through out the whole mall. I wandered around for about an hour or so and went on my way. I came back through the town earlier this year and didnt even bother to stop and look at the mall..
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Ryan Reply:
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
@JAC, Just a heads up, the Silver Mine was the hobby shop you’re refering too, moved down Rt. 19 a little bit, it’s now near the Subway and John Sisson motors about 5 minutes on 19 north.
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Bill
July 20th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
I lived in Washington, Pa in the Mid to late 60’s. There was a KMart in a shopping center, I think, all by it self. It was on Rt 19 across from the McDonalds (whose sign at the time said it served 1 million hamburgers). I believe the McDonalds is still there. The KMart burned down in Oct of either 1966 or 1967. It created a bonanza for the downtown merchants. People didn’t have anywhere else to shop. I was one of the downtown merchants running a national chain variety store. The Kmart was rebuilt but lost all the christmas business.
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Jonah Norason
September 17th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
After reading of the pursuit, anyone could have robbed the mall blind while they were out!
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Jillian
September 24th, 2007 at 2:11 am
The old mall makes me sad. I remember buying books at the little kids bookstore and hiding in the clothing racks at Langs… and riding the little train thing they had around Santa at Christmas time.
I heard somewhere that they were turning it into a hotel/convention center.
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Corey
September 25th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
What was Giggles?
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Ryan Reply:
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:07 am
@Corey, Giggles and Pizza Boy, along with Murphy’s, was my childhood lol. Giggles was an arcade that had a few awesome machines, like a road blasters, a nice skiball setup, operation wolf, and the NES 6 in one jukebox standup cab. I remember going to the mall, begging my mom for like 10 bucks, buying the most recent issue of Beckett’s magazine and a pack of baseball cards, then going to Pizza boy and getting the most awesome pizza burger ever (2 pieces of french bread pizza with a burger in the middle), the blowing whatever was left at giggles. I go to the Jo-ann’s in that mall a good bit and am sad every time I look at the awesome mirrored front of giggles and the falling apart neons of Pizza Boy.
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Bobby
September 25th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I’m guessing it was an arcade/kids’ amusement place, possibly something along the lines of Chuck E. Cheese’s or Jeepers!.
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Jonah Norason
September 25th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Actually, in the corner of DeadMalls.com, Giggles was a “a classic 80’s store, it had games, T-shirts, candy, pranks, etc.”, as so says in the Mall at 163rd Street’s DeadMalls article. There was also a Giggles in Penn Can Mall.
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Corey
October 6th, 2007 at 3:16 am
Two more questions: Does anybody know where the National Record Mart was and was the name of that bookstore Mr. Professor’s?
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Corey
October 15th, 2007 at 12:56 am
If you look in Mr. Giggles, you can actually see remainding booths and signs left. Very sad,
.
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Jonah Norason
October 15th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I think its just “Giggles”. That’s probably been left since the early ’90s. Many untouched Montgomery Ward signs exist today.
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CB
October 17th, 2007 at 12:32 am
What may I ask was the XXXI Amendment Lounge?
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m
November 7th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
ah yes the forbidden admenment lounge…i remember that place i heard it was a resturant/bar type of deal
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Sam Clutter
November 23rd, 2007 at 2:31 am
The national record mart was next to the middle entrance. The bookstore was the little professor. There was also a kaybee toys. and the drug store Revco.Hope that answers Corey’s question.
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Danzerbee
December 9th, 2007 at 9:47 am
21st Admenment. It was a great little watering hole. It was always busy and served great food….not fried bar food…real food. I would drive 20 miles to eat there. I peeked into the kitchen which was about 8ft x 8ft with a prep table in the middle. 3 cooks were stuffed into this small space. They probably couldn’t walk around each other. The food was grea!. Rack of Lamb, lots of Italian, etc. I marveled that such good food could come out of such a small place. I took lots of dates there about 150 years ago. I miss the place.
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Bev
December 13th, 2007 at 12:11 am
I went to nursing school at Washington Hospital and we used to walk from the hospital to the mall–right on Route 19–not quite as much traffic then. Besides Penneys and Langs, they had several other womens clothing stores, shoe stores, a specialty mens store, where you could buy or rent formal wear, plus all the stores mentioned by joe. There was also a travel agency in the mall. The bookstore was called The Little Professor. It really was a great place to shop; it’s sad that it was allowed to go downhill so badly. There’s still a Hallmark shop inside the mall–but they’re only open Monday through Saturday and close every day at about 5. I think it was a combination of poor management and poor marketing that really killed it. There’s been a lot of building in the area in the past several years and those new strip malls attracted a lot of new businesses, plus accomodated the old ones. Washington Mall just couldn’t keep up.
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Jamie
December 14th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I cannot believe the story I just read about Caldor’s experience at Washington Mall!!! I am also concerned that since this mall shooting in Omaha, that mall security will be beefed up everywhere, especially the big companies like Simon and General Growth with the deep pockets that can put a lot of extra resources into security. And not that this is a bad thing, it is great for the safety and comfort of shoppers, and that is wonderful thing, but this could be a bad thing for people like us that have turned malling, it’s history and culture, into a hobby, and way of life for some, like the authors of this wonderful website.
