Washington Mall

Washington Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located in South Strabane Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, just outside the city of Washington, formerly managed by J J Gumberg Co. and now by Oxford Development Company. It is owned by Falconi, a local developer which also owns a number of properties throughout Washington County.

This article is about a shopping center in Pennsylvania. For the national park in Washington, DC, see National Mall.

Washington Mall
LocationWashington, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates40.185°N 80.235°W / 40.185; -80.235
Opening dateOctober 17, 1968
Closing dateDecember, 1999
DeveloperFalconi
ManagementOxford Development Company
No. of anchor tenants2
No. of floors1 (3 in former JCPenney)

History

The Washington Mall was opened on October 17, 1968 with a total of 45 stores.[1] The mall was anchored by J. C. Penney which had a freestanding auto center. The mall also featured G. C. Murphy, a Thorofare Grocery Store, and Giant Eagle as junior anchors.[2] Staples was under construction in 1996, taking over what was originally the Marianne Shop.[3] Thompson Hardware closed in June 1997, and was later replaced by Dollar General. Pottery Factory Outlet closed its doors in February 1998, and Giant Eagle closed its doors in 1999, however continued to pay its lease through 2001.[4] Afterthoughts closed in December 1999, and Altmeyer closed that same year.

In 2001, JCPenney announced a remodel of their store to introduce houseware and custom decorating departments to the location. A REX store was also announced to open in the former Pottery Factory Outlet space, in addition to a D&K Stores next to Dollar General. At this time the mall's Baskin-Robbins store closed and converted to "Pap Pap's" Ice Cream after the owner said he could no longer afford franchise fees.[4] Plans were announced in 2004 to convert the mall into a more traditional shopping plaza, retaining anchors Staples, JCPenney, and Toys R Us and adding an 88,000 sq ft space for a new anchor. However, these plans were later delayed, and never came to fruition.[5] JCPenney closed in February 2007[6] and relocated to the defunct Foundry shopping center less than a mile away in March 2007; however, due to ground settling problems at the aforementioned retail complex and financial difficulties with the property owner, JCPenney moved back to the Washington Mall in mid-September 2008.[7][8] On January 15, 2014, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 33 stores nationwide. The store closed in May 2014.[9]

Toys R Us closed in the company's 2018 bankruptcy. Department store retail chain Gabe’s has since used this vacated space as a distribution center. Only Staples, Grand China Buffet and Harbor Freight Tools, all of which have exterior access, remain open.[10]

The mall was at one time the preeminent place for shopping in Washington. Up until the 1990s, it was faring its own. However, as the crosstown rival Franklin Mall (now Washington Crown Center) was expanded and completely remodeled, Washington Mall was severely affected by this. There have been no plans to redevelop, outparcels and other stores around the mall remain occupied, and the detached cinema that once was associated with the mall was demolished in 2016. [11][12]

References
  1. "Dignitaries Open Washington Mall". The Daily Notes. October 17, 1968. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  2. "Washington Mall To Open Thursday" (PDF). Observer Reporter. October 16, 1968. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  3. Chute, Eleanor (August 11, 1996). "Staples, Kohl's proposed for site". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  4. Smydo, Joe (April 7, 2001). "Mall traffic slows to a crawl". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  5. Smydo, Joe (December 5, 2004). "Some mall tenants may stay awhile". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  6. Taylor, Lynda Guydon (January 14, 2007). "J.C. Penney exit makes others at mall nervous. With Washington Mall anchor gone, new managers mum on their plans". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  7. "J.C. Penney to reopen Washington mall site". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. July 26, 2008. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  8. "Penney's reopening at Washington Mall". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. September 16, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  9. "Here's A List Of The J.C. Penney Stores That Are Closing". The Huffington Post. January 15, 2014. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  10. Wahba, Phil (January 24, 2018). "Here Are The 180 Toys 'R' Us Stores That Are Closing". Fortune. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  11. Fitzpatrick, Dan (June 20, 1997). "Crown American, Gumberg weigh mall, power center. South Strabane's Route 19 stretch is a retail speculator's hotspot". Pittsburgh Business Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  12. "Washington Mall; Washington, Pennsylvania". Labelscar. July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
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