A high-definition Complete Plan shows all stores and services, as of November 1962. The complex was an expansion of the circa-1953 McKNIGHT SHOPPING CENTER (dark gray). NORTHWAY MALL encompassed 394,000 leasable square feet on 2 levels. The original strip center comprised the McKnight Level. The new enclosed concourse was known as the Upper Mall Level.
McKNIGHT SHOPPING CENTER TENANTS 1953:
A & P supermarket / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / THRIFT DRUGS (with luncheonette) / Arrow Cleaners / Colonial Trust Bank / Damis & Santini Jewelers / Foley's Restaurant / George Barbarita's Shoe Repair / Glo-Ran Pet Supply / Gulf Service Station (outparcel) / Heintzelman's Gourmet / Korinis Candy / McKnight Center Barber Shop / McKnight Realty Company / Parkway Hardware / Rabold Bakery / Van Elle Children's Shop / Wlodek Meat Market
NORTHWAY MALL TENANTS 1962:
JOSEPH HORNE COMPANY (with Budget Store, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / A & P supermarket / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / G.C. MURPHY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Allegheny Valley Typewriter / Allioto's Produce / Arrow Cleaners / Baker's Shoes / Barkus Bakery / A.S. Beck Shoes / Best Jewelers / The Card Mart / Carole Ann Shop / Dimling's Candy / East Park Savings & Loan Association / Equitable Gas Company / Evie's Beauty Salon / Fashion Hosiery Shops / Florsheim Shoes / Glo-Ran Pet Supply / Gulf Oil (outparcel) / Heintzelman's Gourmet / Hughes & Hatcher men's wear / Isaly's Ice Cream & Delicatessen / Jayson's Men's Store / Jim's Shoe Repair / Kamp's Shoes / Kinney Shoes / Korinis Candy / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Loft's Candies / Ludwig Florist / Marianne Shop ladies' wear / Maxine's House of Fashion ladies' wear / Miles Tweed Shop / National Record Mart / Anthony La Rocca Barber Shop / Northway Community Hall / Northway Mall Medical Offices / Northway Optometrist / Northway Sports Center / Parklane Hosiery / Parkway Hardware / Pittsburgh National Bank / Rabold Bakery / Rapson's Cravats / Rattner's ladies' wear / Red Coach Restaurant (with Tree Top Lounge) / Reizenstein's / Ritz Camera Center / Santini Jewelers / Sherwin-Williams Paints / Singer Sewing Center / Standard Sportswear / Steele's Shoes / Thrift Drugs / Tiffen Lounge / Waldenbooks / Wlodek Meats / Yamron's / Young Vogue
The South Court on the Upper Mall Level of NORTHWAY doubles as a ballroom for a 1964 party.
Photo from www.shoppesatnorthway.com
Another vintage view of the South Court, taken from a different vantage point...and also in full color. Here we see the Horne's mallway entrance and some of the lush, tropical landscaping that became a trademark of enclosed malls built by the James W. Rouse Company in the 1960s.
Photo from Wonday Film Services, Incorporated
Isaly's Ice Cream & Delicatessen, with its Mondrian-inspired storefront. It was one of twenty-eight original McKnight Level tenants.
Photo from www.shoppesatnorthway.com
The South Court is decorated for the yuletide season in this snapshot.
Photo from http://www.shoppesatnorthway.com
A 1970s view of the Woolworth's 5 & 10, a tenant of the Upper Mall Level. It was one of two 2-level retail stores in the shopping hub; the other being Joseph Horne Company.
Photo from www.shoppesatnorthway.com
The NORTHWAY A & P. A part of the original 1950s strip center, the grocery closed in the late '70s. It was replaced by Herman's World of Sporting Goods (1979-1994) and then Borders Books (1995-2011).
Photo from www.shoppesatnorthway.com
By the time of a circa-1995 layout, NORTHWAY MALL had been renovated twice. The first redo, a response to the opening of the too-close-for-comfort ROSS PARK MALL, was done in 1987-'88. It created a 2-level Atrium and installed an 8-plex cinema. A second remodeling, done in 1994-'95, reworked the Upper Level concourse, adding a new entry hall. Dick's, Borders, Marshalls and Old Navy stores joined the tenant list.
In late 2005, a new mall moniker and trademark debuted...SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY.
Graphic from www.shoppesatnorthway.com
A third mall makeover was done in 2007-2008. Half of the Upper Level was demolished, opening stores to the rear parking area. The remodeling failed to bring a retail resuscitation. By the end of 2008, Old Navy, Dress Barn and Value City had closed.
The McKnight Road facade of the Dick's-Value City structure. In the 1962 mall, this building housed a Joseph Horne Company anchor store.
Photo from http://www.bridgespbt.com / Bridges Construction
The Main Entrance of SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY, which also faced McKnight Road. Its doors provided access to the lower level of the mall's Atrium.
Photo from http://www.bridgespbt.com / Bridges Construction
An interior view of SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY. The upper floor of the Atrium seen here was originally the South Court in the old NORTHWAY MALL. The lower floor housed a Horne's Budget Store.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Ragesoss"
Germany's Aldi chain opened a freestanding discount grocery store at THE SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY in November 2007.
Photo from www.sirfullerblogspot.com
Plans for a massive redevelopment of the struggling SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY were underway by early 2015. A new name (the fourth for the shopping hub) was bestowed in March. The new and improved "upscale hybrid center" would be known as THE BLOCK NORTHWAY.
Graphic from http://theblocknorthway.com
Nordstrom Rack dedicated their THE BLOCK NORTHWAY store in August 2016.
Drawing from http://lrcrealty.com / LRC Realty
The Container store followed, with its debut taking place in the following October.
Drawing from http://lrcrealty.com / LRC Realty
A rendering of the South Concourse at the new NORTHWAY. This enclosed section is a redress of the circa-1962 South Court (which was known as the Atrium in later incarnations of the shopping hub). Today, the area is flanked by stores and services such as DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe.
Drawing from http://lrcrealty.com / LRC Realty
McKnight Road / US 19 and Babcock Boulevard
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
In the early 1960s, Maryland's James W. Rouse Company purchased the strip center, renovated it, and added a fully-enclosed upper level. Designed by Victor Gruen Associates, Karl O. Van Leuven and Flannery & Associates, the 10 million dollar NORTHWAY MALL encompassed 394,000 leasable square feet. There were sixty-four store spaces and seven retail kiosks.
The complex was officially dedicated August 1, 1962, with Governor David L. Lawrence (D) cutting the ceremonial ribbon. NORTHWAY MALL, which featured the nation's third glass elevator, was anchored by a 2-level (170,000 square foot), Pittsburgh-based Joseph Horne Company. This operation, the fifth branch in the chain, stood on the south end of the mall and included a 20,000 square foot Budget Store.
Three tenants in the original strip center, F.W. Woolworth, Thrift Drugs and Evie's Beauty Salon, moved into larger quarters in the newly-constructed mall. The existing A & P was expanded and throroughly renovated. New stores in the NORTHWAY complex included National Record Mart, Parklane Hosiery, Hughes & Hatcher and a G.C. Murphy 5 & 10. The enclosed shopping concourse was landscaped with tropical foliage, which included tufted fishtail palms, India rubber trees, lady finger banana trees, fig vines and pygmy date palms.
NORTHWAY was the premier shopping center in Pittsburgh's "North Hills" area for several years. Its first commercial competition came when NORTH HILLS VILLAGE {.9 miles south} was rebuilt as an enclosed mall in 1976. In 1986, ROSS PARK MALL {.7 miles southwest} opened, which was a 1.2 million square foot, superregional center.
As its first competitive measure, NORTHWAY MALL was given a face lift in 1979, which included new wooden paneling and interior landscaping. The A & P supermarket space, vacated in the spring of 1979, was rebuilt as a Carteret, New Jersey-based Herman's World of Sporting Goods. This store opened for business October 31 of the same year.
Horne's downsized into a lower level Home Store in 1986. This was shuttered in mid-1987. By this time, the mall was in decline. A new owner, the Dallas-based Southwest Corporation, embarked on a major renovation of the structure, which was completed -and dedicated- October 9, 1987.
The South Court had been opened up to the floor below, which had originally contained the Horne's Budget Store. A 2-level Atrium was created. The G.C. Murphy space, vacated in December 1985, became the National Amusements Super Saver Cinemas 8. Its first features were shown on April 1, 1988. The movie house was renamed Northway Mall Cinemas 8 in November 2001.
Meanwhile, the upper level of the old Horne's opened, as a (77,000 square foot), Erie, Pennsylvania-based Dahlkemper's Catalog Showroom, on October 9, 1987. The lower level became a (73,000 square foot), Columbus, Ohio-based Value City, which was dedicated November 25, 1988. The shopping hub now encompassed ninety stores and services.
