Century III Mall deemed 'unsafe and uninhabitable'

West Mifflin Code Enforcement declared Century III Mall unsafe and uninhabitable because of a water and fire suppression system in the building, according to social media posts by the borough.

The borough posted a photo of the notice on Facebook and Twitter.

“This structure is unsafe and uninhabitable. (Its) occupancy is prohibited by the code official,” the notice said.

The mall’s closure is temporary, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Once the mall brings the building up to code, it will be able to reopen.

The closure applies only to the internal mall. Anchor stores such as Dick’s and JCPenney are not affected, WPXI reported.

The 1.3-million-square-foot mall opened in 1979 and was sold to Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC in 2013. West Mifflin officials said in 2018 the company has not followed through with revitalization promises.

In April, the mall was slated for sheriff’s sale, but the sale was postponed twice, once in June and in September. It is not clear why the sales were postponed.

Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC filed for bankruptcy in September, shortly before the scheduled sheriff’s sale.

In the bankruptcy filing, the mall owed between $1 million and $10 million to almost 50 creditors including Sears, Olsen Restoration in Colorado, West Mifflin Borough, law firm Siegel Jennings Co. and Allegheny County.

The mall’s website lists 14 tenants, 12 of which are closed until officials bring the building to code.

Megan Tomasic and Patrick Varine
are Tribune-Review staff writers.
You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@tribweb.com
or via Twitter @MeganTomasic.
You can contact Patrick at 724-850-2862, pvarine@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MurrysvilleStar.