Washington Mall

Washington Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located in South Strabane Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, just outside the city of Washington, formerly managed by J J Gumberg Co. and now by Oxford Development Company. It is owned by Falconi, a local developer which also owns a number of properties throughout Washington County.

History
The Washington Mall was opened on October 17, 1968 with a total of 45 stores. The mall was anchored by J. C. Penney which had a freestanding auto center. The mall also featured G. C. Murphy, a Thorofare Grocery Store, and Giant Eagle as junior anchors. Staples was under construction in 1996, taking over what was originally the Marianne Shop. Thompson Hardware closed in June 1997, and was later replaced by Dollar General. Pottery Factory Outlet closed its doors in February 1998, and Giant Eagle closed its doors in 1999, however continued to pay its lease through 2001. Afterthoughts closed in December 1999, and Altmeyer closed that same year.

In 2001, JCPenney announced a remodel of their store to introduce houseware and custom decorating departments to the location. A REX store was also announced to open in the former Pottery Factory Outlet space, in addition to a D&K Stores next to Dollar General. At this time the mall's Baskin-Robbins store closed and converted to "Pap Pap's" Ice Cream after the owner said he could no longer afford franchise fees. Plans were announced in 2004 to convert the mall into a more traditional shopping plaza, retaining anchors Staples, JCPenney, and Toys R Us and adding an 88,000 sq ft space for a new anchor. However, these plans were later delayed, and never came to fruition. JCPenney closed in February 2007 and relocated to the defunct Foundry shopping center less than a mile away in March 2007; however, due to ground settling problems at the aforementioned retail complex and financial difficulties with the property owner, JCPenney moved back to the Washington Mall in mid-September 2008. On January 15, 2014, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 33 stores nationwide. The store closed in May 2014. For 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the space was used as a Spirit Halloween before being vacated permanently. Also, in July 2014, Jo Ann Fabrics was relocated from the Washington Mall to the Washington Crown Center. This marked the end of the interior for the Washington Mall, as Jo Ann Fabrics was the only shop inside the mall that was left.

Toys R Us closed in the company's 2018 bankruptcy. When Toys R Us closed in April 2018, the Washington Mall sign and the Imperial Cleaners sign were both removed for good, and the area with JCPenney all the way up to the end of Staples was fenced off to prevent trespassing. In 2019, the vacated space was used for a Spirit Halloween before 2022, where department store retail chain Gabe’s has since used this vacated space as a distribution center up until 2023, where the Toys R Us retail space was vacated for good. Sometime in February 2024, Staples closed due to the owners not willing to bring the building up to code. Only two stores, Grand China Buffet and Harbor Freight Tools, both of which have exterior access, remain open. While the future of this mall is unclear, it’s likely that the end is near, and the building, as well as the vacated JCPenney and Toys R Us, will be leveled once Grand China Buffet and Harbor Freight Tools leave the space.

The mall was at one time the preeminent place for shopping in Washington. Up until the 1990s, it was faring its own. However, as the crosstown rival Franklin Mall (now Washington Crown Center) was expanded and completely remodeled, Washington Mall was severely affected by this. There have been no plans to redevelop, outparcels and other stores around the mall remain occupied, and the detached cinema that once was associated with the mall was demolished in 2016.