East Hills Shopping Center was an outdoor shopping mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . Opened in 1960, the center lost most of its major stores in the late 1970s and underwent several failed attempts at renovation.
31-402: East Hills opened in 1960 under the development of Mellon-Stuart, a local engineering firm. It was built as an outdoor mall with Joseph Horne Company (Horne's) as the main department store. Other major tenants included G. C. Murphy , Kresge , and a Thorofare supermarket. A year after the mall's opening, Horne's added a second store at the mall which specialized in discounted clothing. The mall
62-413: A Liberty Street in its present location. It is also called Liberty Street in a map from 1860. Beginning in the 19th century, the thoroughfare became a place of middle- and upper-class commerce. A history of Pittsburgh notes that a Market House was established in 1832 along Liberty Street between Sixth Street and Cecil Alley. Liberty also hosted food suppliers, brewers, and small manufacturers. In 1894,
93-621: A red-light district in the 1970s and 1980s, hosting the city's sex industry , including burlesque houses , strip bars , and peep shows , and attracting vice and crime. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust , formed in 1984, worked over the next 25 years to transform the area into the Cultural District , a center for the arts, eventually bringing the August Wilson Center for African American Culture , Bricolage Production Company , Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company ,
124-428: A fire even though it had been built using early fireproofing technologies. The results were widely discussed by engineers and some of the lessons learned were incorporated into the replacement building designed by Boston-based architects Peabody and Stearns . The new building was very similar in size and appearance to the original. The building was again heavily damaged by a fire in 1900 but fared better this time with
155-400: A leading Pittsburgh department store. The store was initially located on Market Street, then moved to the recently completed Mercantile Library Hall on Penn Avenue —now the site of the O'Reilly Theater —in 1871. In 1881, the firm built a new building at Wood Street and Liberty Avenue for its wholesale division. In 1891, at age 65, Horne sold the wholesale side of his company's operations to
186-481: A local developer purchased the property with plans to convert it to a factory outlet mall. Golden Dawn Supermarket opened in the former Thorofare in 1980, which closed five years later and became Giant Eagle . In 1987, the complex was renamed Eastgate Commerce Center, and was rezoned to allow for light industrial use. Besides a Zayre discount store on an outparcel, the center remained largely vacant. Both Zayre and Giant Eagle closed in 1989. Eastgate Associates bought
217-514: A place on the corner of the building at Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street and viewers would crowd the area for a show and the lighting. Crowds also eagerly awaited the Christmas window displays at Horne's. The tree is still displayed annually in the tradition of Pittsburgh's Light Up Night at the Horne's building. Several years after the closing of the last Horne's stores, several signs remain at
248-474: Is a major thoroughfare starting in downtown Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , United States, just outside Point State Park . Liberty Avenue runs through Downtown Pittsburgh , the Strip District , and Bloomfield and ends in the neighborhood of Shadyside at its intersection with Centre Avenue and Aiken Avenue. Liberty Avenue is about 4.3 miles (6.9 km) long. A survey of Pittsburgh in 1784 already shows
279-424: Is located at the corner of Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street in downtown Pittsburgh. The L-shaped structure is actually three buildings built over the course of time. The central six-story building is 120 feet (37 m) by 180 feet (55 m), fronting on Penn Avenue, and was originally built in 1893 to a design by Pittsburgh architect William Smith Fraser . In 1897, the building was almost completely destroyed by
310-791: The Monroeville Mall location, which was shown in George A. Romero 's 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead . The Pittsburgh flagship store was the site of the 1987 erotic thriller, Lady Beware , which starred Diane Lane as a window designer employed there. This was Horne's most notable appearance, as in addition to the location, the store's name appeared. Diane Lane's character worked at Horne's. Strawbridge's added to division in 1996 Meier & Frank added to division in 2002 ; Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution (2001, to Meier & Frank) Liberty Avenue (Pittsburgh) Liberty Avenue
