Largest Abandoned Mall in the World - Century III Mall - A Documentary *Demolished*
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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When it opened in 1979, Century III was the third largest mall in the entire world. It would appear in several films and TV shows before closing in 2019 and demolished in 2024.
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Music Miami 1983 by Karl Casey @WhiteBatAudio
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#abandoned #deadmall #retailarchaeology #urbanexploration
Need to add the Century 3 Chevrolet jingle. “Century 3 Chevrolet, Lebanon Church Rd, Pittsburgh… minutes from the mall”. Every Pittsburgher will remember it.
Thank you for the earworm 😜
She frequented a bar I went to, when people would yell it out or bring it up she would get irritated.
@@sarah_757 Welcome! lmao
Remember Willie's 🎿 shop? They had 8-10 locations at 1 point- 1960s to 2000s.
Yes sir. I remember that ad from when I was in high school in Greentree
I really miss the malls of this design and style, I usually as a kid couldn't stand shopping trips for hours but interesting malls like this were an exception where I could walk for hours.
I moved from Pittsburgh in the summer of 1979, the Century Three Mall was still under construction at that point. I came back to Pittsburgh in 1991 and at one point worked nearby. It was still a thriving mall in the early nineties, and I shopped there pretty often during that period. I moved out of the area again for work in 2003, the mall had declined quite a bit by then, although it was still pretty busy at Christmas time. I retired and moved back into the area in 2010. I think that I visited it once or twice to buy Craftsman tools at Sears. It was in sad shape by then. I wasn't surprised that it closed, I was more surprised that it lasted as long as it did.
I have so many memories of this mall from going with my grandparents in the 2000s. Definitely a sad state it’s been left in
As someone who worked at malls from 1975 to 2009 it's really sad how quickly many malls just rot away. Along with so many of the mall stores. Dangerous to walk around them. I've personally visited many dead malls in Texas, Florida and the Carolina's.
It happened in Washington, PA too just 30 minutes south of Pittsburgh. The Washington Mall and the Franklin Mall (Washington Crown Center) saw the same fate. But the Tanger Outlet is thriving. It's a tourist attraction being across the street from the casino/harness racing track.
The mall was awesome in it's day. Nobody would have imagined that it wound up as it did.
Century III is in the news more now than when it was open. Sad.
@@MrHeadbanger366 😂 I bet they played it a lot. I remember watching it on KDKA outside of Pittsburgh and WTRF in Wheeling. When I moved to Fairmont it was “To the right to the right, of the Morgantown Mall!”
@@MsThorne2009 I watch WPXI myself, that's where I kept seeing the news reports.
The Penguins displayed the Stanley Cup there as well as eight Super Bowls (San Francisco and Pittsburgh), a World Series trophy, a Heiden Trophy and more.
Me and my Dad took pictures when those trophies were on display there.
That mall used to have fountains back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Used to be beautiful and crazy busy during Christmas time. My mom passed away two years ago and this video brought back memories. Thanks for the video.
I worked here right out of high school. Back then every store was occupied and the place was packed almost every day of the week. I truly hope that they can re purpose that property in a way that helps the entire area it used to serve.
I agree because that would be nice!
@@john15207 Saw recently that the old building is being demolished. I'm sorry I never got to see the old place one more time.
This mall had jcpenney Macy's (kaufmann's) Sears mountgumery ward & gimbls
That last commercial was also used at other malls. I remember that commercial from when I lived in the SF Bay Area back in the 80's/90's.
At one point century III Mall had Kauffman's department gimbels Montgomery wards Sears and JCPenney then later they had Montgomery Ward's became horns dep then to Kauffman's furniture gimbels split at one point it was TJ Maxx and wickes furniture before it became dicks then Kaufman's converted to Macy's it was a beautiful mall will never have another one like it
I remember going to century III when I was young in the early 2000s during Christmas time. Even though it’s been so long I still remember many of the parts you showed. What a hit of nostalgia.
If you want to explore a really dead mall we have one in Meriden CT called Meriden Mall. I wish I could have the stars from this mall. If they were not so arrest happy right now I would love to explore this place.
It was such a nice mall. I remember Richard Simmons being there lol
I remember going there as a kid, South hills village was much closer but CIII was like the special trip for when mom and dad were feeling adventurous. There was a smallish area on the first floor that had cobble stone. There was an ice cream store and a few other food places like a mini food court. As a kid it was soo cool. In high school however, all i remember was crime, and always having to be on point to not get mugged. That is probably the main reason the mall died, the area has started coming back in reascent years, a mall like that might have been able to make a comeback. SHV is still there and doing fine as far a i know.