Everyone that posts on Labelscar are extemely passionate about malls, from the history to their future plans, and I share this passion. To quote our authors,” Ultimately we disagree with those who view shopping centers as a soulless, culturally vacant dot on the landscape and we believe they are dynamic, community-building places of great value.” But we all know most people do not feel this way and could give two hoots about malls except when they need some new clothes, sheets, toys, or video games or just something to do, like eating out and going to a movie. And they will go to the closest mall or the “new” mall, leaving that old mall behind to die without giving it a second thought. And it will probably never occur to anyone that someone’s hobby is to travel from mall to mall to snapping pictures with the only intention to study and preserve the architecture, the layout, the store mix and it’s how it fits into that community’s retail sector. That is something that only big retail development companies do because that is there job. So why would an individual who has a whole other job and/or career care about any of this? Since when did studying malls and there history and future become a passion just for fun? This could be questions that would be going through the mind of a security guard or mall manager stopping you to ask you why you are taking pictures.
I have just started this hobby of taking pictures at every mall I go to. I love malls, the architecture inside and out, the store fronts(especially the empty ones or old/vintage ones), the layouts, the fountains, the ceilings, the skylights, the benches, the anchor entrances, the food court, well you get the idea. I agree so much with Caldor’s disclaimer statement about how so many of these retail establishments go away forever with very little history left behind about them. And I want to start a pictorial history of every mall in Louisiana, and other malls in the gulf south states from lower east Texas to the Florida panhandle, from Beaumont, Texas to Panama City, Florida, there is so much rich retail history that is worthy of preservation.
Is it going to be harder to take pictures inside and outside a mall? Malls are such big structures that are so WIDE open to the public, with several entrances all over, from anchor stores to the mall entrances, so naturally safety is a big issue. Most big office buildings or other types of buildings this large have one main entrance, and sometimes require a check with security to enter. But malls are not like this, they are fun places to go, a place to relax, unwind, shop and enjoy yourself. But with that kind of openness comes much more risk of crime like what happened in Omaha. Maybe in the next few months we will see a lot more security at malls, at least until the media hype about the shooting dies down. And there is always extra security procedures implemented around the holiday shopping season. And most malls have high tech security camera systems monitoring everything going on, especially during peak shopping hours or seasons. So since this incident in Omaha, someone walking around taking pictures would look even more suspicious or weird to most shoppers in the mall, let alone the security staff, or even the janitorial staff. They might think the place is being scouted by someone to do something criminal. And I can understand the business reasons for prohibiting photographs in malls. Even though they are such wide open public places, they are still private property, and just like any business owner, they have a right to protect their investments from competition possibly trying to learn there business secrets, as well as providing the best safety and service to there customers.
Still, knowing all of this, I can’t imagine driving 100 miles to see a mall and taking pictures of only the outside and not the inside!!! It would take all the fun out of doing this at all. So how can we take pictures and continue our hobby without causing any rucus or suspicion? One of the malls in my area is about to make big changes, and I want to take pictures of the way it looks now, as it has been since it opened, and compare it to the new renovations. And I will attempt to do this in the first week of January when all the holiday shopping hustle has ended and maybe there will not be as many security guards walking around. And I have already taken some of Caldor’s tips of trying to watch out for the security staff patrolling and not take pictures when they are around. I also try not to take pictures of people’s faces too. I wonder if any of the executives at the big companies like Simon, General Growth and CBL know about this website and the many other’s like it. If they do, I wonder if they read the comments and use them in making important business decisions? It is some of the best consumer research they have on hand that they have to pay nothing for to get. Not to mention all the free advertising they get, because I want to visit almost every mall that is listed on this website, as well as other websites like deadmalls.com, the caldor rainbow and georgia retail memories. And more than likely I will make a purchase or two at one of the stores at these malls.
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Allan
December 15th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Totally agree with what you said, Jamie. Since as it is, I’m planning to do some mall photography trips within the next few months, and I’m crossing my fingers that my same discreteness I successfully used when I last did some mall photography, will still work on my next photography trips to certain malls.
I sure as heck hope mall security hasn’t been increased to the point where they go ape**** over any little discrete pics that myself were to take….
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joe
December 31st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
it was just giggles it was an arcade. and something else i forgot to mention was their was a murphys with a soda counter up to about 1994
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jen
February 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I used to work at Penneys about 3 yrs ago when it was still at the old “mall” and there were times when it was dead in the mall, but we were always busy, but when the old “franklin mall” was re-done, then more people wanted to go there! Then before Penneys built the store in the “FOUNDRY” area, the old mall was to become a strip mall, and there were a lot of new places coming in there, (they were going to build a new Penneys there and tear the rest of the mall down, and re-build…Penneys would of been hte only store still standing til the rest of the mall was built) so the owner told all of his tennants to be out by a certain date…well all that fell through so the owner said ok…you can stay, but it was too late… it’s just a shame that there is all that space there wasted…and another thing I forgot to mention was when i worked at Penneys…the mall itself wasn’t heated!!!! In the winter time if you walked down to Eckerd, you would have to bundle up as if you were going outside….what kind of crap is that????
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AceJay
February 6th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
About photography….
When I went over to the QuakerBridge Mall, I first took tons of exterior pictures, but I was hesitant to take any more, because they had 4 patrol cars and a local cop driving around, and me parking in my Blue VW New Beetle all the way at the corners of the parking lot kind of seems odd.
I did manage to get a bunch of great pictures, but then I started my interior tour, and managed to get all of the top floor, just about, avoiding all the security guards, but just when I was taking a photo of JC Penney, a guard on a Segway (damn you [Kravco]Simon!) suddenly stopped me and said I wasn’t able to take pictures. He said I should go to the office and ask management.