A 2-level space at the front of the mall, originally leased as a Red Coach Restaurant and cocktail lounge, was rebuilt into an office level mezzanine and 7-bay Food Court in 1990. The original eateries were China Fan, Rax Roast Beef, The Covered Wagon, Chicken & Fries, Greek Deli and Mama Lucia's Pizzaria (a 1974 tenant that had relocated from a store on the mall's McKnight Level).
F.W. Woolworth, which had operated at the mall site since 1953, shuttered their store in January 1991. The building would sit vacant for 5 years. Herman's World Of Sporting Goods and Dahlkemper's folded in 1993. In June of that year, a 13.5 million dollar renovation was announced. The empty Dahlkempers became a Dick's Sporting Goods in March 1994, with the vacant Herman's, on the Lower (McKnight) Level, being expanded into adjacent space. A Borders Books was dedicated April 21, 1995.
As these stores were established, the Upper Level mallway was being reconfigured. A new entry was cut through the existing Super Saver Cinemas and the vacant Woolworth was retenanted by a Mass-based Marshalls. This store welcomed its first shoppers in 1994. A mall corridor was also cut through previously existing store space adjacent to Marshalls. A new escalator linked this corridor with the Lower Level of the shopping hub. The renovated mall was officially re-dedicated May 4, 1995.
At the same time, the shopping complex was sold to Dallas-based MacNeil Real Estate. They flipped the property, with the Dallas-based Archon Group assuming ownership in May of the year 2000. Only 5 months later, the mall was sold again. The buyer, known as Northway Limited Partners, was a joint venture of Pittsburgh's John McKinney and John Zemet.
At the turn of the century, the mall was still in a downward spiral that renovations in the late 1980s and mid-1990s had failed to reverse. It was decided to go with the current trend in retail and perform a partial demalling. A new name, SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY, was bestowed in late 2005, with demolition work getting underway in early 2007.
The cinema, shuttered in January, was demolished, along with twelve adjacent stores on the Upper Level. In all, 58,000 square feet were demolished, with remaining stores opened to the adjacent (upper level) parking lot. New tenants were signed, such as Shoe Carnival, Home Styles & More and The Kid Company, a family play center. A (17,300 square foot) Aldi discount grocery opened, as a freestanding structure, November 8, 2007.
Unfortunately, The Great Recession set in just as the renovation of the shopping hub was being completed. Value City, Old Navy, The Kid Company and Dress Barn were out of business by late 2008. Borders Books bit the dust September 13, 2011.
A new power center in the vicinity exacerbated the decline of SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY. The first phase of McCANDLESS CROSSING {1.1 mile north, in Allegheny County} was dedicated in November 2010. The new shopping venue eventually snatched the primary anchor of SHOPPES AT NORTHWAY. Dick's Sporting Goods shut its doors April 8, 2014.
Meanwhile, in early 2012, Northway LP defaulted on their mall loan. The complex was bought out of bankruptcy in December 2012. Its new owner, Akron, Ohio's LRC Realty, acquired an adjacent property (formerly an elementary school) and were working on incorporating it into the plan for a renewed shopping hub, to be known as NORTHWAY COLLECTION.
In March 2015, an alternate name, THE BLOCK NORTHWAY, was announced. Rumor had it that Washington State's Costco was coming on board, but this didn't pan out. However, Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth and The Container Store were eventually confirmed as future tenants of the prospective 467,800 square foot "upscale hybrid center."
Retail space on the north end of the mall was demolished. Newly-built stores included a 2-level (40,300 square foot) Nordstrom Rack, dedicated on August 26, 2016 and (24,300 square foot) Container Store, which began business October 13 of the same year. PetSmart also relocated into a (14,100 square foot) structure.
Other sections of the mall were gutted and substantially rebuilt. Saks Off Fifth set up shop in a 2-level (36,000 square foot) store, which opened October 3, 2016. Marshalls renovated their existing location. An (18,400 square foot) DSW was also installed in existing space. The old Horne's store was gutted and reconfigured. A 100-space parking deck was created on the lower level, along with spaces for Bassett Furniture, Kirkland's and Core Life Eatery. The upper level was sectioned into six spaces, with one being a (40,000 square foot) Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe.
Completing the NORTHWAY refurbishment was an 11,600 square foot strip plaza, built in the upper level parking lot next to Aldi. This structure housed stores and services such as Cyclebar, Piada Italian Street Food and Jason's Deli. These were in business by October 2017. Mass-based BJ's Wholesale Club built a 1-level (99,700 square foot) unit on a pad adjacent to THE BLOCK NORTHWAY. This freestanding store welcomed first shoppers on April 8, 2022.
