Eastland Mall (North Versailles, Pennsylvania)
| Location | 833 East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Blvd North Versailles Township, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Opening date | August 15, 1963 |
| Closing date | February 15, 2005 |
| Developer | Gimbels |
| Owner |
Gimbels (1961-1988) Benderson Development Company (1988-2007) |
| No. of floors | 2 (Gimbels had a partial 3rd floor) |
Eastland Mall was a two-level, enclosed shopping mall located at 833 East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Blvd in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, situated on 57 acres (230,000 m2) of land at the peak of a hill overlooking the Monongahela River. The mall was home to such stores as Gimbels, J.C. Penney, F.W. Woolworth Company, and Gee Bee Department Stores. The mall annex also included a two screen movie theater and auto repair center.
The Gimbels department store chain began construction on Eastland Mall in 1961. After approximately two years of construction and $12 million of construction costs, Eastland Shopping Plaza opened on August 15, 1963. In addition to a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) Gimbels, some of the nation's largest stores, J.C. Penney, National Record Mart, May-Stern, Kinney Shoes, Thom McAn, and F.W. Woolworth Company moved into the mall.
When Eastland Shopping Plaza opened, downtown McKeesport suffered as J.C. Penney moved from McKeesport into Eastland Shopping Plaza. Three other McKeesport retailers, Immel's, Wander Sales, and Richard's Shoes, opened stores in Eastland. At its peak in the 1960s, Eastland Shopping Plaza employed 800 people.
The upper level of Eastland was originally an open-air marketplace. After a fire destroyed much of the property and caused $1 million worth of damage on June 6, 1973, a roof was added and the entire mall was enclosed. At this time the "Shopping Plaza" in Eastland's name was changed to "Mall" and a Gee Bee discount store was opened.
Just six years after its opening Eastland faced competition from all-enclosed Monroeville Mall, then billed as the largest mall in the United States, located under six miles (10 km) away. Four years earlier, Eastland saw competition from South Hills Village, the country's largest (and first two-story) enclosed mall, in Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park. Greengate Mall (now Greengate Centre) in nearby Greensburg, Westmoreland County would also open the very same year as South Hills Village. In 1979, Century III Mall, the third largest enclosed shopping center in the world (at that time), opened 10 miles (16 km) away in West Mifflin to further speed the decline of Eastland.
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