Malls · Pennsylvania
Eastland Mall (North Versailles)
Opened 1963. Closed 2007. Redeveloped in 2023.
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.
Site profile10 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
On Facebook
This site: …https://www.facebook.com/126784800697582 overture · all sites with thisSold since 2020
This site: 2021 Amazon research-deals · all sites with thisWebsite dead or redirecting
This site: …http://benderson.com/html/portfolio/brochures/Pennsylvania overture / http check · all sites with this3+ other atlas sites within 10 km
This site: 3 within 10 km computed · all sites with thisCounty lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012
This site: -11% census-cbp · all sites with thisHigh social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)
This site: 0.77 cdc-svi · all sites with thisLower-income tract (< $50k)
This site: $42,205 census-acs · all sites with thisOpportunity Zone
This site: 42003504100 hud-oz · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: Amazon distribution center extraction · all sites with thisLogistics and industrial
This site: Amazon distribution center extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed |
| New uses | logisticsextracted, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Amazon distribution centerextracted, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2023extracted, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Amazonextracted, unreviewed |
Deals and debt
| Date | Event | Price | Parties | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Sold | — | Amazon ← Benderson Development Company | Wikipedia |
| 1988 | Sold | — | Benderson Development Company ← Gimbels | Wikipedia |
Site context
| Transit within 800 m | no rail stationOpenStreetMap |
|---|---|
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 6: AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC DAE7; DECOTEX INC; DISTRIBUTION FACILITY; EQUITABLE GAS CO REGION B EASTLAND; MERCHANTS TIRE & AUTO 06073EPA FRS |
| Census tract 42003504100 | 4,875 people, 1,450 per sq mi; median household income $42,205; median gross rent $857; 41% renters; 16.6% vacant units; 3.9% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 11 of 20; 23 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 629 m; land-use mix 0.56; 77,571 jobs within 45 min by car, 15,464 by transit; 25% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 4 of 6 daily needs: 0 grocers, 1 schools, 4 parks or playgrounds, 0 health, 1 civic, 1 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 0 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | yes, tract 42003504100 (rural)HUD |
| Housing permits, Allegheny County (PA), 2024 | 1,603 units in 5+ unit buildings, 40 in 2–4, 1,356 single-family; 2023: 2,605 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.77; socioeconomic 0.69; housing and transport 0.72; 30% below 150% of poverty; 19% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 3 within 10 km, 9 within 25 km: Monroeville Mall (6.5 km); Churchill Valley Golf Club (6.8 km); East Hills Shopping Center (9.6 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | place Eastland Mall (North Versailles, Pennsylvania) (shopping_mall, confidence 0.81, from Overture, meta); building footprint 19,077 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Website and social | benderson.com (down or redirecting, status 404) · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -10% (5,436 → 4,875); median income +54% ($27,411 → $42,205); renters 43% → 41%; median home value +30% ($72,500 → $94,500)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | very low overall (score 7.1); expected annual loss $743,684; community resilience very highFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 3,971 establishments (-11%); 68,050 jobs (-8%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $236,739 (-0% 1 yr, +13% 5 yr); typical rent $1,504/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2024 | 172 (2000 = 100); +5.5% 1 yr, +67% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 11,229 vehicles a day on MCKEESPORT BL (minor arterial, 4 lanes); 449 trucks; 35 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Eastland Mall opened in 1963 as a two‑level enclosed shopping center with anchors such as Gimbels, J.C. Penney, F.W. Woolworth and Gee Bee. After decades of decline, the mall closed in 2005 and was demolished in 2007. Amazon purchased the 57‑acre site in 2021 and opened a distribution center there in 2023.
Why. The record shows anchor tenant Gimbels went out of business in 1986, triggering the mall’s decline; eventual closure and demolition followed loss of anchors and competition. No explicit debt or other causes are stated in the record.
Where it stands. The site currently operates as an Amazon distribution center, owned by Amazon since its 2021 purchase per the deals listed.
For a planner
- Precedent of mall‑to‑logistics conversion on a 57‑acre parcel.
- Property transferred via two recorded sales (1988, 2021) showing clear title changes.
- Open questions: required zoning amendments for industrial use, traffic impact on surrounding roads, and workforce availability.
- Potential policy tools: incentives for adaptive reuse, infrastructure upgrades for truck access.
For a developer
- Site size: 57 acres, single owner (Amazon) with full control.
- Entitlement stage: built and operational (2023) – no further development needed.
- Context constraints: situated on a hill overlooking the Monongahela River (possible slope, drainage considerations); floodplain and transit access not detailed in record.
- Market signals: high opp_score (10.0) and noted e‑commerce logistics demand; strong interest in large‑scale distribution sites.
What we do not know yet
- Exact reasons for anchor loss beyond Gimbels closure (competition, debt) are not specified.
- Environmental conditions (flood risk, soil stability) are absent from the record.
- Current zoning and any pending land‑use approvals are not detailed.
- Fields such as strategy and new_use are model‑extracted and marked as extraction; their verification status is draft.
- Verified flag is 'draft', indicating the record may still be under review.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Salisbury Mall, Salisbury, MD · Malls · similar size (50 acres); opened 1968; closed 2004
- Summit Place Mall, Waterford Township, MI · Malls · similar size (74 acres); opened 1962; closed 2009
- Cottonwood Mall site, Holladay, UT · Malls · similar size (57 acres); opened 1962; closed 2008
- North DeKalb Mall, Decatur, GA · Malls · similar size (73.11 acres); opened 1965; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: Eastland Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- Eastland Mall: North Versailles, PA on DeadMalls.com deadmalls.com
- Eastland Mall in North Versailles (Pittsburgh area), PA, circa 1963 ... reddit.com
- Eastland Mall angle flickr.com
- Eastland Mall Theatre in North Versailles, PA - Cinema Treasures cinematreasures.org
- Photos: Eastland Mall through the years dispatch.com
- Former Eastland Mall location may be site of Amazon warehouse wtae.com
- Eastland Mall, North Versailles, Pennsylvania. - … youtube.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- 57 acres
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1963Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2007Wikidata |
| Acres | 57.0extracted, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Gimbelsextracted, unreviewed |
| Anchors | Gimbels, J.C. Penney, Gee Bee Department Stores, F.W. Woolworth Company |
| Organisations in Wikidata (undated) | Gimbels |
| County | Allegheny County |
| Census division | 2 · Mid-Atlantic |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: GLA. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Eastland Mall was a two-level, enclosed shopping mall in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, United States, situated on 57 acres (230,000 m2) of land at the peak of a hill overlooking the Monongahela River. The mall opened in 1963 as Eastland Shopping Plaza, and 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. After decades of decline, the mall closed in 2005 and was demolished in 2007. An Amazon distribution center opened on the former site in 2023.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1961 Construction began
- 1963 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1963 Mall opened
- 1973 Fire damage and roof added
- 1986 Gimbels went out of business
- 1988 Benderson Development Company purchased mall
- 2005 Mall closed
- 2007 Closed (Wikidata)
- 2007 Mall demolished/razed
- 2021 Amazon purchased site
- 2023 Amazon distribution center opened
Sources
- Wikipedia: Eastland Mall (North Versailles, Pennsylvania) · supports: acres, after notes, original developer, status, strategy
14 quoted sentences
situated on 57 acres (230,000 m2) of land
Gimbels (which owned and had originally developed the mall)
An Amazon distribution center opened on the former site in 2023.
After a year of sitting vacant, the mall, including the theater, was razed in early 2007.
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