Ross Park Mall turns 40: Remembering its dazzling grand opening in 1986
Ross Park Mall is celebrating 40 years in Pittsburgh’s North Hills
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Ross Park Mall is celebrating 40 years in the North Hills.
WTAE archive video shows the grand opening of the mall in August 1986, featuring major retailers of that era such as Kaufmann’s, Waldenbooks, Camelot Music and Barbara Moss.
The “Star Wars” theme played at a dazzling ceremony with balloons, lasers, confetti and Disney characters, as a huge crowd came out to see the newest mall in the Pittsburgh area. Actor James Brolin, of the ABC hit series “Hotel,” also made an appearance.
Ross Park Mall opened 40 years ago: See the archive video above
“It’s the first time we’ve done something of this nature with this high-tech, stainless steel, the colors and the pop-out fronts. I think it looks stunning,” developer Melvin Simon said.
People came from three states to see the massive mall that encompassed over 1 million square feet of shops.
“I think it’s just tremendous, the most beautiful mall I’ve ever seen,” one shopper said.
“We needed it. We needed this store here,” another shopper said.
The stores may be different these days, but the mall is still going strong after 40 years.
A “Carnaval-inspired” celebration is planned for Saturday, with live music and performances from dancers and aerialists. You’ll also be able to look back at how much the mall and fashion trends have changed over the years. The party runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.