Unfortunately I was there on a an empty day and no secretary was there to approve it nicely, and there was a random old guy who I think was head of Facilities. I introduced myself as an “employee” of Labelscar, which I realized was probably the wrong thing to do, then he asked what I needed pictures for. I told him it was nothing related to marketing or any competing businesses, and said it was all for preserving the history of the mall before the renovation, and he gave me the Marketing Leader’s card and had me on my way. I think I’ll give one of them a call and ask for permission.
Damn terrorists. This never would be happening if it wasn’t for them =|
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Darla
February 12th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I grew up in Wash. and didnt leave until I was in my late 20s. I remember when Kmart burned down and they rebuilt it. I worked in the mall as a teen at Foxmoors and the Athletes Foot. I remember Sten’s shoe store, Pizza Boy, Chess King, Bon Homme Richards, Nat. Record Mart, GC Murphys,the Pretzel Oven, BaskinRobbins,Teeks Shoes, Little Professor, Thrift Drugs,AND Jerrys Pet Shop! There were more stores and they all died. I also went to nursing school at Wash. Hospital and walked to the mall but we would go thru the cemetery and come out on Oak Springs Road. Didnt Falconis own the mall at one time? Yes, Ruth Ann Falconi (the wife) had the Lil Prof. bookstore in her hubbies mall. *sigh* now its all just part of “the good old days”. I’m still trying to find somone who remembers the old Wolfdale Grade School in washington. Seems like no one is around any more. Ah, well, life goes on even if the mall dosent. Last I heard, the washington hospital was going to buy the empty mall.
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XISMZERO
March 21st, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Passed this mall on my way home from St. Clairsville, OH yesterday. Of course, I remembered your horrifying story about your run in with security and told my girlfriend about it. While I wanted to stop in, I wanted to get home before midnight so I bypassed.
I’ve been very reluctant to deal with security or personnel at malls lately so I’ve been abstaining from interior shots. Exteriors are usually easy to get away with as long as you master car-side photography. A fellow walking around parking lots seems to attract too much attention these days so you ought not stick around too long.
I’ve been doing this for awhile so I typically don’t care about people giving me “looks.”
This will be an interesting Summer I suppose.
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ron
April 4th, 2008 at 11:15 am
The theater is still there its under toys r us. The steps that you had to use to get down to the theater are still there… How many people remember the steps. I would like to see them reopen the mall for the older crowds and for people who wanna just wak around and not be ran over by some teens who think they on the store.. The crown center is to crowded to go and enjoy yourself…
I loved going to the washington mall. Two years before my wife and I got married we spent atleast 2-3 days a week in the mall just to walk around and decide on things to buy for the house. We would go into GC Murphy’s or Jerry’s pet shop. Pastry’s by John was a nice place to get some desert. After we got married and had the kids we would go and walk around and push them in strollers and spend time together as a family just to get out of the house….
Darla I remember all the stores you listed… They also had that resteraunt in there I beleive it was called the Dairy Barn or something like that… We still go to the mall cinema’s instead of the other one… brings back memories and it’s more relaxing with less people…
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Terry
April 4th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
If you visit Washington again, we now have a Wal-Mart Super Center, Lowes and even Penney’s moved into a new center. That is three! Bass Pro is soon coming to town. Gander Mountain is located at the Washington Crown Center. I cannot understand how so many shopping centers can maintain enough business to stay open.
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Kris
April 16th, 2008 at 11:54 am
The Washington Mall is soo sad. I still go to Eckerd there sometimes. To answer Darla’s question about Wolfdale school. I went there K-5. Great memories of my childhood!
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Bill
April 21st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
When was the Lang’s store built in the Rt19 (KMart) shopping center? When I managed the DisKay Discount store in downtown Washington in the late 60″s I thought that there was only one Lang store in the downtown area which was across from town hall. Al Lang was the owner and a member of the church I attended. Is he still alive?
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Jerry
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I saw E.T. when it first came out there!
There was a piano/organ store across from Jerry’s Pet Shop…
There was also a Baskin-Robbins at the front, across from Little Professor…
There was also little doctor’s offices and odd little places hidden inside the corridors between the stores….I remember getting a haircut (that i did NOT like) at one such place.
I have a cousin that used to be a buyer at Lang’s……
BUT as a 3-5 year old kid, what i remember most of all was that SMELL inside Lang’s…..it was disgusting………….some god-awful perfumey smell……i can almost smell it now LOL
Sad to see it like it is now
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m
May 13th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
i was in the mall couple weeks ago…..south strabane township should condem the properties soggy cieling tiles hanging from the roof….entrances sealed off….sections blocked off
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Dianne
May 31st, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I was looking online to see if Langs was still in Washington as my mother and I were reminiscing and I bumped into this site. We both remember Caldwells’s when it was uptown and upscale. We are up there in age. I haven’t been home for a visit in 5 years and haven’t lived in Washington for 26. I sometimes consider retiring there but the face of it has changed so much I don’t think I could bear it. I remember them building Franklin Mall. I rode horses there at Warrick’s Farm there before it became a mall and as a little girl I went to the circus in that same field. Washington Mall at one time was a very big deal. Oh the memories.
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JCC
June 7th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Wow.. What a shame. I remember growing up in the Washington mall (late 80’s, early 90’s). It was much better than the Franklin mall at the time. Giggles and Pizza Boy (right across the hall) was a sweet combination. Now when I see how desolate the place is it’s depressing. Who knows what will happen now, since the foundry is collapsing (literally).
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Krissi
June 28th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Oh wow, really stumbled onto this by accident. Yes, the mall has I think two stores left in it. When Pizza Boy and the arcade (Giggles) left, I knew there wasn’t much hope of a come back. The father of my son used to work at the Valley Diary Restaurant there and I would hang out at the mall and Toys R Us until he got off work. Memories.
