Edit (March 30, 2024): Demolition began on the Century III Mall this week. I'll be producing one final episode, but only after she's been demolished. Stay tuned. Edit (November 16, 2019): The mall was closed months ago after a water main break, and it sits abandoned. There are tentative plans to redevelop. Thanks for the engagement! Edit (February 16, 2019): Mall owner Moonbeam has sent notice to all in-line tenants to vacate within 30 days. Seems this may be the end... I think it's hilarious that people can dislike a video that hasn't even premiered yet. To the 5 (so far) of you who have disliked this, you understand that this isn't a livestream, and that this is a fully produced 4k video that will remain on my channel, right? So petty.

Century III was a huge attraction when I was growing up. It had everything, and Pittsburghers would flock to it on the weekends. There was a dealership commercial that would air locally, daily, with the jingle, "Century III, Chevrolet, Lebanon church from Piiittsburgh. Minutes from the mall!" - in children's singing voices. As I'm watching this, the jingle is all that keeps replaying in my head. Very sad.

Century III was the place to be back in the day, but in retrospect, I really can't fathom why they built such a large mall. I remember almost every square inch of this place. It was truly an experience going there on the weekends. Going to the arcade and stores and restaurants and food court was an event. As a kid, growing up in the 80s Century III felt like we had truly arrived as a species and the future was happening, at least from the perspective of a kid. It was ahead of it's time. This video is so shocking to a person who literally came of age going to this mall on a weekly basis I can't express the profound sense of loss seeing this place in such deplorable condition. It feels like we failed as a country seeing these kinds of videos, among others. Thanks for the walk through. It gives me a feeling that is a mix of nostalgia and dread.

I was 14 when Century III opened. My Grandfather lived in Pleasant Hills, just 2 miles away. He would take my little brother and I to watch the mall being built. They began opening finished areas of the mall while other areas were still being fitted out and painted. You could walk through the completed areas and in the building, the first coats of paint were still going up, lighting and other fixtures being installed and the original red carpeting being laid. I still remember the smells of new concrete, paint and carpeting. It was a beautiful place to be. Thank You for all your hard work and expertise in creating this excellent documentary!

You hit the nail on the head. The sound of the water, the smell of chlorine and fried food. These are all critical parts of the memories I have from there. Going to the book store with my Mom and Dad and buying a Star Wars book after being at Southland 9. Wonderful times that we all rushed through, I'm sure. Thank you.

Yes, there was indeed an actual Orange Julius at Century III. It was in the Food Court.

1987 a bunch of my friends and I went there for the first time. We had so much fun meeting kids our age and walking around. I spent over 250$ in tapes, clothing and shoes. It was a nice place. I miss that spirit of the 80's when kids gathered at places like this to meet and have fun. I think urban explorers are modern day archaeologists documenting modern history. I think its a great thing they are doing.

A fine example of 1970's architecture still pretty much original . It's a real shame they are being left to slowly decay. The opening scenes on the road remind me of those videos of Pripyat. It looks like some post apocolyptic fantasy where I keep half expecting to see zombies appear round the corner as in Dawn of the Dead.

I remember when the mall actually had 2 GameStops. Cash In Culture was one of my favorite spots in there, they were originally on the third floor before moving down to the second. They closed in 2017 not long after I filmed my own (poorly produced) video in the mall.

