I was introduced to this sub-genre when I was tipped off about an extended version of George A. Romero's classic Zombie movie Dawn of the Dead. Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 American action horror film directed by Zack Snyder and written by James Gunn. It was completed in 1969, extensively renovated and expanded in 2003–2004, and includes Barnes & Noble, Cinemark Theatres, Dick's Sporting Goods, H&M, JCPenney, and Macy's as anchor tenants. While the source and exact nature of this plague remain unexplained, it is confirmed that it is spread when a victim is bitten by an infected person. On February 7, 2015, a juvenile later identified as 17-year-old Tarod Thornhill entered the men's department on the lower level of Macy's department store about 7:30 p.m. and shot his intended target and two bystanders, leaving two with critical injuries. If you're like me and too broke to afford the hundred and fifty dollar Dawn of the Dead - Ultimate Edition, this is a great option. A freestanding Montgomery Ward store would also arrive in the 1970s, however it would close by the mid-1980s as part of a restructuring plan at the time. "[7] Despite the negative attention the mall has received, municipal leaders continue to stress that "Monroeville Mall is a very safe, family-oriented,"[8] destination which continues to anchor the largest concentration of businesses and commerce in the eastern suburbs of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. His film credits include Zach Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead, Martin Brest's remake of Meet Joe Black, Jonathan Mostow's U-571, Mike Newell's Pushing Tin, Tarsem Singh's The Cell, Marshall Herskovitz's Dangerous Beauty, Alan J. Pakula's The Pelican Brief, Sidney Lumet's A Stranger Among Us, and Larry Fessendon's Wendigo. Another unique feature was the location of a local Italian restaurant directly adjacent to the rink, with large picture windows in its dining rooms that gave patrons direct views of skaters on the rink. Location for the George Romero's 1978 zombie movie. [5] It would also affect business at the nearby Miracle Mile Shopping Center, which was greatly impacted following the relocation of its JCPenney store to the Monroeville Mall, although business would gradually level out over time. Dawn of the Dead film location: the shopping mall: Monroeville Mall, Monroeville, Pennsylvania The area of the mall has expanded greatly in the intervening years as more stores have been built, but you’ll recognise the original block seen in the movie. In 1970, the entire Gimbels chain was purchased by the tobacco conglomerate BATUS. The Gimbels court of the mall featured a large yellow clock tower that housed 12 animated puppets, each one representing an ethnic group in the Pittsburgh area. Monroeville Mall is most famous as the filming location for the 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero. Likewise, the fountain near the elevator was removed to maximize seating area for the food court and the glass elevator itself refurbished. Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of the landmark 1978 George Romero zombie film "Dawn of the Dead" is an example of how to do a remake correctly. Filming resumed in January after the decorations were removed. In October 1986, the May Department Stores Company merged with Associated Dry Goods. As of March 5, 2015, CBL & Associates Properties officials announced their continued commitment to Monroeville Mall with a multimillion-dollar renovation project slated to begin later that month. [4], The mall was decorated with fountains and plant life that flourished under enormous skylights. In the early 1990s, the distinctive clock tower was dismantled in lieu of a stage, which has since been removed, while the fountain at the opposite end was removed in the early 2000s for a children's play area, themed to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The existing lighting will be removed, and new contemporary sconces will brighten the common areas. This effectively caused the shuttering of the entire Gimbels Pittsburgh division. As in the previous film, the cause of the plague is not fully understood by the scientific community. In Season 2, Episode 5 of the Netflix series Mindhunter, one of the entrances at the Monroeville Mall was used as an entrance of the San Francisco International Airport. In February 1984, much to the dismay of local residents, the Ice Palace was replaced by a food court. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall. Adjacent to Monroeville Mall, several major shopping centers including the Miracle Mile Shopping Center, well-known national retailers and restaurants can be found along the U.S. Route 22 commercial corridor, the biggest such concentration of retailers and other commercial businesses in the eastern environs of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The logo that appears on the trucks in Dawn of the Dead (2004) actually says B.P., as researchers for the film probably couldn't make out the small "&" in the B&P logo when they were recreating the logo as an easter egg for the 2004 film. [4], In May 1969, the 1,130,000-square-foot (105,000 m2) Monroeville Mall opened its doors with Gimbels and Joseph Horne Co. at opposite ends and JCPenney in the middle. JCPenney was the last original anchor at Monroeville Mall. The Crossroads Mall is a fictional shopping center featured in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead directed by Zack Snyder. As the novelty of shopping malls made them increasingly popular in the 1960s, residents of Monroeville and the eastern suburbs shopped at the now-defunct Eastland Mall in nearby North Versailles, or at Greengate Mall (now demolished and rebuilt as Greengate Centre) in Greensburg, Westmoreland County. The mall annex would also be developed directly behind the mall and feature an A&P supermarket, among other businesses. Directed by George A. Romero. Five years ago, I wrote about a fan edit of George Romero’s horror classic Dawn of the Dead that attempted to recreate the original rough cut of the movie. Surrounding the mall, the massive parking lots were paved and spaced to accommodate 6,500 vehicles. In addition, customers will discover new groupings of soft seating, designed for relaxing and chatting. [14], Shopping mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, Surrounding developments and in-mall projects, Oxford Development Company d/b/a Shopping Center Management LLC, "Five Largest Pittsburgh-Area Shopping Malls and Centers", "Interactive Google Street View image and map of Mall Circle Drive", "Harper's Mine birthplace of Monroeville Mall", "Steps eyed to pump life into ailing East Hills Shopping Center", "Monroeville's problems extend beyond boundaries of mall, DA says", "Arrest made in Monroeville Mall brawl, more expected", "Monroeville-filmed 'Zack and Miri' gets warm reception in Toronto", "Dick's Sporting Goods moving into Monroeville Mall", https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-are-the-154-stores-jc-penney-will-soon-close-2020-06-04, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/jcpenney-stores-to-remain-open-in-monroeville-mall-beaver-valley-mall/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monroeville_Mall&oldid=1016984298, Buildings and structures in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Tourist attractions in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 2 (1 in Barnes & Noble, Cinemark, Dick's Sporting Goods, and H&M, 1 plus 2nd floor offices, in JCPenney, 3 in Macy's), The ice skating rink at the Monroeville Mall appears in the 1983 film. The mall's exterior will also be enhanced with new benches and receptacles. [12] Macy's Backstage opened in 2018. Zombies wander through the mall in 'Dawn of the Dead' Credit: United Film Distribution Company . In later years, most of the mall's decorative ponds and bridges would be replaced by numerous carts and kiosks. A heavily edited "R-rated" version of "Dawn of the Dead" (with more than 50 cuts) was released in 1982 to be put in a drive-in double-bill with Romero's Creepshow (1982). The mall is most famous for being the filming location of the George A. Romero horror film Dawn of the Dead (1978). Inside the mall, extensive upgrades to the mall's entrances, restrooms and common areas were completed, with new escalators, lighting fixtures, railings, flooring and seating among the new amenities. The Monroeville Mall was immortalized in George A. Romero's 1978 classic horror film Dawn of the Dead. With Monroeville Mall fully operational, the areas surrounding the mall began to develop as well. There was a bank, several places to eat, pharmacies, pubs and even a ministry center, as developers had intended on making the mall into an indoor "town center" for the Monroeville community.[4]. It is located at Mall Circle Drive, across from Monroeville Convention Center,[3] venue of the Pittsburgh Comicon, a comic book convention, from 2009 to 2014. [4] The food court was also extensively renovated, complete with new tables and seating. Directed by Zack Snyder. Essentially it takes the basic concept of survivors during a zombie apocalypse taking refuge in a shopping mall but outside of that does its own thing. The Monroeville Mall has been used as a location in films and other media forms. May promptly sold the Horne's chain to a group of local investors. 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