Tried to get some new angles. The next segment of the deck is coming down, and one of the electrical closets scattered around the mall got toppled in the process.
When you think about all of the money and time and effort that went into designing and building this facility, it's sad. It was state-of-the-art when it was new.
it feels weird to watch this and other videos of places that used to be important to one or more people but have fallen into disrepair. there was an abandoned house near me in a rural area as a teenager and when i would explore inside of it and standing in the bedroom i would feel the same. some mixture of sad, curious, introspective, familiar, which i can't quite put a name to.
upon consideration i think what i was feeling was a sense of my own mortality, and that one day, despite being important to one or more people now i will also inevitably fall into disrepair and exist only in memories lost to time.
It slowly became a dead mall through mismanagement, eventually being forced closed in 2019 due to broken sprinkler lines, no heat, ponded water, and mold inside. From then, it sat empty with heavy vandalism starting in mid-2022. By 2023, the interior was completely trashed, but the final straw was a fire on the 3rd floor in April, 2023 that eventually led to a partial collapse of the roof. Demolition is happening because West Mifflin is tired of the constant stream of trespassing and people getting hurt. They gave Moonbeam (the owner) the ultimatum of tear it down or lose the property altogether.
@@GabetheSlacker Pried doors open or happened to find one that didn't latch would be my guess early on. After most of the damage was done to the inside, there were several entry points through broken glass and jimmied doors. The crew went through the day of the fire and re-sealed all entry points a few weeks before being forced to block off the parking lot. Whole place is locked up now and under constant surveillance, so there's no getting in (and please, don't anybody even try).
When you think about all of the money and time and effort that went into designing and building this facility, it's sad. It was state-of-the-art when it was new.
What makes it worse is that if Ed DeBartolo's successor had the same passion and vision, Century III would still be a hopping place.
Where I live they are demolishing a mall opened in 1996! Can you believe that?
Sad. They had some fantastic architecture that was accessible to everyone.
Malls are a thing of the past.
it feels weird to watch this and other videos of places that used to be important to one or more people but have fallen into disrepair. there was an abandoned house near me in a rural area as a teenager and when i would explore inside of it and standing in the bedroom i would feel the same. some mixture of sad, curious, introspective, familiar, which i can't quite put a name to.
upon consideration i think what i was feeling was a sense of my own mortality, and that one day, despite being important to one or more people now i will also inevitably fall into disrepair and exist only in memories lost to time.
Thanks! Haven't been by there in quite a while.
Sure thing. I plan to keep the updates coming when I can get out there.
So why exactly are they demolishing Century 3 Mall?
It slowly became a dead mall through mismanagement, eventually being forced closed in 2019 due to broken sprinkler lines, no heat, ponded water, and mold inside. From then, it sat empty with heavy vandalism starting in mid-2022. By 2023, the interior was completely trashed, but the final straw was a fire on the 3rd floor in April, 2023 that eventually led to a partial collapse of the roof.
Demolition is happening because West Mifflin is tired of the constant stream of trespassing and people getting hurt. They gave Moonbeam (the owner) the ultimatum of tear it down or lose the property altogether.
@@MrTsolar How did people even manage to get in the Century 3 Mall?
@@GabetheSlacker Pried doors open or happened to find one that didn't latch would be my guess early on. After most of the damage was done to the inside, there were several entry points through broken glass and jimmied doors. The crew went through the day of the fire and re-sealed all entry points a few weeks before being forced to block off the parking lot.
Whole place is locked up now and under constant surveillance, so there's no getting in (and please, don't anybody even try).
@@MrTsolar I heard that a lot of crimes have happened there.
Do you think that anyone who has explored this mall has ever set off the security alarm?