kenopsia n. the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet

Hands down, Century III is my favorite mall design - completely funky layout that results in those "half-floor" cubbys with seats as well as storefronts. Almost like secret pathways - "if you dare!" - including the abbreviated 3rd floor. It's spaces like that and these "half-floors" (the foot of the ramp that leads up to the old Sears here, from my view, is the "1 1/2 floor", with the top of the ramp being the full-fledged "2nd floor") that make Century III intimate as well as sprawling. And **all** inviting. Plus, as someone who came of age in the "Golden Era" of malls (1980-early 1990's, by my count - ages 8-21 for yours truly), the style and accents of Century III are what I remember most about malls as I grew up - that late 1970's-early 1980's pallet of wood and stainless steel over textured, warm-toned brick and muted terrazzo flooring with mirrored/reflective accents that scream out "I'm trying to get past and break out of the muddled 1970's, I really am!" is one of the many appealing aspects, to me, about this mall. Post-modern, but pre-neon - love it all. Love also how, as you're talking of rare perspectives these early urban explorers experienced, you show footage of you walking around the tiled floor of the dry fountain. Amazing video, Sal - IMO, you've created **THE** reference video for Century III Mall.

i think the fascination with these malls is they represent what America was at one time and no longer is , i live in Canada and see very few closed places yet on a recent road trip threw the US i passed threw many smaller towns with many closed businesses and dead malls it was very sad a depressing . Even major cites where lots is going on had main streets littered with empty store fronts filled with paper making them not look vacant when they were . we all want lower prices but with online ordering and places like big box stores maybe we got more then we wished for leaving us with less in the end .

Just watched this again after getting notified someone liked my comment. Having grown up going to this mall seeing it in this state is absolutely gut wrenching, it feels like America is dead.

Beautifully done, Sal. You and Dan Bell are my absolute favorites. It's hard to articulate to people why I'm so fascinated by dead malls, but you gentlemen don't just explain the phenomena, you make it into art. The inescapable decay of new into old, mortality, entropy... all laced with a profound nostalgia. Love it.

These videos are quite brilliant. Educational Nostalgia. I really wish you would do videos like these for small towns across the USA that are either abandoned or so few people live there that you want to know the reasons why and learn the history. These are eerie reminders that the world evolves, life changes, and that most people die alone no matter how popular they were in their prime.

I love these winter photo shoots of dead and decaying properties. It just adds to the sinister mood and melancholy of the place and it's more relaxing to watch.

The reverence you show for "my mall" doesn't go unnoticed and is appreciated. C3 was amazing when I was a kid and a teenager.

Its hard to believe its gone...always loved going there and just walking around ...

The perfect excuse to cancel my plans this evening 😈

This makes me extremely sad. All the memories are basically gone. No more hanging out with friends on a weekend to go to game stop and eat something. No more going to Macys with my grandma to get a shirt and more clothes. No more anything but a shell of a childhood

I drive past this place sometimes to shop at the places around it. In fact I was out there yesterday and it's so sad to see it. Crazy how the area is extremely busy and there's so many shops and restaurants yet the mall died. But as everyone knows, it wasn't built on solid ground. Back in its hey day you could feel parts of the floor weren't stable. I was in it several times towards the end and it is just so nostalgic, mainly during a time I wasn't even alive, but it resonates. I don't understand why people would rather drive around to each individual store rather than have a lot under one roof. Thanks for the footage, it's sad to see both in person and in all the videos that have been posted of the inside.

My favorite thing about your videos are the old ad's you include in the background

This is so sad. i remember coming to that mall with my older Sister, she always had time for her younger brother, we'd make a day of it. It was a special place all the stores, we stopped at most all of them. I lost my precious Sister 10 years ago.

This is the saddest thing! Sal you do a great job narrating the mall. We were there the first couple days it was built and to see it now makes me cry. We strolled our babies in here! I could walk CIII blind! So beautiful yet decaying....

Indeed, the mid 70'a to mid 80's will be remembered as America's golden age. Yet another sad reminder of where our economy all went wrong, with ever increasing commercial rents in defiance of profitability, and complete disconnect from vanishing industries and stagnant wages. Thanks for posting!

Sal I only recently found your channel through my recommendations and just want to say I love your work. The little creepy touches in your editing are so good. Subbed!

That fountain area was the coolest. They had red, green, and blue lights under the water spouts. The area smelled faintly like chlorine but like in a fine mist. The noise of the fountain was also somewhat relaxing.