The Foundry, where JC Penny’s moved to, is currently closed. I think the foundation is going because of the land settling/ shifting. I laughed so hard reading the wacky security guard and janitor. What else do you expect, though, they have nothing better to do than chase some stranger onto the highway. They probably got paid overtime for their efforts.
Man, I miss that place. I miss the original (at least original to me at 29 years old here) Franklin Mall. Where I used to park with all the “cool kids” is now a part of Kaufmann’s I do believe. No arcade. My sons would love to go to a real arcade. Sad.
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Krissi
June 28th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Also, to the man who used to work at the Taco Bell in the ajoining lot to the old mall, what years did you work there? I have a friend who started working there in about 1996 and is still there today (the other location now on chestnut).
Also, a quick “Hello” to Sam Clutter from my husband, Bob Mazon!!
[Reply]
Ryan Reply:
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 am
@Krissi, Sam Clutter? A guy that’s into zombie flicks with long black hair? I know Sam lol
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Bill
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I have some fond memories of Washington Mall myself (mid-90’s)…
A) There was a drugstore (Phar-Mor, CVS, something…) that was the only place anywhere around that would sell me Copenhagen while I was underage.
B) The bookstore also was the only place that would sell me Playboy/Penthouse magazines while I was underage. I would then turn around and sell them at double-price to my 13-15 year old classmates.
Entreprenurial spirit was alive and well….
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Justin
July 10th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
When i was really young i remember going to the Washington mall when it was better than the franklin mall. The franklin mall was really dark and gloomy but then when it became the Washington Crown Center the Washington mall died and i was sad because i liked it better. It was so wide open and cool. Now its sad to look at the mall.
It sucks for JC Penny’s though because they moved from the Mall recently and were doing really well at the Foundry and then the ground started shifting and has made that whole strip to dangerous to be open. I had a bunch of friends that worked there at Penny’s and they lost there jobs because of (in my mind) a horrible plan from the developer to start building so soon after they just got finished moving so much dirt. Bad idea in my mind.
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Ron
July 11th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I have been hearing rumors that Pennys might move back to it’s old spot.. That would be breat if they did cause then maybe it would bring others back and the mall could just get a face lift and be like it used to.. I would love to see that.. So many memories in that mall… My wife and I used to go there before and after we got married atleast 3 times a week even if it was just to walk around and get nachos or a preztel…
Dianne Langs closed about 2-3 years ago I believe.
Bill Langs was never in the kmart plaza it was always inside the mall since I can remember.
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CoryTJ
July 11th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Interesting architecture with this mall. That JCPenny looks mamoth! Is the orange part of the mall the main facade? I think it would need major capital to update this mall as a viable competitor, just looking at the photos. Would the area support another mall in addition to WCrowne Center?
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brent
July 19th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I am a manager at the old Washington Mall Theatre. I have been told that JC Penny’s is planning on returning to the old mall. In addition to the foundation and developing problems at the Foundary, the company building the Foundary filed for bankruptcy. The owner is supposedly in a bit of trouble with the bank he used for the loan also. All of the stores are shut down and all of the stores (except Penny’s) have moved their merchandise out already. Ross and Bed Bath and Beyond do not plan on returning to the Foundary regardless of what happens. I would love to see JC Penny return to the mall. Our business here slowed a bit since they left…
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Ron
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:20 am
There are 2 floors in the old Penny’s
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JAY
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 am
It’s really a shame what happened to the Washington Mall. I pretty much grew up in this place as a teenager. I worked there for many years at Jerry’s Pet Shop, one of the first tennants in that mall. And I spent many of Friday and Saturday nights hanging out at Giggles and Pizza Boy. (Rich, your pizza is still one of my favorites!) Couple things killed this place. #1, IMO, was Wal-Mart coming to town. The original store was right across the street. But when they built a super-center on the other side of I-70, the business in the mall dropped off. Then Giant Ealge pulled out and rebuilt over there. Along with the competition of the other mall, and rising rent prices for a space in the mall pretty much sealed its fate. Hope someone does do something nice with this place rather than just trash it.
Jerry, Dave, Myrna, Lisa and/or Lois, if you are reading this, Im doing well. Best Wishes to you and your Families!
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Lois Ann Reply:
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
@JAY, so great to hear you’re doing alright!!! How’s your family? And another year has passed.
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Gary
July 26th, 2008 at 3:10 am
I would hope that the return of JCPenney would give the owners some incentive to renovate the mall in some way.
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Gary
July 26th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Cory, I’ve always thought that the Washington market could support two malls, as long as each mall has something different to offer. The Washington Mall is definitely in need of a major renovation however and more anchor stores are needed (perhaps bring former Foundry tenants Ross and Bed, Bath and Beyond) to compliment the JCPenney and attract smaller stores.
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CRWJ
July 26th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
It’s true:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_579521.html
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Ron
July 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Does anyone have pictures of the mall when it first opened or even some time during the 80’s? if so please post them so I can look at them
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JFresh
August 26th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I grew up going to the Wash Mall frequently. I saw Star Wars at the Mall Theartre there and remember going to the toy store frequently as a child. I even hung out there quite a bit as a teen. I think what killed the mall was some poor planning. I remember when the Franklin Mall was much shorter and ended at Hills. Then in the 80’s it went under a major expansion and when it opened, there were a lot of new stores and the look to the mall was very updated. The Washington Mall then went under it’s reconstruction, moving Giant Eagle to the back of the mall and a new multi-million dollar hallway that contained Jo-Ann Fabrics. I remember thinking what the heck is this? A lost opportunity to challenge the Franklin Mall and do something incredible with the retail space, and all we got was a hallway for Jo Ann’s?