Into the forgotten
I miss Century III so much; I was always excited to go there even in its dying days. South Hills Village is nice but it doesn't hit the same and the Robinson and Monroeville malls are too out of the way for me.
Great tribute to C3.
Before the internet and Amazon... put a kick in the ass to these once great malls
I live in the Pittsburgh area, and I was there many times. What a shame, it really was a beautiful mall. I knew a guy that was showing off for some girls and he jumped from the top level and broke both of his legs really bad. I remember.
Hated going there Xmas shopping, too crowded. Lot full.
Minutes from the mall!
Century III wasn’t built on just a “dump” site. It was the slag dump from the steel mills.
Great exploration dude! Just be careful when posting videos of C3.
100% West Mifflin just nailed 5 more trespassers last week. Posting evidence like this is still a risk.
Why’s that
@@fayecox9401 West Mifflin government loves arresting or at least charging trespassers and taking them to court, regardless of whether they were being respectful to the property, like in this video, or not.
@@TheCubeTube thankyou for explaining
@@TheCubeTubeyeah they are insane
As soon as you said Moonbeam, it was obvious why the mall died. Moonbeam is the kiss of death for malls.
Let's go back to the 80's.
12:50 that’s the Bill Cipher zodiac from the show Gravity Falls
🐊 I used to buy Izod Lacoste men's shirts that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing today at Century lll Mall.
Collar popped!
For those wondering, the song at the beginning and end of the video; Karl Casey - Miami 1983
ua-cam.com/video/35fUyl1Tkmg/v-deo.htmlsi=_FTHzDdvYwILcuh-
Are they selling those parking lot lights? I want a couple for my front yard and driveway.
Hey dont look now but its the real America that i grew up in! Oh those were the days.
1:30 is not C3
Where is this?
Oh, Pittsburgh.
Okay.
12:51 lol that is not from a satanic cult, far from it
Built in 1979-kind of late to build a mall. Late 90s more & more people got home computers, thus began the huge online shopping boom (eBay, Amazon, etc.). No indoor malls have been built since 2003 or 2004. I hope nobody's sad about this closure. Malls decimated downtown businesses as materialistic morons shuffled off to waste their cash on the crud peddled in shopping malls.
How old are you? Nobody imagined back in the early 1970s when this mall was planned that it would fail due to online shopping.
Dude your sponsor plug time is longer than a CVS receipt! I waited over an hour before ABANDONING your channel
OH THE AGONY
Wow, this looks like a before and after version of, 1st republican managed and then democrat managed 😢
I never liked these malls. I hope all malls gone.
I seriously need to build a time machine.
That was my mall growing up just down the road. It was wonderfull throughout the 80's. Met my wife of now 35 years there at Wilsons Leather and Suede back in 84, right out of high school. Sorry to see that the demo is underway. Gread video, thanks for taking the time to put it together.
The thing that's absolutely *terrible* about this mall is the ONLY connector road in between Clairton Rd and Clairton Blvd is the Century III access road that runs alongside the site. As far as I can tell it's a part of the property and hasn't seen any service in YEARS. It is absolutely a suspension breaker nowadays. Unfortunately you have to go WELL out of your way to avoid it.
About this road. I have to use it running deliveries to from 51 & the other side. In july 2022 I hit a crater that was close to 8ft wide AND 10 inches deep! Broke a forged aluminum rim, shredded new tire at the bead, snapped oem swaybar end link in half, borked hub bearing, & tie rod end damage on that side. Somewhere around $650 in damage. July 4, 2024 got new tires. July 21st hit pot hole again at less than 25mph tire was leaking air. Rim shattered at bead! City hall just gives the run around about how they dont own it. Im like how many millions in damage to motorists have to take before they just repave then damn road. I told W. Mifflin city hall they took Moonbeam Capitals bait, so theyre guilty too! Excuses all around.
The worst road in all of Allegheny County, which is saying a lot
I don’t know how an actual road way can be privately owned. It’s frustrating. It’s like the mills mall which failed but all the roads around it are in shambles. The remaining stores still get business but getting there almost needs a four wheel drive
Typical extravagant waste that takes place in America. It was too big and clearly not maintained with a lack of diversification to maintain it as being a hub. South Africa Johannesburg was very clever with malls. They all had financial and banking, hotels, medical suites, and office towers. This meant you never had to leave it was literally one stop shop and still is. They also added residential apartments and gated townhouses to some to ensure their survival. America has always had this strange habit of building disconnected places where you literally need to drive to the next store or even the same building because that's quicker than walking.