Most of my teenage years were spent in this mall in the 90s...so allow me to fill in a couple small details The pet store was a Docktor pet center, used to have small animals in the windows as you walked up and yes, the half doors were to “try out” puppies To the right of the sears (as you are facing it) where the lights were you loved was a KBee toy store when I was very young, can’t remember what it became after it closed, and there was a salon on the other side of that ramp There was an arcade on the third floor, as well as a leather shop (which later became a school for youth that could otherwise not go to normal public school) and a national guard recruitment center The Montgomery Ward was not there long, and it was taken over by Hornes, then Kaufman’s furniture gallery (which was taken over by Macy’s) The anchor which was taken over by dicks was originally Gimbel’s, then TJ Maxx, but then split up into dicks on the second floor and Steve and Barry’s on the first floor The red carpet was removed in the mid 90s during a pretty major renovation of the mall, the basic design and structure was the same, but they did major facelifts and renovated the bathrooms, food court and some other facilities. Visit the Facebook group Century III mall memories to see what it looked like facebook.com/Century-III-Mall-Memories-857738807601212/ I was actually at the mall in the early 80s to witness Richard Simmons dancing on the walk above the B94 sign...🤣

The red carpet was changed in 1997 when Simon bought the mall and did the only major remodel while they owned it. :) I worked at Kaufmann's/Macy's for 13 years and walked that back hall way from the elevator at the security office to the 3rd level many times to get Christmas merch from the Kaufmann's furniture store ( Old Monkey Wards). So sad to see it now... so many memories ! Thanks for filming this.

The dad taking the picture of his kids really got me. How many times has he been to that mall before and how does he feel knowing it's a dead mall that no longer sells much of anything?

i really enjoy being able to relax and watch what you and guys like Dan Bell produce. I was a child of the '80s and malls were a big part of growing up. What is happening now fascinates me. Thanks for the time and effort put in to make this content available.

I’m glad that Century III is being archived with videos like this but it hurts my soul to see this building in the state it’s in. Countless memories of my aunt(who passed away) and I going there for events such as meeting Mickey, to later on getting my new baseball bat with my pap there. Countless number of shoe shopping trips and trips to Steve and Barry’s for college jersey which were the only jerseys my family could afford for me. Buying my first video game with my own money, Pokémon Red from the upstairs GameStop. Wish I was able to see this mall in its ultimate glory.

Breaks my heart to see the vandalism. Those people didn't grow up there like I did. We would never disrespect that mall. It where I went shopping as a child with my parents, grand parents, aunts...etc. I had dates there, met friends there and hung out there. I love that mall

I have bad allergies, and that black mold would destroy me. I always sneeze indoors when there’s mold, I’m like a mold detector. So my hats off to you guys, I would totally need a breathing mask.

I have so many fond memories hanging out at malls in the 80's - mid 90's. It was just a great time. I'd almost always get an Orange Julius when I went to my local mall (in upstate NY). Every Friday my Dad and I would go to the mall, look around for a while and go see a movie. Every store was running (I don't remember any empty spaces anyway), and it was just exciting! Now of course our local mall has become mainly a business center with a couple of restaurants, and a (much smaller) nearby mall is basically a few stores with a grocery store stuffed at one end and a movie theatre at the other. I seriously miss "going to the mall" just for fun. Thank you for an awesome video!!!

Century 3 mall and parkway center were a big part of my childhood. I remember this mall being packed especially around Christmas time. I remember buying scrubs here when I started my job 5 years ago at the scrub store. Sad to see. I’d love to go in there but don’t think my allergies and asthma could handle it 😔

It’s very nostalgic whenever I see malls like this. That being said, the lawyers for moonbeam were in court yesterday outlining a redevelopment plan. I’m not sure I’d count on it as they’ve said it before

36.18 oh my God the pet store I used to go into when I was a kid I still can hear the puppies barking

