Pittsburgh Mills

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Galleria & Village at Pittsburgh Mills
Entrance Number 1
Entrance Number 1
Facts and statistics
Location Tarentum in Frazer Township, Pennsylvania, Flag of the United States United States
Opening date 2005
Developer Mills Corporation
Management Zamias Services, Inc
Owner Zamias Services, Inc
No. of stores and services 250+
No. of anchor tenants 9
Total retail floor area 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m²)
No. of floors 1 (with racetrack design)
Website http://www.pittsburghmills.com

Pittsburgh Mills, or simply The Mills to locals, was conceived and originally developed by the Mills Corporation. On December 30, 2006, it was announced that the Mills Corporation sold its stake in Pittsburgh Mills to its partner in the project, Zamias Services Inc.[1][2] Because of this, Pittsburgh Mills is currently the only american Mills mall that's neither owned or managed by Simon Property Group. Pittsburgh Mills is the largest shopping mall complex in Western Pennsylvania as well as one of the largest in the state, with approximately 2 million square feet (186,000 m²) of retail space on 200 acres (0.8 km²). The King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia remains as the largest mall. Its grand opening, with much fanfare, was on July 14, 2005. It is located in Frazer Township, northeast of Pittsburgh, just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike on PA Route 28.

Contents

[edit] Development

It consists of two components. One component is The Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, which is the 1.1 million square foot indoor component of the complex, is divided into five themed neighborhoods corresponding to various Pittsburgh landmarks and cultural icons. It features Dick's Sporting Goods, Borders Books and Music, a Cinemark multiplex theater including IMAX, H&M, Linens 'N Things, Macy's , American Eagle Outfitters, JCPenney, and Sears Grand, which is a new superstore concept with a full line supermarket, clothing, electronics and automobile departments. It also has over 200 shops, attractions and eateries, including a large food court. There are two areas in the center geared towards children—the PBS KIDS Backyard and A Place to Grow, based on the book by Stephanie Bloom. NASCAR Speedpark was planning to open a 40,477 sq ft (3,760 m²). indoor park, but its parent company decided to change their plans by focusing on developing the NASCAR Speedpark brand in high traffic tourist areas. Lucky Strike Lanes closed its 25,162 sq ft (2,338 m²). alley in 2006. The space occupied by the former Lucky Strikes was quickly replaced by 2 restaurants (Dingbats, Abate Seafood) and a banquet hall (Royal Gatherings) that are owned by the Trinity Select Group. Also, a new anchor, rumored to be either Boscov's or Kohl's, may finally be signed to replace the space that was originally reserved for the NASCAR Speedpark.

The second component is an adjacent shopping center being developed by Zamias Services Inc called the Village at Pittsburgh Mills. It includes several big-box stores such as a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam's Club, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, Best Buy and PetSmart, as well as many popular restaurants, and a Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel. Another strip area in this complex includes Ross Dress For Less, Michael's Arts and Crafts, Office Max, Catherines, Famous Footwear, and the very first Sonic Drive-In in Western Pennsylvania. The Village contains a total of 925,000 square feet (85,900 m²) of store space.

[edit] Store lineup

Main entrance signage for the Pittsburgh Mills from the PA Route 28 north entrance. (September 2006)
Main entrance signage for the Pittsburgh Mills from the PA Route 28 north entrance. (September 2006)

It is the first Landmark Mills property to feature two full-price department storesJCPenney and Kaufmann's (now Macy's).[3]

Although the typical Landmark Mills mall is synonymous with outlet shopping, Pittsburgh Mills is the only center to offer an entire lineup of full-price retailers that otherwise could be found in a traditional enclosed mall. The reason for this goes back to 1981, when developer Zamias Services, Inc. of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, planned to develop a regional mall on the Frazer Township site. Legal setbacks and financial difficulties had postponed the project for many years, until the Mills Corporation announced in 2002 that they would partner in conjunction with Zamias to build a retail and entertainment complex on the site.[4]

[edit] Anchors

[edit] References

[edit] External links