341-607: The 1922 addition bears that date. The sidewalk slabs adjoining the entrances have inlays of the Horne's logo. Artist Andy Warhol worked at a Horne's location in the store's display department as a summer job in 1947. The television series Twin Peaks referenced a fictional Horne's store and owner, Ben Joseph Horne, which were inspired by the real Horne's. Series co-creator Mark Frost attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Horne's also appeared in movies, including
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#1732801808655372-499: The Horne department store took over the office building in 1903, and its height was increased to six stories. Struthers & Hannah were the architects for the remodeling. The third building, which makes up the rear of the present structure, is seven stories high and is also attributed to Peabody and Stearns. It was built in 1922–23. The store had four entrances — two on Stanwix Street, and two on Penn Avenue and contained 630,000 square feet (59,000 m ) of selling space, making it
403-1154: The Joseph Horne department store was built there. In the early 20th century, the Clark Building (named for the Clark candy company) and the Second National Bank were built. At length, it became a home for theater and movies, with the Stanley Theatre , the Lowe's Penn and the Harris Theatre . However, much of this activity was checked, first by the Great Depression , and then by the St. Patrick's Day Flood of 1936. Some businesses were closed, and others moved elsewhere. A section of Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh became
434-565: The Ohio-based Higbee's store chain. The deal was canceled abruptly, resulting in several years of litigation. Dillard's eventually agreed to acquire five Ohio Horne's stores as part of a legal settlement in 1992. In 1994, Federated Department Stores acquired the remaining ten Horne's stores and merged them with its Lazarus division, completely ceasing all operations of any store under the Horne's name by August 29, 1994. This caused some anger among Pittsburgh shoppers, as Horne's
465-592: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center, and a museum of cartoon art, The ToonSeum , to Liberty Avenue. Liberty Avenue in the downtown area underwent a years-long extensive $ 3.6 million redesign and repavement that was completed by 1991. Liberty Avenue is a main road through the Strip District . It is the home to many businesses, mostly offices and business-to-business service and product providers. The factory to manufacture George Westinghouse 's air brakes
496-550: The Pittsburgh Dry Goods Company. The flagship Horne's store at Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street in Downtown Pittsburgh originally opened on July 31, 1893, and was subsequently rebuilt twice after devastating fires in 1897 and 1900. The six-story main building and a seven-story addition dating to 1923 were both designed by Boston-based architects Peabody and Stearns . The neighboring building on Penn Avenue, originally an office building, also became part of
527-502: The business. He married twice — first to Mary Elizabeth Shea, later to Emma Galway — and sired numerous children. His son Durbin Horne, born in 1854, was among Horne's children who followed their father into the family business. Joseph Horne died in 1892. Christian Bernard Shea (1835–1900) was the brother-in-law of Joseph Horne, and his founding partner in The Joseph Horne Company. Shea was involved with both halves of
558-455: The city's second largest department store. The store bore the Horne's name until August 29, 1994 when it became Lazarus. Lazarus only remained in the building for one year before closing the store and building a new location on Fifth Avenue. Oxford Development Co purchased the building with hopes of ground level retail while renting floors two through seven to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield . Old Navy opened 20,000 square feet (1,900 m ) on
589-488: The department store in 1903. The store complex still stands and several Horne's signs remain on the building as they do at the former Pittsburgh rival Kaufmann's on Smithfield Street. In 1966, Associated Dry Goods (ADG) acquired Horne's, and ADG expanded operations of Horne's to several stores in suburban malls throughout the Pittsburgh region as well as in Erie, Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio . In December 1986, Horne's
620-597: The family business — retail (Joseph Horne Co. Department Store) and wholesale (Pittsburgh Dry Goods Company). Durbin Horne and Christian Shea were both members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club , whose defective dam, altered to benefit the club, caused thousands of deaths during the 1889 Johnstown Flood . Soon after Joseph Horne bought the Eaton Co., the Joseph Horne Company became