This is a great video, Sal. My wife and I watched it, as we both grew up being in Century III from teenagers on. We were there regularly between the mid-late 1980's and the late 1990's. We watched the video and pointed out what stores were where when we were there. It's so sad what happened to that mall. It was a great place to be. In my opinion, the mall made a downturn at the time when Port Authority started bringing buses there. They would bus in people who would steal from the stores. We started noticing the better stores started moving out after that, being first replaced with lower quality stores, then just staying vacant. You're right, there was red carpeting all over the mall. I am not sure if the WaldenBooks in you video was ever there, but I know it was a few stores down from where you were in the video. It may have moved spaces at some time, but we don't remember it being in that location. Thanks for the video!

I completely agree with your opinion on the roots of Urban Exploers. As an Urbexer myself, my favorite part is doing research of places I visit, learning about their past, the lives that the place touched. Thank you for this video, i enjoyed every minute of it.

This mall definitely has a unique design to it

Thank you for sharing this with us. Your love for this place is evident, as you've taken the seemingly mundane and turned it into a work of art.

Sal, thanks for your exhaustive video covering every inch of this beautiful mall! I fondly remember visiting this mall as a kid. I visit family in PA regularly and have visited this mall every time, sometimes spending hours just sitting on the bench near the circular fountain wondering what it was like in its heyday (hard to remember as a kid). I do remember the cozy feeling it emitted during the holiday shopping season and remember falling in love with it's architectural features - the split-level design, the abrupt turns and distinctive layout, original lamp fixtures, the stone fountains, planters and benches built into the wall - all clearly thought out during the construction of this mall. It is truly unlike any other mall ever built, and I thank you again for sharing this!!

Abandoned falling apart malls with trees growing from them is interesting, you said it Sal

I can also remember the place you liked the best used have a dark smooth stone floor and street lamps like an outdoor café. It was different then the rest of the mall.

Orange Julius was upstairs in the food court as you entered from the main mall and rounded the bend on the right from Hickory Farms. Walden Books was on the ground floor on the right of the mall near Express and The Limited before the carpeted ramp that split up to Montgomery Wards and Sears. The light fixture area looks like a spot called 'Ye Old Pittsburgh' that had a cobblestone walkway. The pet store was called Dr. Pet, it was down the stairs from the 'infamous' Scottos Pizza during the whole 'pizza connection' drug scandal. Wilsons Suede and Leather was upstairs on the right around the bend from the anchor store Gimbels. The record store was on the bottom floor to the right of Gimbels next to Foot Locker and I think it was called Camelot Music. I worked at Century for years in its heyday, and knew its back halls and freight elevators intimately. This is so sad, I feel like your walking me thru a graveyard. Century's downfall began when DeBartello began increasing the stores rent over and over again, stores began moving out unable to afford overhead. I was a manager at a store and saw the every few month increase that affected our bottom line causing our home office to raise the cost of our merchandise. This made it easier for large free standing stores (Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, etc.) to build as close to Century's 'apron' as they could to tempt and draw the customers to them. When the anchors started closing, the decreased foot traffic was the death knell for those small stores. Rest in peace Century, you were a noble structure and a place of beauty in your day. I bow my head in a moment of well deserved silence. You are missed. 😌😔 Excellent video. Thank you.

Sal you have captured the essence of Century III by highlighting its archetecture of this contemporary masterpiece. Having been a shopper at this mall from 2008-2016 I also miss the carousel. During the later years I took a few still pictures.

So sad. I so looked forward every year to Christmas shopping at Century III mall. It was a great experience with the different levels, ramps, escalators and stairs. There were unique stores where you could find all sorts of things you couldn't find in our usual shopping areas -- Morgantown, Fairmont, Uniontown, or even Washington, PA. My favorite little shop was, if memory serves, tucked away under a stairway on the bottom floor, back in a dark little corner with a brown brick floor leading to it. It was small and crowded but chock full of all sorts of cars, trains, tracks, little trees and houses--everything the hobbiest would ever want. I used to go there for items for my brother's train set and my dad's interest at the time (he had so many). I loved that store. Watching these malls die is like losing a dear friend. So many memories...

