Newbie to Pittsburgh so am rating the mall compared to most malls in the country, not its history nor compared to other Pittsburgh area malls.
It's average, just average. I was glad to read that Penney's isn't going out of business in the mall, just moving within the mall, not that I love Penneys but because I wondered when I saw the "closing" signs what state the economy must be in if Penney's -- the staple of mediocrity of style and prices -- was closing. Plus, I read a movie theatre was moving in where the current Penney's is now. That's certainly good news for the mall and should be a draw.
Otherwise, it is, again, just average. What it has going for it? Well, how many choices do I have and what is close to where I live in Penn Hills?
I do have to say I do like the fact that White House/Black Market resides there.