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JCC
September 19th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
JCPenney to reopen Sunday (9/21/08)
http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/09-17-JC-PENNEY-OPENING
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Charles
September 24th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I was born and live in Washington PA. Washington has gone through alot of change in the past 35 years. We used to have alot of industrial sites, steel mills and a great downtown area. We have two major interstates running straight through us and are connected to an itersection for the nation. The Washington Mall was an O.K. mall in it’s hey day. But it was never all that. The reason JCPenney moved was to be closer to the new casino at the Medowlands Race Track. Washington is centrally located between some bigger population areas and the Interstate System is non-toll. If As a life-long resident of Washington, the Washington Mall is just one area of Washington proper that could be re-done. The mall had Penneys as an anchor. But, what they should’ve done was brought in two more big department stores when they had the chance. The area below Toys R Us is vacant. Where JoAnn Fabrics is could have been opened up and made into a two story department store like Macy’s (formerly Kauffman’s) Now, we got Tager Outlets, They moved some of the stores out of Washington Crown Center and put them out there off the racetrack road exit. Which, I associate that with nearby Canonsburg. It’s actually really dumb. Because, yeah, people like clean new stores, but, what they fail to realize is the amount of land that used to be famland and forest is now paved over by parking lots.
If JJ Gumberg was smart they would do anything they could to retain Penney’s and bring the stores that were to go into the now defuct bankrupt Foundry into the mall. Personally, I like to be able to go into the mall and be warm in the winter time. I also like to park my car once and walk the mall to see the stores, the people and the smells. When I would go to Washington Mall it was home to me. My parents, grandparents aunts and uncles took me there as a child. I always knew I was going to get a pretzel at the Pretzel Oven, even if I didn;t get a matchbox at G.C. Murphy’s. Most of the stores that wer at the mall moved to the Wal-Mart plaza just about a quarter mile north on route 19. It was so stupid to not take better care of the mall. It will be sadly mised.
[Reply]
Charles
September 24th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I was born and live in Washington PA. Washington has gone through alot of change in the past 35 years. We used to have alot of industrial sites, steel mills and a great downtown area. We have two major interstates running straight through us and are connected to an itersection for the nation. The Washington Mall was an O.K. mall in it’s hey day. But it was never all that. The reason JCPenney moved was to be closer to the new casino at the Medowlands Race Track. Washington is centrally located between some bigger population areas and the Interstate System is non-toll. If As a life-long resident of Washington, the Washington Mall is just one area of Washington proper that could be re-done. The mall had Penneys as an anchor. But, what they should’ve done was brought in two more big department stores when they had the chance. The area below Toys R Us is vacant. Where JoAnn Fabrics is could have been opened up and made into a two story department store like Macy’s (formerly Kauffman’s) Now, we got Tager Outlets, They moved some of the stores out of Washington Crown Center and put them out there off the racetrack road exit. Which, I associate that with nearby Canonsburg. It’s actually really dumb. Because, yeah, people like clean new stores, but, what they fail to realize is the amount of land that used to be famland and forest is now paved over by parking lots.
If JJ Gumberg was smart they would do anything they could to retain Penney’s and bring the stores that were to go into the now defuct bankrupt Foundry into the mall. Personally, I like to be able to go into the mall and be warm in the winter time. I also like to park my car once and walk the mall to see the stores, the people and the smells. When I would go to Washington Mall it was home to me. My parents, grandparents aunts and uncles took me there as a child. I always knew I was going to get a pretzel at the Pretzel Oven, even if I didn;t get a matchbox at G.C. Murphy’s. Most of the stores that wer at the mall moved to the Wal-Mart plaza just about a quarter mile north on route 19. It was so stupid to not take better care of the mall. It will be sadly mised.
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Katrina
September 28th, 2008 at 10:41 am
i went to the mall yesterday.
all exited to look at it and possibally buy somethings.
but to my dismay, there was no stores there
but jo-anne fabrics and toys-r-us
i was very confused in how you could just open the doors to
all the closed up stores..
but it was pretty fun..
the mall was very creepy also.
it was like a ghost town…
i desided to look up the pictures of the mall today
becuase i wanted to know what happended to it.
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phil
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:51 am
im from washington…somehow i found this and i remember being a kid in the early to mid ninties going to shortys, giggles and pizza boy. i do believe there used to be a coin and hobby store somwhere in the the mall? anyhow it just really made me think about how things have changed in less than 15 years….i remember in 2nd grade there was a petting zoo at the mall and i i had a class field trip there….its very strange to think how busy that place used to be. i was there maybe 2 months ago…the roof is leaking and there a lot of water damage on the inside. smell musty as well. its actually kinda sad. oh well at least ill never forget the bookstore…i think it was called the little owl bookstore or something…ha i cant remember
[Reply]
Ryan Reply:
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
@phil, The Silver Mine was that coin and hobby store, it’s now down near John Sisson Motors on 19
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C.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
there used to be a restaurant next to Lang’s. does anyone remember the name of it? it was around 1991 or 1992.
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Stanley Z
December 5th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Question: there used to be a restaurant next to Lang’s *
Answer: I think it was called “Bon Home Richard’s” or something like that.
Question: coin and hobby store somwhere in the the mall *
Answer: The stores name was “The Silver Mine” it is down RT19 a couple of miles by Washington Ford next to a subway shop.
