Highlands Mall

Highlands Mall is a shopping center in Harrison Township, Pennsylvania, serving the Natrona Heights and wider Alle-Kiski Valley area. It began as an enclosed mall in 1977, developed by Crown American around an existing shopping-center property on Freeport Road. The project grew from the success of a Gee Bee department-store and grocery operation that had opened at the site in 1972. At the time, the area did not have a traditional indoor shopping mall, and the development was intended to provide local residents with a broader concentration of department-store, specialty-retail, service, food, and entertainment tenants. The original mall opened with Gee Bee as its principal anchor. Its early tenant mix included a Gee Bee furniture store, Pearle Vision, First Federal of Pittsburgh, J&S Pizza, General Nutrition Center, National Record Mart, Waldenbooks, and Hallmark. The property also offered small-scale leisure and convenience features, including a video-game and pinball room, a wishing-well fountain, a snack stand selling hot pretzels, and pay toilets. These features reflected the role of the mall as a local community destination rather than simply a collection of retail units. The center began to weaken as its anchor and the surrounding retail environment changed. Gee Bee closed its grocery operation in the mid-1980s, after which the supermarket space was occupied by a Bi-Lo store operated under separate ownership. During the same period, Gee Bee's furniture business was sold to Freight Liquidators. Competition increased when nearby Heights Plaza was renovated and used lower rents to attract tenants from Highlands Mall. National Record Mart and Radio Shack were among the better-known retailers to leave. Gee Bee entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1990 and emerged before being sold to Value City in May 1992. Value City continued operating at the mall until 2001, when it closed because sales were not sufficient to justify remaining at the site. The loss of the anchor accelerated the decline of the enclosed mall. Smaller businesses departed, while some former retail spaces were used as offices. By the final years of the enclosed complex, the property had become substantially under-occupied. Michael Joseph Development acquired the property in early 2005 and announced a redevelopment that would preserve the Highlands Mall name while replacing the failing enclosed mall. Demolition of the original structure began in February 2006. The redeveloped property reopened as an open-air shopping center, with Roomful Express Furniture becoming the first store to open in January 2008. Roomful Express later closed in 2010. The post-redevelopment center adopted a more practical, big-box-oriented format, including Walmart and other retail, food, automotive, sporting-goods, beauty, financial, and service businesses. Highlands Mall therefore remains active as a retail property, but it no longer exists in its original enclosed-mall form. Its history illustrates the shift from locally anchored enclosed malls toward open-air and big-box retail formats, particularly in smaller metropolitan and regional markets.

Highlands Mall developed from a retail property on Freeport Road in the Natrona Heights area of Harrison Township. Crown American had established a shopping center at the location in 1972, initially centered on a Gee Bee operation that combined a discount department store with a grocery business. Because the site was among Gee Bee's more successful locations, the retailer's expansion plans helped produce the enclosed mall project. The surrounding Alle-Kiski Valley lacked an indoor shopping mall, while the nearest comparable centers were in other parts of the Pittsburgh region and western Pennsylvania. The enclosed Highlands Mall opened in the fall of 1977. Gee Bee occupied the anchor position, and the initial tenant roster included a Gee Bee furniture store, Pearle Vision, First Federal of Pittsburgh, J&S Pizza, General Nutrition Center, National Record Mart, Waldenbooks, and Hallmark. The mall included recreational and convenience amenities such as coin-operated arcade games, pinball machines, a courtyard fountain with a wishing well, a snack counter serving hot pretzels, and pay toilets. Its early role was both commercial and social, giving local shoppers a centralized place for department-store purchases, specialty retail, food, and leisure. The first substantial changes came during the mid-1980s. Gee Bee discontinued its grocery operation around 1985 or 1986, and Penn-Traffic subsequently opened a Bi-Lo supermarket in that portion of the property. The supermarket was separately owned, and a former shared entrance between the supermarket and department store was closed. Around the same time, Gee Bee sold its furniture operation to Freight Liquidators. Because the replacement continued the furniture-retail function, the transition was comparatively unobtrusive to shoppers. Competitive conditions became more difficult near the end of the decade. Heights Plaza, an older nearby shopping center, underwent a major renovation and used lower rents to attract businesses from Highlands Mall. National Record Mart and Radio Shack, both popular tenants, were among the early departures. The condition of the anchor also deteriorated. Gee Bee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1990, later emerged, and was sold to Value City in May 1992. Value City operated the location until 2001, when it closed because the level of business no longer supported the store. The loss of the anchor left Highlands Mall without its main draw for the first time in decades. Additional retailers closed, and some vacant shop units were converted to office uses. With limited retail activity and little visible customer traffic, the property entered its final years as a largely depleted enclosed mall. Michael Joseph Development bought the property in early 2005. Later that year, the developer announced that the existing mall would be demolished and replaced, while the Highlands Mall name would be retained. Demolition began on February 22, 2006. The redevelopment changed the center from an enclosed specialty-retail mall to an open-air shopping center oriented toward larger-format and practical everyday retail. Roomful Express Furniture, the successor to Freight Liquidators at the furniture site, opened in January 2008 and was the first store operating in the redeveloped complex. It closed in 2010. The modern property includes or has included Walmart, Dunham's Sports, GNC, Sally Beauty, GameStop, a wine and spirits retailer, The Gold Buyers of Pittsburgh, and Freedom Square Diner. Businesses located in front of the mall have included Tractor Supply, Taco Bell, O'Reilly Auto Parts, First Commonwealth Bank, and Goodwill. The center consequently continues to function as a local shopping destination, although its present open-air format and tenant mix differ substantially from the enclosed mall that opened in 1977.

