Washington Mall

Washington Mall, located in Washington, Pennsylvania, is a largely vacant shopping center. Demolition is planned for 2025.

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Washington Mall, located in Washington, Pennsylvania, is a largely vacant shopping center. Demolition is planned for 2025.

History

Washington Mall opened on October 17, 1968, at a cost of $4 million. ^{1 4 8} The 663,000-square-foot indoor shopping center ² was anchored by a three-level J.C. Penney with a freestanding auto center. Junior anchors included G.C. Murphy, Thorofare grocery store, and Giant Eagle. ⁹

The mall was expanded by 70,000 square feet in 1974 with 15 to 20 new tenants ²³ and a two-screen Cinemette Theater on the west side of the complex. ^{21 22} In 1983, the mall’s operators acquired the adjacent Washington Plaza strip mall, which included a K-Mart store built in 1963. ^{22 24} Further expansion occurred in 1987 with the opening of a new 68,000-square-foot Giant Eagle—then the second largest in the chain and 3½ times the size of the existing store located on the opposite end of the mall—and an eight-screen Cinemette Theater located on an outlot. ^{21 22}

In 1996, Staples opened in the space formerly occupied by the Marianne Shop. ¹⁰ Thompson Hardware closed in June 1997 and was later replaced by Dollar General. Pottery Factory Outlet ceased operations in February 1998. Giant Eagle closed in 1999 following its relocation to Strabane Square, though it continued to pay rent through 2001. ¹¹ Afterthoughts and Altmeyer both closed in 1999. Carmike Cinemas vacated the mall on March 15, 2001; the building was later demolished in 2016. ^{12 13}

In 2001, J.C. Penney began a partial remodel to add housewares and custom decorating departments. ¹¹ That same year, REX Stores, D&K Stores, and Dollar General moved into the former Pottery Factory Outlet space.

A redevelopment plan announced in 2004 proposed partially demolishing the mall and converting it into an outward-facing shopping center. ^{2 14} Anchor tenants, such as J.C. Penney, Toys “R” Us, and Staples, were expected to remain open and face the parking lot. However, the plan was never realized due to a lack of financing.

In February 2007, J.C. Penney relocated to The Foundry at South Strabane. ⁴ Shortly after opening, the new store developed structural issues due to ground settling, as it had been built on a former mine dump. ⁵ The store closed on June 6, 2008, and J.C. Penney returned to its original location at Washington Mall in mid-September. This location remained in operation until February 2014, when it closed due to declining sales. ^{6 15}

Jo-Ann Fabrics, the last remaining interior tenant, closed on July 25, 2014, after relocating to Washington Crown Center. ⁷ This effectively marked the closure of the mall’s interior.

Toys “R” Us closed in April 2018 due to the company’s bankruptcy. Its former space was later repurposed as a distribution center for Gabe’s department store until 2023. Staples closed in February 2024.

Redevelopment

The deteriorating Washington Mall has mainly remained vacant since its closure in 2014. In early 2025, Washington County commissioners announced that the mall would be razed using federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, allocated through the county’s Blight Mitigation and Demolition Fund. ^{16 17}

Costco is planned to be a major anchor of the redeveloped mall site. ^{18 19} This new Costco location is projected to be one of the largest in southwestern Pennsylvania, occupying a substantial portion of the redeveloped area. In addition to Costco, plans include a recreational vehicle dealership and service center on the premises of the former Toys ‘R Us and Giant Eagle stores. ¹⁹

Existing businesses such as Harbor Freight are relocating within the vicinity to facilitate these developments. ²⁰ Harbor Freight plans to move near the Firestone and Popeye’s restaurant locations, allowing for the demolition of its current space within the mall complex. The relocation is part of a broader effort to prepare the site for new construction and attract additional retail and dining establishments. Demolition of the mall will commence in spring 2025.