Questions for others: There used to be a once a year Mideavel Fair in the mall what was it called?
PS: We now have Tanger Factory outlets so the stores are on the move againg from the Washington Mall to Washington Crown Center (Franklin Mall) to the Tanger Factory outlets.
The cycle continues. I think Washington is the home of Mall Builders we just seem to create new buildings every 5 years to move the stores around.
I still live in Southwestern PA
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Jonah Norason
December 7th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
The “Mideavel” fair was likely a Renaissance Festival, in the mall. But probably not, as those things are big and open-air.
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Billy Mike
December 10th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Washington Mall contributed to the demise of downtown Washington as a retail center when it opened in the late 1960’s. Now the mall itself has become a victim of changing retail trends. The property owners may not have done all they could to keep the mall viable, but, strip malls seem to be the current rage of the moment (witness the retail development trends in the Washington, PA area right now). Who knows, some day in the future we may be surfing web sites for old photos and reminiscing about the good old days of the Wal-Mart plaza or the Tanger Outlets.
As a lifelong resident of the Washington, PA area, as well as a shopper and former employee of a Washington Mall business (now defunct), I have many pleasant memories of the people and places in the mall. It saddens and shocks me beyond words to see what the mall has become. JCP has returned (for now). Lets hope the current owners of the property take the steps to revitalize this space and return it to some semblance of its’ former stature in the Washington area. Honestly, given the central location, ample space, and easy access this property enjoys, I can’t believe someone hasn’t worked some retail magic long ago and pocketed a ton of money in the process. This place could be a gold mine!! One can only assume the current property owners are either flush with cash or real dunderheads.
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Beth Fulton
December 11th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
The restaurant was a Valley Dairy. At least it was in the early to mid-’90s. My brother-in-law worked there as a teenager. I think it was something else before that.
That’s when it was the “cool mall” and the Franklin Mall sucked. Now the Franklin Mall (because no one my age or older actually calls it Washington Crown Center) is the “cool mall.” But it’s in trouble because the Tanger Outlets opened up only 10 minutes away and there is a lot of duplication.
I was saying to my husband also that if the Washington Mall owners were smart, they would’ve went after Bed Bath & Beyond and Ross when the Foundry closed. The Foundry always a big debacle. You can’t trust something that has the largest retaining wall in the world!
Here’s why retail works in Washington and why we have so much for a city of 15,000:
1.) Washington is at the intersection of two major interstates, 70 and 79
2.) Washington is the closest retail center for many in the surrounding rural areas (Greene County especially). This is why our Wal-Mart is one of the biggest in the Pittsburgh area as well as the busiest in the region.
3. Pennsylvania doesn’t have sales tax on clothing and most food. Washington is close to the West Virginia border and it is easy for someone from Wheeling (only 20 minutes away) to hop on 70 to go shopping.
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Kevin Stout
December 17th, 2008 at 2:51 am
I took around 30 pictures or so in August 2007. I didn’t encounter any problems during my adventure…I even got a security guard in one picture by accident. I think the mall has deteriorated even more since you posted these pictures. I posted my pics to my facebook and it’s almost sad because I remember the Washington Mall when it was actually a working mall.
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Richard
January 18th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Yesterday,I went to Washington Crown Center outside of Washington, Pennsylvania. All of its anchor stores are still open, but many stores have closed such as AT&T, Old Navy, and The Gap. KB Toys are in the process of being liquidated at this time. It’s sad to see the demise of that mall since a year or two ago it was still bustling.
After going to Washington Crown Center, I went to Washington Mall. I first went to the JCPenney that had moved back to that mall after the new store subsided last summer. They had the glass doors to the mall closed and painted over. I wanted to go into the mall and see whats left. I exited JCPenney and went to the mall doors on the outside. The first set of doors I went to were locked, then the second, and a man exited the third set and went through those doors. I walked in and on the left there was a Coldwell Banker agency and on the right there was a photography studio. They were both closed, I presume for the day. I noticed the entire mall was cold, maybe 50 degrees. I kept walking through the hall, turned left, and show no stores or signs until I saw the JoAnn Frabric store at the end. I circle around and walked to the other end thinking about all of the stores that were once in the mall and all of the people who have once worked there. I remember the pastry shop and the Baskin-Robbins, as well as the Langs and the Christian bookstore that was once there. The ceilings in the mall were leaking through. I had a camera in my car and I had the notion to go get it, but it was just too cold to go back in the mall to take picture.
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Susan
January 31st, 2009 at 10:52 am
I love this site. It takes me back to my childhood. I basically grew up at Washington Mall since both of my parents worked at Penneys in the 90s. Shortys hot dogs and Murphy’s cheeseburgers were a very important part of life back then. I wasted more money at Afterthoughts and NRM plus bought my first hamster at Jerrys pet shop and Langs sold me my Christmas dress for my senior Christmas dance. Oh yeah, and I bought all of my Baby Sitters club books at Little Professor. I was just up at the mall last Thurs to get my hair done at Penneys and it is so bizarre to go up there and remember what it once was.
My question is this….does anyone know of any reported hauntings or paranormal experiences at the mall? I have long been putting together research for a ghost stories from Washington County and Washington Mall seems like the perfect place now. I’m just wondering if it ever had anything unusual go on. Anyone know?
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Linda
April 11th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Is the Home Depot still there? Is there any business where the Taco Bell used to be?
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Robert T. Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
@Linda, yes it is my sister works at that home depot, a waffle house stands in place of the old taco bell
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Dante
April 17th, 2009 at 4:13 am
The last time that I was in the mall it was a crowded place. The pictures brought back a lot of good memories, thank you.