Sal you are the very best at what you do. You do the best presentation, the best historical facts, the best special effects and the best narration which you have the perfect voice for doing!

I live about an hour away from Pittsburgh, so I only got to go to Century III a few times growing up in the late 80's-early 90's and found it to be an amazing place. Growing up in WV, we had malls, but they are all 1 level and considerably smaller, so this was like going to a cathedral to me, with it's multiple levels and multi-floor anchor stores. The size of it was unfathomable to my young mind especially since you could see from one end to the other of my hometown mall. I would love to see Century III stay open, even if it is mixed use and not just a retail space. Thank you for documenting the condition and decline of one of the central experiences of the world we who grew up in the 80's and 90's remember fondly. I wish you could have made it to Middletown Mall in Fairmont, WV before they had started the renovations.

You got to the 3rd floor! I went to school there, there was actually 2 schools up there on that floor. First graduating class in the new cyber school/alternative education from 02-04. So glad you got up there to document. I could tell you all about that mall, from a teenager hassling security with our hacky sack circles, to a working adult with access to loading docks and hidden tunnels. Great work man I will be able to share this with my kids.

It is crazy to see what seems like a neverending list of once popular malls that are dying. Each and every one of these places holds many great memories for the people who grew up going to them. One of my main childhood malls was demolished years ago and old a part of the old floor remains in place. My children will never know how awesome that place was when I was their age. Excellent job on this video Sal, it memorializes a mall that is similar to what hundreds of malls across the USA have gone through.

I’m shocked that nobody took or damaged the Duck Hunt arcade game. There’s something about your voice, I could listen to you give instructions on how to make a PB&J sandwich lol. Great job as always!

The 70's architecture is stunning. I love the clean modernist flare to it, yet it's not entirely modernist. If you look carefully enough there is a touch of ornativity. It's a shame. It's also remarkable to me (looking through your whole collection) how quickly nature starts to reclaim the structures.

I am the same way about someone trying to slip me Pepsi when I clearly order a Coca-Cola.

this has been so sad. I live about 5 minutes away and have watched it just go down for years. We visited almost every week for the past 2 years out of morbid curiosity right up until it was closed. I don't know why but the blank store signs got me the hardest.

Haunting. We used to drive from Morgantown to go to this mall when I was a teenager. Relatives and friends raved how much larger this mall was in comparison.

Man, I appreciate the amount of work you put into your videos. They are a joy to watch 👍

Remember Century III from my childhood. It was the place to be. Bought my wife’s engagement ring there. So sad to see what it has come to. Was inside late 2018. Half of it was roped off due to roof leaks and pieces of the ceiling falling in.

I believe I read somewhere that the mall was remodeled in the late 90’s which is probably when the red carpets were removed. I basically grew up in this mall and the red carpet definitely wasn’t there in 2006. Amazing video!

I used to go here all the time, such a shame the owners let it get this bad. Thank you for doing this. While it's sad to see the mall in such a horrible condition, it was nice seeing it one last time before it officially closes. It's also nice seeing areas that were never open even when I went in about 2012-2015

I really like that you "do something" with the mall in your video. You make the mall into a text and interact with it, instead of just lumbering over it and hovering over it as most of these types of videos do. I know it's easy for me to sit here and kibbitz, but this is just directed in general...I'd love to see someone "do" even more with the malls, like stories, oral histories from people who went there, what was going on in their lives at the time, how did the plots and pursuits of their lives (romantic, professional, etc.) interweave with the mall and with each other.

This is truly your best yet. You have captured all the beauty, nostalgia, and decay that a dead mall has. Great job!

Moonlight sonata (3rd movement) with edited echo while archiving an era of time (mall shopping)fantastic! Well done

Wow - when you stepped into the mall. How creepy....! And how tragic! All those jobs lost. And a community meeting place lost too. I guess maybe it was inevitable - but it makes me sad to see.