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Tenants

Tenant	Type	Opened	Closed
J. C. Penney	Department Store	1968/2008	2007/2014
G. C. Murphy	Department Store	1968
Afterthoughts	Fashion Accessories		1999
Altmeyer	Apparel		1999
American Dental	Medical (Dental)
Amos Home Products	Home Goods		2000
Audiologics	Medical (Hearing)		2005
Barbara’s Hallmark	Gifts/Cards
Baskin-Robbins	Dining		2001
Brackney Leather	Apparel
Carpenter’s Home	Home Goods
Caumo’s Salon	Beauty Salon
Cinemette Theater/Carmike Cinemas	Entertainment (Movie Theater)	1974	2001
Citi Financial	Bank
Claire’s	Fashion Accessories		1999
D&K Stores	Apparel	2001
Dean Diamond Importers	Jewelery Store
Dollar General	Discount Store
Dress Barn	Apparel
Eckerd Drug	Pharmacy
Firestone	Auto Service Center
Giant Eagle	Grocery Store	1968	1999
Gift Basket	Gifts/Speciality
Giggles	Toys/Novelities
Gospel Treasures	Religious Items/Bookstore
H&R Block	Tax Services
Haynes	Apparel
Health World	Health Products/Supplements
The Home Depot [Outparcel]	Hardware Store
It’s About Games	Entertainment
Jerry’s Pet Shop	Pet Store
Jo-Ann Fabrics	Craft/Fabric Store		2014
KC Uniforms	Apparel
K-Mart [Outparcel]	Discount Store
Image Exchange
Imperial Cleaning	Dry Cleaners
King’s Jewelery	Jewelery Store
Kustom Korners
LA Nails	Nail Salon
Lang’s	Apparel
Magic City Travel	Travel Agency
Marianne Shop	Apparel		1996
Mikus Beauty Salon	Beauty Salon
Mitchell’s Barber Shop	Barber Shop
National Record Mart	Music Store
Pap Pap’s Quality Ice Cream Parlor	Dining	2001
Pastries by John	Dining
Payless ShoeSource	Apparel (Shoes)
Pearle Vision	Medical (Eyecare)
Pottery Factory Outlet	Home Decor		1998
Props
Radio Shack	Electronics
REX Stores	Electronics, Appliances	2001
Sally Beauty Supply	Beauty Supplies
Shoe Sensation	Apparel (Shoes)
Shorty’s Lunch	Dining
The Silver Mine	Jewelry
Special Occassion	Formalwear/Bridal
Speciality Associates	Medical (Dental)
Staples	Office Supply Store	1996	2024
Sun TV	Electronics
Thompson Hardware	Hardware Store		1997
Thorofare	Grocery Store	1968
Toys “R” Us	Toy Store		2018
Treasure Stop
Washington Better Hearing Center	Medical (Hearing)
Washington Federal Bank	Bank

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Gallery

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Sources

1. “Washington Mall.” JJ Gumberg Co., 15 Mar. 2007.
2. Smydo, Joe. “Mall traffic slows to crawl.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7 Apr. 2001.
3. Smydo, Joe. “Some mall tenants may stay awhile.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5 Dec. 2004.
4. Taylor, Lynda Guydon. “J.C. Penney exit makes others at mall nervous.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 14 Jan. 2007.
5. “J.C. Penney to reopen Washington mall site.” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 26 July 2008.
6. “J.C. Penney to close 33 stores including Washington, Pa. store.” WPXI, 16 Jan. 2014.
7. Shrum, Rick. “Jo-Ann Fabric move expected in July.” Observer-Reporter [Washington] 13 May 2014.
8. “Dignitaries Open Washington Mall.” The Daily Notes, 17 Oct. 1968.
9. “Washington Mall To Open Thursday.” Observer Reporter, 16 Oct. 1968.
10. Chute, Eleanor. “Staples, Kohl’s proposed for site.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11 Aug. 1996.
11. Smydo, Joe. “Mall traffic slows to a crawl.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7 Apr. 2001.
12. Fitzpatrick, Dan. “Crown American, Gumberg weigh mall, power center. South Strabane’s Route 19 stretch is a retail speculator’s hotspot.” Pittsburgh Business Times, 20 Jun. 1997.
13. “Washington Mall; Washington, Pennsylvania.” Labelscar, 13 July 2006.
14. Smydo, Joe. “Some mall tenants may stay awhile.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5 Dec. 2004.
15. “Here’s A List Of The J.C. Penney Stores That Are Closing.” The Huffington Post, 15 Jan. 2014.
16. Hiles, Barbara S. “County Helping to Demolish Washington Mall to Spur New Development.” Observer-Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025.
17. “Former Washington Mall Will Be Demolished This Spring to Make Room for New Businesses.” WPXI, 20 Feb. 2025.
18. “Costco to Bring Hundreds of Jobs to Washington County.” CBS Pittsburgh, 15 Mar. 2025.
19. “Washington Mall Demolition to Clear Way for Redevelopment.” CBS Pittsburgh, 25 Mar. 2025.
20. Hiles, Barbara S. “Harbor Freight Moving to Make Way for Washington Mall Redevelopment.” Observer-Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025.
21. Templeton, David. “Second mall developer predicts building race.” The Pittsburgh Press, pp. W1-W6.
22. “$6 Million Expansion Will Make Washington Mall Bigger and Better!” The Pittsburgh Press, 12 Oct. 1986, p. W30.
23. “Washington Mall Expands.” The Pittsburgh Press, 24 Feb. 1974, p. F1.
24. “Department Store Fire Damage Near $7 Million.” Warren Times-Mirror and Observer, 6 Mar. 1967, p. 1.