Your story made me laugh and think about the scene in “Titanic” when the ships personnel were so concerned about the property of the White Star Line even though it was soon to be at the bottom of the ocean.
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Jimmy
April 25th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Linda said,
on April 11th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Is the Home Depot still there? Is there any business where the Taco Bell used to be?
Yes Home Depot is still there and there is a Waffle House where the Taco Bell used to be
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Sharon
May 1st, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Washington mall has been dying for such a long time. I moved away in 1991, but was always sad to see how the mall had died a little more on each visit. We always did our grocery shopping at the Giant Eagle there in the 70’s and early 80’s, at the location that later became Pottery Barn and then who-knows-what. I remember the green bins that the produce was in and how COLD it could be in there. Also, Thrift Drug and Baskin-Robbins at that end. Little Professor was where we had to get our books for Mr Richardson’s (Trinity HS) history class book reports. There was the absolute best store called Only Happiness that had all the Hello Kitty stuff and the best stickers for grade school-age sticker collectors like myself… And remember the candy stand that was out in the middle by Penney’s. They had all the novelty gum and the beef jerky in little tins like snuff. AND there were even 2 Hallmark stores back then. One out in the middle and a regular one. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
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CP
May 6th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Ok I am going to set the record straight! JJ Gumberg didnt own the mall, Falconi’s did and still do. They pay JJ Gumberg to run the mall for them. I was told by the man himself they were tearing it down and leasing the land like trinity point. They are supposed to build a best buy and a few other stores. The theater at the other end of the parking lot is staying and so is penny’s and staples. They are deadset on tearing it down for a strip mall instead. They have every advantage going for them, they are right by all the new resturaunts and walmart, lowes and home depot. All they had to do is rentivate the mall and attract new business’s. Their plans got ruined because penny’s pulled out and built a new building. well the land is unstable and all the new shopps closed. Why didnt falconi’s reach out to the business that closed up shop because of shifting land. The mall still sits waiting to be torn down. The plans to erect a strip mall have been put on hold. Mr. Falconi didnt tell me why the development firm pulled out of building the strip mall or what the future holds for the Washington Mall. I even volunteered to help take a proactive action in revitilizing the mall. Denied. They dont want to do anything. It’s a write off for all his other business’s I guess.
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Ryan Reply:
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:15 am
@CP, From what I understand the main reason that mall hasn’t been torn down is the amount of asbestos in the building means it’s going to have to be tented to take down, and that costs serious $$
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Gary
May 6th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
CP, I was looking forward to seeing the mall revitalized, I even have conceptual drawings as to what these new designs could look like. It’s a shame that Falconi is not interested in the mall’s future. I was thinking how much it would be to sell the mall outright, which can’t be too much, not to mention JCPenney still owns their building. This could very well be possible if a number of investors stepped in and offered to negotiate for the property.
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Keith
May 12th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Don’t forget about the barber shop and the little store that sold sweepers and sewing machines in the entrance near the old book store and the current drug store. Remember when they used to have the “Ag-Days” there with the animals and farm equipment? There was so many people there you couldn’t move, and it was even that way in the early 2000’s still. I also remember the NRM (later a Camelot) also used to be a Ticketmaster outlet. I spent hours there when I was in high school in the late 90’s standing in line to get tickets for me and my friends to great concerts at the Star Lake Ampitheater (now Post-Gazette Pavilion) such as X-Fests, Oz-Fests, Metallica, Korn, and many others. You hate to see places like this go away because of the little memories you have, like passing the test to get my driver’s license right up the road at the DMV in 1998, and the first place we stopped was Pizza Boy to celebrate.
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Robert T.
May 26th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I grew up in Brownsville PA not far from washington PA and visited the mall and franklin mall. I can reember when Shorty’s hotdog was in there along with baskin robins, sun appliences, dollar general, and stores i can not remember. The mall began to die in the late 1990s and took a hard hit in 1999 when franklin. But When across of I-79 when all of those new retail shops opened, it did not help. I hope that the relick makes it because it is something i remember very well as a kid.
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Shaun
June 5th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Anyone remeber Spaghetti Joe’s in the spot where Valley Dairy ended up? I remember not really liking the food there but it struck me as rather neat looking compared to other resturaunts.
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Stephen
June 7th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Growing up in Peters Twp (Washington Co.), the choice for us was North to South Hill Village, or South to the Washington Mall. It looks as though my memories of the Mall pre-date many on this thread (about 1976 – 1983 ). Funny how it still seems like recent history to me. Most trips we went to the Mall included a trip to the Silver Mine to see if there were any new coins we wanted for our collections. I also remember many trips to Penny’s for clothes and shoes. One commenter’s memory of taking his driving test up 19 at the DMV really brought back memories of the same thing for me.
When we started going there, the McDonalds across 19 still had the original facade with the large arches and very little seating inside. This was before there was a McDonalds in Peters and before there was a McDonalds in Cannonsburg, so a trip to McDonalds was 20 miles down Rt 19.
The last time I was in town, it was a shock to see the farmland north of Rt 70 turned into big box strips.
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Gary
June 24th, 2009 at 2:47 am
Does anyone have an update on the condition of this mall? JCPenney is still active, but that’s all I know.
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Susan Reply:
July 19th, 2009 at 9:28 am
@Gary,
I was there yesterday to shop at Penneys. The doors out to the mall, which are usually closed, were cracked open due to a broken AC system. The mall looked like it was in good shape from what I could see, but the entire place smells like mildew. The only other stores that I know of that are there are JoAnn Fabrics and Staples. You can’t access the mall from Penneys. I don’t know if you can get in from all the other entrances or just the one by Staples.