A little historical trivia for you: When the mall first opened, it had an additional stairway. It started about 30-40 feet in front of the glass elevator, and went up parallel to the storefronts. It went up about 1/2 way to the 2nd floor, where there was a landing. One would turn right and go up the 2nd half of the stairs, perpendicular to the storefronts. In the area formed inside the stairway was the Century III Information Desk on the bottom level. I believe that stairway was taken out when they redid the carpeting. Until the day the mall closed, you could see a discoloration in the new bricks on the 2nd floor where the top of the stairway used to be.

Really awesome video! This mall was my childhood. Seeing it deteriorate over the years was a painful thing to watch. Even watching this video makes me tear up a bit.

I wish someone had documented Parklane Mall in Reno, Nevada. It was a shock to go back to my now overgrown home town to see this Mall had literally been blown up and just left in a mountain of rubble for years. Parklane was open air. Probably competing with meadows they covered it. It snows in Reno and it's hot in the summer being in the high desert. They attracted stores from downtown.

Even the ride up the abandoned road is sad, because on that very road you're showing I said happily in my dad's car with anticipation to shop and all the joy that would bring.

You deserve waaay more than 16k subscribers, top notch work, all of your videos are very well done!!

That was docktors pet. Orange julius was in the food court, the store front you went into was a medical scrub store. Comic book store has had their lease terminated. They are moving to the waterfront by Michaels. Thanks for a great video. It is so sad and depressing to see this beautiful mall going to pieces because of loser companies. Simon started it and moonbeam just made it worse and gave up long ago. It is time for them to get out of town and have West Mifflin do what they want with the property. Instead moonbeam is just dragging their feet with the stupid bankruptcy they did to stop the sherriff sales.

You can tell this is a DeBartolo mall. The ramps and railings look similar to Randall Park Mall (RIP) in North Randall, Ohio

Even though it’s closed, the mall can still be saved. I don’t want it to end up like Parkway Center Mall. Maybe they could make it a landmark.

This makes me sad. I remember going to this mall when I was a kid with my mom and sister and thinking how awesome it was.

Your finest work yet, Sal. This is some upper level Dead Mall urbex. The research is most appreciated.

I used to work at that pet store in the 90's for 7 years. I remember cleaning those fish tanks, playing with the puppies, snakes, birds, parrots, cats, and in sales. Also, when the pet store was remodeled from Docktor Pet (yes, that is how they spelled doctor) to Century 3 Pet Center.

Sal I'm 52 and even as a kid I liked exploring. I have been all over this planet. My favorite thing is walking through woodlands. Every so often I would come upon an old shed or something to that effect and try and place myself there when it was new. The hands that built it, the people that had use for it. How they must have felt after it was built by their own hands. It is not so much about the structure you see as it is about the people that created it. I am from Erie, pa. and now live in Detroit. There are houses here, grand houses, that are falling apart from urban decay. I see them and visualize what they were like with the smell of fresh paint and the love and joy of children playing in them. It is very much the same with your elephant. You remember. The hands that created it. I think that is why you do what you do. That is why we watch.

Such a amazing mall! I grew up in the south hills of Pittsburgh and this was our local mall. I remember going shopping here with my parents to catching the pat bus out here skipping school with friends during high school. In 2015 I actually delivered UPS packages here duding Christmas and got to explore all the hidden tunnels behind the stores! I’m glad you have uploaded this video. I might have to sneak in one of these weekends to check it out before it gets ripped down. RIPC3!

I Love That U Take The Time To Make These Vids it’s a Damn Shame How They Just Abandoned These Malls Thank U For Making These Vids

I agree with your idea of the roots of urban exploration and that it captures the nostalgia of the past as it meets the present. Another thing that makes it special for me is to remember how these malls were a part of my own life and how that time has so quickly passed. Has the world always changed so quickly. These malls seem to represent a time that was safe, sure and affluent. Now....not so much.