Sources:
The Pittsburgh Post
https://www.mckinneyproperties.com
http://shoppesatnorthway.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://theblocknorthway.com
The original -circa-1965- trademark for SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE. At the time of its official dedication, in July 1965, the 1,137,000 square foot, fully-enclosed complex was one of the largest interior malls in the nation.
A rendering of Center Court in Greater Pittsburgh's shiny new shopper's city. Its fully-enclosed mallway was landscaped with towering Royal Palm trees and included several fountains and reflecting pools. There were also a multilevel bird aviary and simulated "Wonderfall" fountain.
Drawing from DonMark Realty / Oxford Development
SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE TENANTS 1966:
JOSEPH HORNE COMPANY (with Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / GIMBELS-PITTSBURGH (with Copper Kitchen fountain & snack bar, Beauty Salon and freestanding Tire Center) / SEARS (with Coffee House, Garden Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / A and P SUPERMARKET (outparcel) / GIANT EAGLE SUPERMARKET (outparcel) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with Harvest House Cafeteria) / Ames Joyce Red Cross Shoes / Angus Pet Shop / A Shop Called East / Bailey, Banks & Biddle Jewelers / Baker's Shoes / Block's Ladies Wear / Bond's Clothes / Byers Children's Shop / B-G Restaurant / Camera & Card Shop / Carole Ann Shop / Chandler's Shoes / Charles The Cobbler / Children's World / Coventry, Limited / DeRoy Jewelers / Dimling's Candy / Don Mark Realty / South Hills Dry Cleaners / Emil's Barber Shop / Ernie's Delicatessen / Fabric Tree / Fanny Farmer Candies / Fashion Hosiery Shop / Ferry Electric / Florsheim Shoes / Foxwood Casuals / Frothey's Beer Mart / General Nutrition Center / Hanover Shoes / House of Wine / Hughes & Hatcher / International Art Gallery / International Gifts, Incorporated / Isaly's Ice Cream & Delicatessen / Jack Dandy Ties / Jenny Lee Bakery / Joel's Hairstyling Salon / Kamp's Shoes / Kard Korner / Kardon Shoes / Kinney Shoes / Lane Bryant / Lerner Shops / Maggi's / Maxine's House of Fashion / Max Azen's / May Stern & Company Furniture / Meder & Associates / Miller's Fashions / National Men's Store / National Record Mart / Page Boy Maternity Shop / Parklane Hosiery / Peck & Peck For Men / People's Thrift Company / Pup-A-Go-Go Pets / Singer Sewing Center / Southway Sports Center / Standard Sportwear / Stouffer's Restaurant / Sun Drug (with Patio Coffee Shop) / Susan Ives / The Fruit Basket / Thom McAn Shoes / Tweed Shop / Village Barber Shop / Village Butcher Shop / Village Studio of High Fashions / Village Theatre (single-screen outparcel) / Vision Center / Walden Books / Western Pennsylvania National Bank / Whitehead Hardware
Above and below are views of the mall's north anchor. It opened -in 1965- as a Gimbels-Pittsburgh and was rebranded, as seen in this photo, in August 1987.
Photo from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
The store became a Boscov's in August 2006, but was shuttered in October 2008.
Photo from www.boscovs.com
A Port Authority of Allegheny County train, which is operating on the Blue Line-South Hills Village branch. Known as "The T," Pittsburgh's light railway was an upgrade of a 19th century streetcar grid. Inaugurated between April 1984 and July 1985, the system currently extends for 26.2 route miles and serves fifty-three station stops, including a terminal adjacent to the SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE mall.
Photo from Wikipedia / "RSA"
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
In 2013, the next new thing at SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE was a combo Target and Dick's Sporting Goods. The mall's "upscale discount store" occupied the first level of the old Gimbels, with an addition to the north and west sides of the building. Dick's utilized most of the two upper levels.
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
A rendering of a newly-remodeled mall entrance. SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE was given a comprehensive indoor-outdoor makeover during 2014.
Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE achieved its 60th year in business in 2025. In a contemporary physical layout, we see the combo Target-Dick's structure. Newer outparcel stores include DSW, Ulta Beauty, Bonefish Grill, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry. The closing of Sears, in June 2018, provided space for a new Von Maur department store.
The 2-level complex was built by Pittsburgh-based Don-Mark Realty (later known as the Oxford Development Company). An official grand opening was held on July 28, 1965. Three anchor department stores were dedicated; a 2-level (169,300 square foot) Gimbels-Pittsburgh, 2-level (193,000 square foot), Pittsburgh-based Joseph Horne Company and 2-level (146,000 square foot) Sears.