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David R. in WV Reply:
July 20th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
@Susan,
If you get a chance to, enter by the doors straight across from the Wine And Spirits (not by Staples). Maybe don’t go alone, because it’s creepy. I’m curious if you think it’s almost scary.
BTW, do you think the Crown Center is a good candidate for this site?
Dave
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Susan Reply:
July 25th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
@David R. in WV,
I def will! Thought about stopping on Thurs, but didn’t have the chance. Maybe tomorrow if I get up there. I was in a few years ago when Hallmark was still in operation and it was creepy then! The only sound I could hear was my shoes-weird!
Poor Crown Center! I like that mall! But I think Tanger Outlets is going to run them down. I think it would be good to put it on this site
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David R. in WV
July 19th, 2009 at 12:26 am
I was there today (July 18, 2009). It was creepy, to say the least. Although the doors were unlocked, I felt like I was trespassing. The area leading to the restrooms is boarded (closed). I took a few steps past the old Little Professor site and realized that J.C. Penney cannot be accessed from inside the mall now. There is also a fence to stop anybody from going through the mall. There was a scuba place, and then another fence. I entered from the other end by Joanne Fabrics. It was dark-looking with a fence on that end. LA Nails was the only other tenant to be seen. It is now worse-looking than the pictures seen online- very depressing. I didn’t see anybody at all except the fabrics employees and a couple of customers (no mall security or shoppers at all).
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Guin
September 5th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I went here like three weeks ago! It was so creepy! There was a white fence blocking one of the entrances/exits, and another one blocking JoAnne’s fabrics so you had to go in another way. There was a Scuba Shop (I don’t know if it was out of business or just closed on the weekends because I went there on a Saturday). Most of the stores were closed and I only saw like two people there that were probably employees. You couldn’t get to J.C. Penney in the mall. The fountains weren’t on, there were just rocks and fake trees. It also smelled like mold…
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Kevin
September 17th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
That mall used to be packed during the ’80s when I was growing up. For awhile the only four movie theatres actrive in town (after Midtown closed) were the two at the end of the old Washington Mall and the two at GEE BEE Plaza ( where Gabe’s is now)
At the end of the old mall configuration (the mall used to end where JoAnns is located) there used to be a video game arcade and a pizza place, then you’d walk down steps exit both right and left from the mall and be at the movie theatres.
It used to have several restaurants including Bon Homme Richard or something like that plus the lunch counter at 5 and dime store (McCrorys or something?)
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Mike Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
@Kevin, the lunch counter was in the GC Murphy’s store, and the Pizza place was Pizza Boy, with the arcade right next to it. I still remember when Channel 4 had a broadcast office there, right near the large open area where the pretzel oven was. They tried a few things over the years to bring the crowds back, like a dollar general and even indoor batting and pitching cages. I’ve always dreamed of buying the whole thing and opening an indoor entertainment center (indoor go-karts, mini golf, maybe an indoor skate park and urban paintball in one of the old stores.) But it takes money to make money, and I ain’t there yet.LOL
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Mike
September 29th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
PS: if anyone steals my indoor entertainment center idea, they owe me a cut!LOL
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Joe
October 27th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Hopefully is someone goes in there soon we can get some updated pics???…Haven’t been there in a few years and I don’t remember the lights being on last time I was there, it’s gotta be creepy…
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Mark
October 29th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I grew up in the Washington, Pa area and just wanted to add a few comments. First, the mall is not located in the City of Washington, but in South Strabane Township. The population you quoted is just for the City. Together with the surrounding municipalities, the Washington area has a population of 60,000-70,000. Washington County has a population of 200,000+, so that’s why there is so much shopping in that area. Plus, it really a suburb of Pittsburgh, so a lot of people commute through that area on a daily basis. Second, to echo other comments, that mall used to be jammed back in the 80’s. Its decline has more to do with poor management by the owners, and the growth of “big box” retailers, than the area’s ability to support shopping. The population of north- central Washington County has actually doubled in the past 10 years.
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Susan
November 4th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
My mom went to JoAnne Fabrics last Thursday. She says the fence which is blocking the mall entrance is the same fence that used to be used for Santa and the Easter Bunny at the mall. Thinking about it, she might be right. Also, she said there was music playing from one of the speakers. When we were pulling up, I could see that the lights were on down by the Rex entrance. I wish I would have left my camera in my purse. I’ll def try and get some when I’m up that way on Black Friday.
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Robby
November 15th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Ha, this is a pretty interesting page. It is weird how that mall is so dead now. I walked through it about a year ago, it’s pretty crazy thinking about how active it used to be and how completely dead it is now. Kinda really sad in a way. I remember that awesome pizza shop in there, and the arcade across from it. I remember around once a year they’d have all kinds of stuff set up in there for people to sell stuff and a whole bunch of other cool stuff and that place would be loaded. That’s about at least 10 years ago now. =[
That was a real interesting story about the security guard though. When I went in there about a year ago with my girlfriend, we were walking around and a security guard rudely said “do you need help with anything”, as if we were doing something wrong. My bad, but I didn’t no walking around a mall was an offense. I guess cops/guards can just like to abuse their power sometimes. Ha, I wonder if it was the same guy. o.o
At any rate, I do think it would be AWESOME if they could bring that place back. Maybe throw in some really popular store, and from there add some restraunts or something other stores worth going to. Overall, it definately seems possibly.
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