Washington County, Pa., plans to demolish the dilapidated Washington Mall spring 2025 with federal stimulus funds, aiming to attract new development to the prime commercial location at the interchange of I-70 and I-79. This move intends to revitalize the area and bring economic growth back to the region.
Google Maps Street View, Washington Mall
The mall site is located alongside the interchange of Interstate 70 and I-79.
Southwestern Pa.'s Washington Mall, which once was an economic beacon for the region when it opened in the late 1960s only to later fall into disrepair and be practically abandoned as store after store moved out, will soon be demolished to make way for a new development.
The Washington County Commissioners announced Feb. 19, 2025, at their latest meeting that they will be assisting with razing the old mall in South Strabane Township by using federal stimulus funds through the county's blight mitigation program.
Municipal officials will soon be soliciting bids so demolition work can begin in spring 2025 to get the sprawling parcel "pad ready" as an enticement for developers.
The site is located alongside the interchange of Interstate 70 and I-79.
According to a Feb. 20, 2025, report in the Observer-Reporter, the cost to raze the mall and prepare the site for development was not immediately made known, but it will come from federal American Rescue Plan Act money earmarked for blight removal across the county.
"This has been a long time in coming," Nick Sherman, chair of the county commission, told the local news source. He added that there have been conversations about a "big box" retailer possibly moving into the location.
The land upon which the old mall sits is owned by a trust belonging to the family of mall developer Angelo Falconi, with the property in care of trustee Anthony Marinelli. But there has been an apparent agreement with Leetsdale, Pa.-based Chapman Properties to tear down the mall and develop the property to attract a new tenant, the Observer-Reporter noted.
"We've had meetings ad nauseam over the last two years trying to cut through all the legalities with all the families owning [the property]," Sherman said.
Chapman's Tony Rosenberger is spearheading the project and said he would be able to release information on a potential tenant at a later date.
For now, though, crews will remove the mall's structure and any environmental issues to allow for a new retail development on the parcel.
"The bottom line is the mall is falling down, and this will forever perpetuate its disappearance," he said when speaking with the Observer-Reporter. "[The county commissioners] have been instrumental in getting it torn down and getting this eyesore out of here."
High-Profile Site Could Prove Attractive to Developers
The Washington Mall first opened in 1968 and boasted a variety of large retail stores and small businesses that brought customers to shop from across the region.
Over the decades, though, it fell into disrepair as stores left, leading to the shopping center's formal closure in 2014, although some big box stores facing the parking lot remained open for a time.
The only two remaining tenants are Grand China Buffet and Harbor Freight. The county commissioners did not reveal what would happen to those two businesses once the mall is razed.
Chain-link fencing has since been set up around most of the property to keep the public out of the building, and photographs shared by the commissioners at their recent meeting showed the interior is no longer salvageable.
However, the location itself, just to the southeast of the interchange of two major freeways, has sparked renewed interest after it was announced earlier in Feb. that a recreation vehicle dealer and service center was looking to locate at the mall's former Toys ‘R Us and Giant Eagle locations.
The Washington Observer-Reporter noted that a development group called 79/70 Associates is scheduled to appear before South Strabane's planning commission and the zoning hearing board in March to discuss that portion of the project.
The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington is overseeing the demolition of the mall through its blight mitigation program; agency Executive Director Bob Griffin described the mall as a "textbook project" for those funds.
"The project aligns very well with what our purpose is here for redevelopment to revitalize and redevelop properties like these, especially with how long it has been in disrepair," he said.
Meanwhile, Sherman said the county is hopeful that the prime commercial location can once again be an economic driver for the region once the dilapidated and neglected structure is removed.
"By early spring, you'll see wrecking balls swinging and excavators grabbing things," Sherman told the Washington County news source.
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