I’ll be honest here, I was just not going to watch an hour long video. I always watch your videos as soon as they come out, but this one I was going to skip it just because of the length. I decided to watch it to give it a chance I am about a half hour in and I cannot stop watching. I think of all the dead mall and abandoned stuff I watch you are going he best. I love your commentary especially the history lessons. Love your work man.

Having spent a decent amount of time at this mall in the past year, I want to clear up a few things. 1. The heat wasn't on last summer. They shut off the air conditioning but left the fans running. The "heat" you were feeling was from the roof warming the air going through the vents. Even though the roof is white over phase 2 (ramps), it still builds up quite a bit of thermal energy, and that goes into the vents since the air units are on the roof. When the A/C was shut off, so was the heat, which leads into: 2. The "water main" break that soaked the comic book store was a sprinkler line. With no heat in the mall and the recent temperature swings, this main line froze and broke. When it warmed up outside, the warmth from outside combined with the heat from the comic book store (stores have their own separate units) thawed the pipe, letting water flow. The fire system has water flow alarms on the sprinkler lines (how it detects when sprinklers open), which called the fire department automatically. The sprinkler line break was caused by lack of heat in the mall and surrounding stores. 3. The outside entrance of Old Mexico had some water problems, as well. When I was there Friday after the notices were posted, they had an electric space heater inside the first set of doors to the restaurant trying to dry the carpet and keep everything from freezing (sounds safe, right?). Walking around the mall, air coming through the doors from inside the mall was colder than the outside air, which was around 50F at that time). The Sears was so cold inside that the doors under the parking garage were coated in condensation on both sides. 4. Most everything on the lower level of the Netflix set was staged. Search around online to find older video from Ace's Adventures to see what this wing looked like before it was used for filming. There was an Orange Julius a couple spaces up from Charley's in the Food Court (I believe third space on the left when coming in from Entry E). Besides the old arcade on the 3rd floor, Ace's Breakaway and Play had one set up on the other end of the mall, first floor, next to Century III Nails just inside Entry D. 5. As for what will happen next, Century III has fairly closely followed in the footsteps of its sister, Randall Park Mall. A once grand mall taken over by new owners, raised rent and crime pushes shoppers and stores out, and lack of maintenance causing an early death. What we'll probably see happen is C3 will sit empty and closed for a couple years, continue to fall apart inside, get vandalized, and eventually get torn down. Penney's and Dick's are both reportedly moving or closing later this summer, which will leave the entire complex abandoned. Then again, the Washington Mall to the south of Century III has been closed since 2013, yet still has active security and power.

I find these so depressing, and fascinating at the same time. I guess because I remember when the mall was THE place to go, on weekends. Bustling, and crowded, and exciting. Now, they are going the way of the dinosaurs.

Very happy I discovered your channel! I grew up with Century III and a lot of us locals are very bummed out at how bad this mall has gotten. When you look around and see other local malls doing so well and then you have this huge, beautiful mall with nothing in it but memories it makes you sad. Anyways, keep up the good work and I will check out your previous videos!

Now I know my night is perfect! I have nothing else going on, and I cannot wait to watch this entire video! Thank you again Sal!! I love your videos.

Great job. I agree with you about your favorite part of the mall. Nice view from the fountain area. I can imagine it back in the day with all the shoppers walking around.

Yep! The Orange Julius is the real deal... Went there many times back in the early 80's. I spent a lot of money at the video arcade back in '80-'81.

I loved this mall I grew up in the area and now live right down the street even closer than I once did. Like the other comments read you did it what justice it was able to deserve in its last few years alive. Which I gotta say, was sad like allot of people that had good memories there say. But at least you were able to pay it some respect by honoring it with such a well done peice of cinematography that you were kind enough to take the risk of sharing with us. Thank you Sal I looke forward to experiencing the rest of your content as a new subscriber.

I remember so well when all these malls were opening on the outside of towns and taking all the business away from downtown. Already, America was losing its better-paying jobs, but everyone was keeping up appearances at the Mall with their credit cards. It's so spooky to look at them empty now, knowing that all that merchandise that we spent so much for is all in landfills now, along with our dreams of the exciting future we hoped that those challenging days might lead to. Eh, who am I kidding? We knew it was the beginning of the end. Thanks so much for this post-mortem on consumerism gone wild.

I live in Pittsburgh and this video made me just sad, I went to it while the comic store and auntie Anne’s were still in business, but the blue carpet in an empty and echoing mall just makes one feel alone, I am truly at shock.

Another awesome video Sal! I really wish I could go and see this mall in person. It looks like it was beautiful back in its prime. The way you shot it and describe it makes it feel like it’s a living being and makes me feel sorry for it’s demise.

Great Great videos Sir. I live in Butler County and have been there once back in the mid 90s. I never really knew this mall was in this shape till I watched ALL your videos on it. If I had known I would have went there exploring. I drive truck and have been past this place numerous times but never noticed the state of it.I could have killed some time by walkin around. Im always checkin out abandoned places when I get the chance. We have alot of abandoned mines and stuff like that here in Butler County that Im always peepin out. We have underground limestone tunnels that are a blast to explore. I can always remember the TV commercials for the Mall and Century III Chevrolet Lebanon Church Road Pittsburgh.....minutes from the mall. Lol. That commercial ran for YEARS. If you ever get back to the Mall go visit Kennywood Park because its a Historical Amusement Park and its Fun as Heck. Thanks again for the video. Shame I didn't watch this a week later.

Sal, I don't really have the right words to describe how much I loved this video. I have always been fascinated with dead malls -- and just malls in general, given I grew up in the 70s and 80s and spent a big chunk of my life working in them. Your channel is hands down my favorite, though I enjoy lots of others too. There is something unique in the way you look at these places and life in general that appeals to me on a higher level than just the fascination with dead malls, architecture, retail, and the like. Watching your videos has inspired me to pursue a writing project that's been in the back of my mind for the last few years and I'm hoping to start on it this week. Thanks again, for all your hard work and the unique viewpoint you share with us.

Nice work man. I remember going in the mid 90s and it was popping. Every store front was full and the place was packed. Shame it's come to this. F.

Im a HUGE fan of your channel. The expedition series is my favorite thing to watch late at night. Keep up with the fantastic content! 👍

Century III was not my childhood mall as I grew up about an hour away, so it was a special treat when we would make the journey to visit CIII. The Sears corner with the 3rd floor was always my favorite part of the mall. I loved the different levels with twists and turns. On one visit, I remember there being those strands of primary color triangle flags strung up all around the parking lot and they were excitedly flapping in the breeze. It breaks my heart that such a unique building has been neglected for so long. Thank you for your efforts to document this once vibrant mall.

I enjoy the soft piano music in the background along with all the incredible footage. Thanks for all your hard work.

Flâneur...In Extremis Your appreciation of such word(s) is quite nice.

I want to thank you, Sal and the rest of the team for walking through this mall. This was such a fun place to hang out in with my friends in the mid-to-late 90's and early 2000's. I still remember going in the hot topic, and going to the food court to eat at chik-fil-a. I loved that fountain, it was such a peaceful part of Century III, just sitting there watching the water flow. I hope they can save it, but if not I held so many great memories. Love your videos and can't wait to watch more.

I live 15 mins from this mall. Years and years of memories. Sad the only pics I have are the one's of my son visiting Santa and the Easter bunny by the carousel every year. The end was inevitable when you would see more and more stores closing every time you'd go. Seeing what it's become today with all the deterioration and vandalism it's become unrecognizable so I'm glad I found this video before they tear it down. I hope they plan to fix the roads next to this parking lot they're awful and continue to get worse