Monroeville Mall

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Monroeville Mall is a large shopping center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, just east of Pittsburgh. Located along US Route 22 Business near I-376 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, it has long served as a major commercial hub for the eastern Pittsburgh suburbs.

Opened on May 13, 1969, Monroeville Mall was built by Oxford Development Company on land once known as Harper’s Mine. At the time, it was one of the biggest malls in the region, offering about 1.42 million square feet of retail space, roughly 180 stores, and around 6,800 parking spaces. Its anchors were Gimbels, Joseph Horne Co., and JCPenney, with Gimbels and Horne’s at the ends and JCPenney in the middle. A distinctive Ice Palace skating rink and a large clock-tower area were among the mall’s memorable features. The mall’s opening reshaped the local retail landscape, drawing shoppers away from older nearby centers and contributing to changes in surrounding shopping districts.

Over the years, Monroeville Mall expanded and modernized. In the early 2000s, a major renovation (2003–2004) transformed the main entrance area into a lifestyle-center-style zone called The District, updated entrances, restrooms, and common areas, and refreshed the food court. A new wing featuring a Cinemark 12-screen theater opened around 2012–2013, adding more dining and shopping options. A 2015 refresh updated interior colors, lighting, railings, seating, and restrooms, with exterior improvements as well. The mall’s evolution continued as new retailers moved in and older ones changed hands.

The area around Monroeville Mall also grew, with outparcels like a movie theater, a hotel, a Montgomery Ward store, and several other shops and restaurants arising in the 1970s and beyond. The ExpoMart on Mall Boulevard later became office space and a smaller convention center. In the years after, the mall remained the centerpiece of a dense commercial corridor that formed the eastern anchor of the Pittsburgh metro area’s shopping scene.

From 2004 to 2025, Monroeville Mall was owned by CBL & Associates Properties. In January 2025, Walmart announced it had purchased the mall for $34 million and planned to redevelop the property. Reports quickly followed that the site would be demolished to make way for a mixed-use development, with a state grant proposal filed in 2025 for a project named “Monroeville Mall Gateway.”

Monroeville Mall has also left its mark in popular culture. It was the filming location for George A. Romero’s 1978 Dawn of the Dead, and its skating rink scenery appeared in Flashdance (1983). Other film tips include Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) and a 1980s children’s title The Boy Who Loved Trolls. The mall has been referenced in television shows such as Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Mindhunter, and its presence is even noted in music, with My Chemical Romance’s song Early Subsets over Monroeville linking the place to the broader Dawn of the Dead era.

Anchor stores over the years tell part of the mall’s story. The original anchors—Gimbels, Joseph Horne Co., and JCPenney—went through a series of changes: Gimbels was acquired and eventually closed in Pittsburgh, with Monroeville’s space later becoming Kaufmann’s, then Macy’s (and Macy’s Backstage later opening). Horne’s became Lazarus, then Macy’s, before that location was ultimately affected by Federated’s consolidation. JCPenney remained in the center for years before redevelopments surrounding the theater and inline shops replaced the former department-store footprint. In the 2010s, H&M opened a store at the mall, and Dick’s Sporting Goods moved into a new space beneath JCPenney in 2014, reflecting ongoing adaptation to changing retail trends.

Key facts:
- Location: 200 Mall Circle Drive, Monroeville, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh)
- Opening: May 13, 1969
- Size and scope: about 1.42 million square feet of retail space, roughly 170–180 stores
- Parking: around 6,800 spaces
- Floors: two main levels (three levels in Macy’s and a staff floor on JCPenney)
- Notable features: Ice Palace skating rink, large clock tower, and later a major renovated food court
- Recent development: Sold to Walmart in 2025 for redevelopment; planned demolition for mixed-use development
- Coordinates: approximately 40.4298°N, 79.7952°W

Monroeville Mall has long stood as a centerpiece of the Pittsburgh area’s shopping scene, attracting visitors from across the region and shaping the surrounding commercial landscape. Its future, under Walmart’s redevelopment plans, signals a shift from a traditional mall to a modern mixed-use destination.