Northway Mall

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Northway Mall
Facts and statistics
Location Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Flag of the United States USA
Opening date 1953 (strip mall)
August 1, 1962 (enclosed mall)
Management McKinney Properties
No. of stores and services 30+
No. of anchor tenants 5
Total retail floor area 385,000 sq.ft.
No. of floors 2
Website Official website

Northway Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Ross Township, north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The mall began as a strip mall called Northway Shopping Center in 1953; it was re-opened in August 1, 1962 as Northway Mall, the first indoor mall in the state of Pennsylvania.[1] Currently, the mall features over 30 shops, with Borders Books & Music, Dick's Sporting Goods, Marshalls,and PetSmart, as its anchor stores.[2]

[edit] History

Northway Shopping Center began as a strip mall constructed in 1953. In 1962, an enclosed portion was added above the existing strip, thus creating the mall. One of the mall's notable features upon opening was a glass enclosed elevator, the third such elevator in the country.[citation needed] The original mall also included an aviary, which was removed in 1994.[1][3]

Original anchor stores included Joseph Horne Company, Woolworth, G.C. Murphy, and A&P.[3] The mall continued to thrive until 1986, when Ross Park Mall opened nearby, causing many businesses to relocate there.[3] Horne's and G.C. Murphy both closed in 1988 (the former being replaced with Dahlkemper's Catalog Showroom, which closed in the 1990s). A&P also closed in the 1980s and was replaced with Herman's World of Sporting Goods.[3]

G.C. Murphy was replaced with a discount movie theater, which was later purchased by National Amusements and converted to a first-run theater. A food court was added in 1990, featuring Rax Restaurants among its tenants. Woolworth closed in 1991, with Marshalls opening in the former Woolworth space in 1996.[3] Herman's World of Sporting Goods closed in 1992, and was replaced with Borders in 1995; in addition, Dick's Sporting Goods and Value City split the old Dahlkemper's space.[3] Old Navy was also added. During this time there were many small specialty stores, including Rich's Dugout Sportscards, a local retailer of sportscards and memorabilia.

In 1996, the mall was renovated by McNeil Real Estate of Dallas, Texas, which owned the center at the time. It was then sold to the Archon Group (also of Dallas), who put the mall up for sale again in 2000. At the time, the mall was at 94% occupancy.[4] Since then, however, occupancy has declined once more, and plans have been announced to convert the mall's enclosed upper level to a strip center. Under this plan, the mall will be renamed The Shops at Northway, and the movie theaters will close.[5] New tenants have also been announced for the planned Shops at Northway, including a shoe store and a family play center.[6]

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