No. Basically what happened is globalism. Pittsburgh was the steel capital of the world when this mall was initially planned. It had a large middle class to support something like this at the time. There were several large steel mills within a 30 minute drive to this mall. During construction of this mall, the steel industry collapsed. Pittsburgh was decimated by that and has yet to fully recover to what it once was. My guess is it probably never will as the United States has been in a free fall since then. Middle class manufacturing jobs that once were everywhere that could support a family are basically nonexistent anymore. This is evidenced by the swathes of abandoned buildings, businesses and homes that dot a large portion of our country while we are presently experiencing record homelessness. It’s yet another symbol of the decline of the United States. I’m actually surprised this mall lasted and thrived as long as it did.
Great narration, with intermittent music and transitions to historical photography and back in the day news casts. 👍🏼
Sadly, violence and crime have destroyed so many places and it has only become worse as time goes on.
Now it’s south side
It's black rule
Lol that had nothing to do with this mall closing
@@TechTokOffical It has happened to at least one mall in every U.S. city. It happened in my city. Blax started moving in. Crime at the mall went up. People stopped going and moved to less dark areas.
@@derp8575 again black people had nothing to do with the mall closing more like the utter mismanagement of Moonbean
All these malls were opening and brand new when i was a kid. Now they're gone, and I'm still here, a little worse for wear, but still looking much better than they are! 😂
@TheBigdog868 In the end its only an old BLDG that served its purpose. Moonbeam did this same thing with Voorhees Town Ctr mall" Voorhees, nj.
As a Pittsburgh resident in 1979 (which was the year both the Steelers and the Pirates won their respective championships), Century III was a huge deal. It was a great mall, if a little inconvenient from where we lived out by the airport). Sad to see it such decay.
I think Pittsburgh first used the sports term; City of Champions 🏆. I think the Pirates 🏴☠️ & NHL Penguins won too. 1992 or 1991.
@@DavidLLambertmobile The Penguins won in 91 and 92. The Pirates haven’t won or even been to the World Series since 1979.
Moonbeam sucked they're the reason why the mall got run into the ground they're the reason why all their malls fall apart where is multiple opportunities for new stores
Simon didn't help either. Spent all that money to remodel but ended up not paying on the mall loan since it didn't fit their portfolio as a high end mall
No. You can actually thank the Port Authority of Allegheny County for this mall’s early decline. They made this mall a transfer point for the bus lines that went to the ghettos. That is the real cause for its early decline that few people talk about. But you can ultimately thank radical environmentalists for its and really Pittsburgh’s and the rest of the rust belt’s downfall.
Absolutely right!! The ghettos are the reasons malls, amusement parks and gorgeous old movie theatre's closed !! They destroy everything they touch !!
I peed my pants in that mall the day my grandma died.
I remember the ads for Century III from visits to my parents in Pittsburgh back in the late 1970's and 1980's. They lived on the North Side, so Century III was too far of a trip for them, especially since all the same stores could be found in the North Hills. Still, if you were in Pittsburgh at the time, Century III was hard to forget.
i cut the local walmart that overlooks the mall, it’s sad every week when i look down that massive hill and see more and more of it tore down. all those memories just wiped away like nothing (edit: ill send some clips if wanted)
i blame online shopping for this as well
These are great videos !! Really enjoy how thorough you are with the history of the malls you show . I’m Laura from Canada and here malls are still very popular places to shop . Also Bug Box store such as Wal Mart. But Malls here in Canada are booming still . Seems opposite in the US ?? Strange . ❤😊👍🏻🙌🏻
Depends on where. Where im at there are a couple still doing well. But they are dwindling.
Here in Atlanta, Cumberland Mall is doing absolutely wonderful and packed daily
Probably do to much less crime in Canada....But, Turkey Headed Trudeau will change that.
8:51 if I remember correctly it was an Italian village pizza shop before closing
Indeed it was. But was originally called Scotto's Pizza
It is not demolished yet, they only took down the parking decks, the building is still standing... The local news just did an update yesterday and there are no immediate plans to demo the tsructure as moonbeam, property owners, do not have the $20 mil in capital needed to demo the mall itself, so they are adding concrete blocks to seal off all the entrances until capital can be raised to level it.
Moonbeam short of capital, what a surprise!
@@augustneverends How can they spend $20 million or more to buy these properties but can't pony up $10 million to flatten them when they get derelict
From the UK .This is sad to see
Also from the UK, and can say that some of our centres of similar vintage could be facing similar fates... 🏚
@@dieseldragon6756 I'm not sure if the Arndale centre is still open in central Manchester. It's tiny in comparison but last time I was there ,which was years ago,it was half empty and in a state of disrepair
All good things come to an end. Sad.