Pittsburgh artisan Virgil Cantini created "The New Horizon," a steel and glass sculpture, for the Horne's store. The interior of Sears was decorated with murals created by G. Hunter Jones, of New York City. Gimbels' store featured a domed ceiling and travertine vinyl floors.
Eighty inline stores opened for business as part of the July 1965 grand opening. These included Lerner Shops, Pup-A-Go-Go, an (11,100- square foot) Sun Drugs and 1-level F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. A & P and Giant Eagle supermarkets, located in a freestanding strip center, were dedicated in October 1965. The RKO-Stanley-Warner South Hills Village Theatre was built as an eastern outparcel of the mall. This single-screen venue was dedicated on July 19, 1966 and was eventually divided into a five-screen multiplex.
Rivals of SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE included CENTURY III MALL (1979) {5.6 miles east, in West Mifflin} and the upscale GALLERIA OF MOUNT LEBANON (1964-1988) {.8 mile north, in Mount Lebanon}. There was also PARKWAY CENTER MALL (1982) {5.4 miles north, in Pittsburgh} and VILLAGE SQUARE (1982) {.3 mile northeast, in Bethel Park}. These were smaller, community-class shopping venues and provided no competition to SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE.
The Oxford Development Company sold the mall in January 1982, with the Connecticut General Insurance Company becoming its new proprietor. Oxford was enlisted to manage the complex. SHV became rail-transit-accessible with the completion of the 10.5 route mile, Stage 1 "T" light rail line. Service was inaugurated in July 1985. The mall's southeast parking lot adjoins the South Hills Village station, which is the southern terminus of the Blue Line-South Hills Village route.
Gimbels became the first SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE anchor to change nameplates. The store was shuttered on August 23, 1986. It was renovated and expanded -to 254,000 square feet- with a third level. It re-opened, as a Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's, on August 13, 1987.
The Joseph Horne Company was acquired by Cincinnati's Federated Stores. Horne's locations were shuttered on August 29, 1994, The SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE unit was expanded with a third level (to 277,700 square feet). It re-opened, under the Columbus, Ohio-based Lazarus nameplate, on October 20, 1995. It was rebranded as Lazarus-Macy's on August 1, 2003 and was fully "Macy-ated" on February 6, 2005. After the Kaufmann's chain was absorbed by Federated Stores in 2005, the SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE location was sold to Reading, Pennsylvania-based Boscov's. They opened a store on August 26, 2006 and closed in October 2008.
SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE was renovated during the early1990s. The first phase of a 15 million dollar face lift was completed in July 1993. Entrances were rebuilt and the mall refurbished with new ceilings, skylights, landscaping and marble flooring. Moreover, a new escalator and glass elevator were installed in Center Court.
The second phase of renovation, completed in late 1994, added a 14-bay Food Court, which was built in front of the Upper Level Main Entrance. This added approximately 21,600 square feet to the shopping center's gross leasable area.
By this time, SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE had become one of the most upscale shopping centers in the metro area. It was acquired by the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in 1997. The 5-plex cinema closed in August 1997. It was razed and replaced by the Carmike South Hills Village 10. Its first features were shown on July 10, 1998.
A subsequent addition to SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE brought a (28,000 square foot) Barnes & Noble, which was built as a freestanding store in the northeast parking area. It opened in April 2005. With this addition, the mall encompassed 1,137,000 leasable square feet, with 130 stores and services.
In November 2009, it was announced that the vacant Gimbels-Kaufmann's-Boscov's was to be renovated and retenanted. According to plans, a (145,000 square foot) Target would be created in an expanded lower level. An (88,400 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods would occupy the existing building's 2 upper levels. This new Dick's would replace a (31,500 square foot) store in the mall's annex.
The Simon Property Group purchased the vacant Boscov's structure in September 2010. Reconstruction work was delayed but finally got underway in May 2012. The grand opening of the vertically-stacked stores took place on March 10, 2013. The mall now housed around 1,196,000 leasable square feet.
In April 2014, an interior-exterior face lift got underway. The Food Court was remodeled, with its seating area expanded. New mall entrances and escalators were installed and several tenants either renovated their spaces or moved to new locations in the mall. The project was completed in November 2014.
Sears, which anchored SHV for over 53 years, went dark on September 2, 2018. The abandoned building was gutted and replaced by a 2-level (124,000 square foot), Davenport-based Von Maur department store. This mercantile welcomed first customers on November 9, 2024.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Press
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
https://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.portauthority.org
https://www.prnewswire.com
"South Hills Village" article on Wikipedia
Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation