My trip to the Monroeville Mall - Bittersweet

[3pidemiC]

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've posted here. I recently got a new job and they sent me out to Pittsburgh for training. While I was there, I had mentioned that I always wanted to go to the Monroeville Mall. The next day, my new boss surprised me when we went out to lunch with the news that they were going to take me there! Unfortunately, I couldn't prepare for the trip by mapping out the various locations from Dawn to visit, but it was exciting nonetheless. I ever got the slide down the escalator at JCPennys! I was told by a few people who work in the mall (guy at the Zombie Museum and the toy store) that is is nearly impossible to do this nowadays because security and workers at the store watch that escalator to make sure no one does it. Well, I did and got away with it! No one stopped me. However, this was a bittersweet moment for me. Unfortunately, if you were not aware, JCPennys is changing locations inside of the mall. The original location that I was at, is being torn out and made into a movie theater. Therefore, the chances for people to see the store as it was in the movie will be gone forever is a few weeks time. I believe the famous escalator that I rode down will be torn out as well. If you can make it to the mall, I suggest you do so to see the store one last time. Here are some pics. Enjoy!

[AcesandEights]

First off, congrats on the new job, and congrats for having what sounds like a pretty cool boss Great pictures, btw. Glad you got to see the old place, I'm definitely jealous!

[Philly_SWAT]

Aw man, I cant believe they are moving the Penny's! I wish in the past I had tried to get the mall of the National Register of Historic sites, to keep something like this from happening. This kind of ruins the whole mall experience.

[krisvds]

Thanks for posting these cool pictures! I see they are having a 'zombie crawl' in the mall on June 24th. lol! Sounds like fun.

[Neil]

Unfortunately, if you were not aware, JCPennys is changing locations inside of the mall. The original location that I was at, is being torn out and made into a movie theater. Therefore, the chances for people to see the store as it was in the movie will be gone forever is a few weeks time. I believe the famous escalator that I rode down will be torn out as well. If you can make it to the mall, I suggest you do so to see the store one last time. TBH, I'm amazed the mall has lasted this long still being recongnisable from the film we know and love!

[childofgilead]

I always kept meaning to stop in there during a trip up to the ortho at WVU to check it out..looks like I missed out..thanks for the pics though, dude!

[SymphonicX]

Goddamnit I'm so depressed at this. There's no way I can get over to Pittsburgh before they do the work, no way at all. Man. I so wanted to see that store, and the whole mall too - but really that was the place to go. Damn. damn.

[acealive1]

they reopened the zombie store?!

[Sammich]

That place looks like it is still full of stores! If people today escaped from the zombie apocalypse to a mall around here, they would end up in a building full of vacant storefronts.

[Thorn]

Lucky man! great pictures too, and agree it will be a shame to see the change...

[acealive1]

That place looks like it is still full of stores! If people today escaped from the zombie apocalypse to a mall around here, they would end up in a building full of vacant storefronts. yea it wont be closing any time soon. besides the actual mall theres a bunch of stores in front of it as well as kmart and best buy. its right in a busy area.

[Sammich]

Found out what is going on with JCPenney. If Penney's is an anchor store and corporate decides to close it down instead of moving, then it won't bode well for the mall. This is what happened to a mall here and it slowly turned into a ghost town populated by for lease signs. J.C. Penney swings to loss, discontinues dividend NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- J.C. Penney Co. JCP -18.37% said on Tuesday that it swung to a first-quarter loss of $163 million, or 75 cents a share, from a profit of $64 million, or 28 cents, a year earlier. Sales fell 20% to $3.15 billion. On an adjusted basis, the company said it lost 25 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet estimated the Plano, Texas-based company to lose 1 cent a share on sales of $3.45 billion. Comparable store sales tumbled 19%, also missing estimates. The company said it expects to post additional restructuring charges this year and may incur additional inventory write-downs as it exits certain businesses.

[Neil]

Found out what is going on with JCPenney. If Penney's is an anchor store and corporate decides to close it down instead of moving, then it won't bode well for the mall. This is what happened to a mall here and it slowly turned into a ghost town populated by for lease signs. Worse case, the mall shuts down, and turns into an airsoft zombie mall experience, of all experiences

[CJ Markham]

Worse case, the mall shuts down, and turns into an airsoft zombie mall experience, of all experiences THAT would be cool. <cue commercial> "Hi. Ed Ramsey from Delos. If there's anyone who doesn't know what Delos is, well, as we've always said: Delos is the vacation of the future, today. At Delos, you get your choice of the vacation you want. There's Medieval World, Roman World, Westworld...and our latest attraction--Zombieworld!"

[Rancid Carcass]

Worse case, the mall shuts down, and turns into an airsoft zombie mall experience, of all experiences Actually the worst case would be, mall shuts, turned into airsoft zombie event - with running zombies and an ad campaign that results in a poster that looks uncannily like the Dawn04 one which ends up plastered all over the outside of the mall resulting in people forever associating it with the Zak Snyder film. So now not only do we have 'regular' people shouting 'braaains!' every time they see a zombie but also assume that zombies can in fact run and that the monroeville mall was indeed the setting for the 2004 film Dawn of the Dead starring Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley, resulting in the tragic desecration of an iconic film location and the absolute annihilation of a childhood dream and and an unbearable lifetime of misery that would follow... that is the worst case scenario. Make no mistake - this is the ragged edge people, and we are staring into the abyss!