• 2008

  Open-air redevelopment begins operations

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Roomful Express Furniture opened in January, marking the first store opening at the redeveloped center.

• 2006

  Original mall demolished

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition began on February 22 as the site was converted to an open-air retail format.

• 2005

  Redevelopment announced

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Joseph Development acquired the property and announced plans to replace the enclosed mall with a new center retaining the Highlands Mall name.

• 2001

  Value City store closes

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Value City ended its Highlands Mall operation because the store no longer generated sufficient business.

• 1992

  Gee Bee is sold to Value City

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  After emerging from bankruptcy, Gee Bee was sold to Value City in May.

• 1990

  Gee Bee files for Chapter 11

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall's anchor entered bankruptcy protection during a period of intensified competition from larger national retailers.

• 1985

  Gee Bee grocery operation ends

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Gee Bee closed its grocery business around this period, and the space was later occupied by a Bi-Lo supermarket.

• 1977

  Enclosed Highlands Mall opens

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The indoor mall opened in Harrison Township with Gee Bee as its anchor and a range of specialty, service, restaurant, and entertainment tenants.

• 1972

  Original shopping center established

  [1]Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A Crown American shopping center opened at the future Highlands Mall site, initially housing Gee Bee department-store and grocery operations.

A community-oriented retail center serving Harrison Township, Natrona Heights, and the Alle-Kiski Valley. Historically positioned as the area's indoor mall, it now operates in an open-air, convenience-focused format anchored by large-scale general merchandise and complementary specialty, food, automotive, and service tenants.

• Retail property · 1977

  Enclosed shopping mall

  The original Highlands Mall was an indoor retail complex anchored by Gee Bee. It combined department-store and furniture retail with specialty stores, optical services, banking, food, books, music, cards, nutrition products, and arcade entertainment. The format served as a centralized shopping and social destination for the Alle-Kiski Valley before declining competition and anchor-store weakness reduced occupancy.

• Retail property · 2008

  Open-air Highlands Mall shopping center

  The redeveloped property replaced the enclosed mall with an open-air center focused on practical, everyday retail. Its tenant mix has included Walmart, sporting goods, beauty, nutrition, video games, restaurants, wine and spirits, specialty services, and large-format businesses located in front of the center. The format is designed around vehicle access and destination shopping rather than enclosed-mall circulation.

• 2005

  Convert the failing enclosed mall into an open-air centerStrategy

  Background

  The enclosed property had lost its principal anchor and many smaller tenants, leaving substantial vacant or repurposed space. Michael Joseph Development acquired the site and sought to retain the established name while changing the physical and commercial format.

  Action taken

  The developer announced demolition of the original mall and redevelopment as an open-air shopping center with a more practical, large-format-oriented tenant mix.

  Aftermath

  Demolition began in 2006, and the redeveloped center began reopening in 2008. The property continued operating under the Highlands Mall name.

  Source

1. 1Highlands Mallen.wikipedia.org