651-534: The first two floors in 1996, but closed in 2003. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield then purchased the structure and occupies the office space to this day with retail space at ground level. The department store complex was designated a Historic Landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in 1982. The lighting of the Horne's Christmas tree at the flagship store was a long-held holiday season tradition. The six-story electric tree occupied
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#1732801808655682-400: The historic downtown flagship store building, each bearing the Horne's name. On the southwest corner of the building, two bronze plaques remain reading " Joseph Horne Co Dry Goods Importers and Retailers" . Also, the frieze above the two entrances in the first structure reads "1849 – Joseph Horne Co. – 1879" marking the founding of the company and the year of construction, while the frieze of
713-409: The property in 1991. The company planned to renovate the mall, which had only seven tenants at that point, for light industrial use. This redevelopment was unsuccessful. By 1998, only 15 percent of the space had been reused. In 1999, Petra Ministries bought the former Zayre store behind the mall and converted it to a church. They continued to own the mall property through January 2013, at which point it
744-535: The son of John Horn and Catherine Otto, grandson of Henry Horn, who had served in the Continental Army. Joseph moved three counties west to Pittsburgh and found his first job in the retail trade with Christian Yeager. Soon, Joseph moved to the F.H. Eaton store, and became a partner. He bought the business in 1849, at age 23, renaming it The Joseph Horne Company. He joined forces with Christian B. Shea and A. P. Burchfield, whose families intermarried and entered
775-421: The walls and steel frame surviving largely intact. The building to the east on Penn Avenue was also designed by Fraser and built in 1895. Originally a four-story office building, it was separated from the Horne store by a single house whose owner had refused to sell. When the house burned down in the 1897 fire, the office building—also badly damaged—was rebuilt and expanded into the adjoining space. Subsequently,
806-548: Was acquired by a local investor group following ADG's acquisition by May Department Stores . The local buyout was part of May's divesting of the Horne's chain, since May was already the owner of cross-town rival Kaufmann's. Two years later, the Arkansas-based department store chain Dillard's and Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. agreed to acquire Horne's, with plans of combining it with another recent acquisition for Dillard's —
837-592: Was an American department store chain based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . The store was one of the oldest in the country being founded on February 22, 1849, but was often overlooked as it maintained only a regional presence. The chain ceased operations in 1994 after being merged with the Lazarus division of Federated Department Stores . Joseph Horne (1826–1892) was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania ,
868-446: Was largely vacated in the late 1970s, having lost most of its business to Monroeville Mall , a larger mall that also featured a Horne's. In 1979, Horne's closed its East Hills store, as did G. C. Murphy, Kresge, and Thorofare. The president of East Hills' merchants' association said in 1980 that East Hills' design was "outmoded" and not suitable for colder weather, since unlike Monroeville, East Hills' concourses were not enclosed. In 1981,
899-589: Was located at 2425 Liberty. This has now become the home of the Pittsburgh Opera . There are few retail establishments on Liberty Avenue in the Strip District. Liberty Avenue is the site of the main business district in Bloomfield . Liberty Avenue is also home to West Penn Hospital as well as many small store fronts. A semi-fictionalized version of Liberty Avenue is featured prominently in
930-431: Was put up for sale. Between 1999 and 2007, Petra had attempted to get Walmart to build a store on the site. The mall was demolished in 2001. Lowe's and Kmart were also proposed as replacements for the mall, but as of 2013, the site remained vacant. U-Pull-And-Pay auto salvage opened on the site in 2017. Joseph Horne Company The Joseph Horne Company , often referred to simply as Joseph Horne's or Horne's ,
961-456: Was the oldest store in the city and had been a 145-year-old Pittsburgh tradition. After its closure the company was often praised for surviving 145 years with only a maximum of 15 stores. Several former Horne's locations operating as Lazarus closed in 1998. Those that remained eventually became "Lazarus-Macy's" and in 2006 were joined with Kaufmann's in the nationwide Macy's consolidation. The former Joseph Horne Company flagship department store