Great video! Thank you for being respectful, unlike so many other people. Century III will be missed, but it’s definitely time to let it go.
I worked at century III Mall for 2 years at Kaufman's and went through the conversion of Macy's do I still remember my keys going up to the Macy's furniture on the top level storage room saying horns department signage and bags
these malls are the closest thing to a time machine for me, I love dated malls, I used to make jokes about "run down malls" but often the ones still in business have some of the best businesses around...or the worst, but the ones I go to are awesome
My childhood mall closes this month. I remember being bored out of my mind waiting for my family to finish Christmas shopping. Now I would go back in a heartbeat to walk around it when it was alive.
@@RuinRoad Video is only 22 mins. REDO and SLOW IT DOWN. The pictures are in time with the beat. Why????
At the time of its construction it was the 3rd largest shopping mall in the world, not the largest.
It is the largest mall to go broke and to be abandoned It is the largest failed shopping mall in the world .The others are too big to fail ! (All thanks to the outcome of the 1980 and 1984 national elections.)
Was that Liz Miles in the Xmas ad? 🎄
So did they actually start demoing this mall?
Yes, about a month ago. The parking deck is almost gone and they have been clearing out the inside for next steps bringing down the stores.
It will take Neiswonger, the demolition contractor around 2 years to complete.
It was amazing being in there after the fire occurred. Such a waste of space, had potential if on line sales killed it.
Project Prom was run by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services for teens, girls and boys, who were eligible to receive the free gowns and accessories to attend prom.
A lot of people today have no idea how amazing those food courts smelled. 🤩
Spent so much time here as a kid.. this is incredibly sad for me
Spent many of Friday and Saturday night there as a teenager.
This video was definitely shot before April 2023 as the power was shut off around that time. I get that videos people shot a while back will start to come out now as this beautiful mall awaits the demolition crews. As soon as they're done with the parking deck, it's the mall next 😭😭 although the thumbnail would've made one think it was a current video 👀 stunning presentation of the century 3 mall though.. 👌🏼👌🏼
No matter how many videos I've watched on this mall it's getting sadder each time. too much trashing of the place
Our recent heatwave reminded me how nice it was to have a big indoor space nearby to go walking on a hot day. I think the last time I was in there was around 2014 or so. Only a few stores were open and the atmosphere felt so weird I never went back. 🙁
Spent most of my high school years there in the early 80’s. Left for the military then went back there while home for leave in the 90’s and was shocked with how bad it was and how much was gone. Now, living near Columbus, OH, the same thing is happening here. Tanger and Polaris are all that’s left and that ain’t saying much.
I had no clue this once awesome place was closed and abandoned. I haven’t been up that way in 20+ years. Pretty sad. That was such an experience for a small town West Virginia fella.
What's crazy is you unlocking a core memory with that last xmas ad in the video 😅
Got my first credit card in college, 1991. Promptly took the bus from school to Century Three mall for a shopping trip. Sad to see it this way. Being demolished now.
Project Prom used to be Foot Locker before it moved downstairs by Steve and Barry’s
The wayback machine. ;). Thanks for video.
Such memories! I miss that mall especially during Christmas
I think the parking decks failing is what really started killing the mall, driving under a concrete building held to gether with fencing and wood did make it feel safe, i believe it was built on bad ground and had major setling issues as did the mall that over looked the city in green tree that is now gone
Great video but bad idea posting this with West Mifflin still going after trespassers. A court date is not worth the chase for a few clicks.
Maybe this footage is from 2022.. 🤔.
@@slackingpacking it was definitely recorded before April 2023 because in this video, the mall still has power and we know that the power to the mall was shut off around mid March or early April 2023 after that fire.
@@zafarshaik3101I just don’t want RR to get the attention from the West Mifflin… the prosecutor might not care when it was filmed versus when it was posted. Either way, great video. I lived near c3 for a decade before it closed.
@@slackingpackingit does look like earlier footage, but the prosecutor might care when it was posted versus when it was filmed. RR does some great vids. Just don’t want to see click chasing wind up in court.
@@charlestonpinballarcade actually if the statue limitation is up. They cannot do anything about it , that’s how Big Bankz charges were acquitted. I talked to him personally. Trespassing in the state of Pennsylvania is two years.
Pittsburgh had the Monroeville Mall. Wasn't that adequate for everybody or was this huge behemoth of a mall needed. Ambitious but short-sighted.
376 had all kinds of casual dining spots, stores, Monroeville Mall, movie theater. Evergreens 🥡 buffet was ✅️.
@4got102c obviously you aren’t familiar with Pittsburgh. Although the downtown “Golden Triangle” business district is small compared to other cities, the suburbs are actually quite sprawling. Navigating the area is a nightmare even if you’re familiar with it. The road infrastructure of this area has hardly changed since the 1930s. For the people who live near where this mall is located it would probably take about 45 minutes or longer to get to Monroeville.
did i miss the part where you mentioned that this mall is in pennsylvania. i didn't hear it mentioned in the beginning, but could guess it was in pennsylvania only because i know the historic call letters KDKA. it helps to give us info on the location when you ID a place by name. and perhaps you did, and i simply missed it. i often watch with one eye when i stream videos like this.
great work on the video. including local newscasts, old commercials and images of the mall, as well as nods to its history, is greatly appreciated. i get that you can't always provide history about an abandoned house, and not all commercial businesses have good info online about their history. but too many urbex videos just show video with weak narration, and leave it at that. your efforts in this video stand out.
i'll definitely check out more of your content.
Century 3 had a Sears and Sears Automotive on the bottom floor at one point. Also being a South Hills resident of Pittsburgh my whole life, we went to a few malls around the area. Parkway Center, closed; Century 3, Closed; and South Hills Village, Thriving. People say the Waterfront shopping center in Homestead killed Century 3, it was the crime that did it.
I went to Monroeville Mall mainly. I rarely went to Century lll. I was never big on the Waterfront site.
Truth. When Port Authority made Century III Mall a transfer spot for bus routes to the ghettos, that was the beginning of the end. Homestead, where the Waterfront was built, had a higher crime rate than West Mifflin. I grew up in the South Hills. As a teenager in the mid 80s, it was safe to go to Century III. I preferred South Hills Village because it was closer and less crowded. I no longer live around there but understand South Hills Village, which was built before I was born, is thriving. I can remember when Century III opened. Now it’s all but gone.
@@mikee2923 I havent lost any sleep over it. When I came in 2019 It was coughing its last few breaths. What are ya'll so whiny about? It was built on a toxic waste dump!
@@mikee2923 That happened in every U.S. city. Seems deliberate in my opinion.
Definitely the crime
As always great job guys....
greetsz from holland....max
at the 12:48 second mark he makes a comment about cults with the spray paint circle on the floor, that is actually from Gravity Falls if you look closely you can make out some of the symbols...LOL
As a Brit I love learning about your shopping malls he really looked awsome
As a fat American I love your breads and cake. Look up Dixie Square mall, I went before the demolition, unfortunate and interesting story behind the place.
It was. I'm three years older than the mall. We lived on the other side of the city, so it was a treat to go to Century III.
It hurts my feelings
Last comment since this mall was near to my heart... as a teen boy in the 90s, we trolled for girls at malls, as most did. South Hills Village was known for the girls you pick up to make your girlfriend, prom date, take home to mom. Century 3 was known for the girls that would, um, go all the way! LOL
I didn’t know we had that reputation but now that I hear it, I’m not surprised 😆 My friends and I hung out at Century III every weekend in the late 80s-early 90s
How much mold was in that place???
This place turned into airsoft milsim event. Check out Dutch the Hooligan video. PEW PEW 6MM BB battle.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I remember this Mall being constructed , And now witnessing it being torn down . Time brings down the biggest of mountains . I am sure this land will have new and exciting things to come .
I was in middle school when it opened and spent a lot of time there with friends hanging out at the food court, National Record Mart, and Kaufmans. It was one of the best parts growing up in the 80s.
Is it me or are you a few minutes in wondering where this mall was actually located??? Silly little detail…….
When I was a kid during the late 80s, this was my hangout. We lived close enough for a quick bike ride or a 20-min walk. Great memories at that mall, and I'm sad to see it go. During the holidays, it used to be jam packed. So many people, commerce was through the roof. I've got a tour on my channel in 2017, when it was on its last legs.
Miss that mall I watched them build it from the ground up now they are ripping it down so 😔
There is nothing more spooky than a dead or abandoned mall!
yeah I agree
at 12:48 the symbol spray painted there is something from the kids show gravity falls 😆
I recognize that narrators voice 😆
7:30 OH MY GOD, of all the places, that's Phillip Pelusi, I remember running around that place while my mother dyed her hair back in 94. There was a lovely woman from England named Carrie who I'd always chat with back then. I hope she and my mother's stylist Tina are doing well.