INTERIOR OF THE MONROEVILLE MALL IN 2021 | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

The news spread like a California wildfire on social media, Reddit, Nextdoor and more. Even The New York Times published a 1,200-word story about it.

Could it be true? Had Walmart — the newish owner of the Monroeville Mall — really applied for a state grant to demolish the 56-year-old complex? The region’s largest mall with 120 tenants? Home of the Living Dead Museum?

Indeed South Saturn Ridge LLC, the name under which Walmart purchased the mall earlier this year for $34 million, is seeking $7.5 million from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to demolish the mall. It would make way for “Monroeville Mall Gateway” — a plan to create a “modern, mixed-use destination that strengthens the regional economy,” according to the Pittsburgh Business Times.

David Wang, owner of Saga Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar at the mall, told The New York Times that he and other tenants met in July with a representative of Cypress Equities, Walmart’s partner on the project. They were told that they had to vacate the mall by April 2027. At that time, the 1.2 million-square-foot mall would be demolished to create an open-air shopping center with a Walmart, a Sam’s Club, a skating rink, shops and restaurants.

Tenants interviewed by the Times acknowledged that the number of customers at the mall had declined dramatically over the years. This follows retail trends at other malls — Century III in the South Hills, once one of the largest malls in the country, is being demolished. And the struggling Pittsburgh Mills in the North Hills lost its last national retailer last week.

PICKLE PARLOR OPENED IN FEBRUARY 2025 IN THE FORMER ULTA BEAUTY STORE AT THE MONROEVILLE MALL | PHOTO COURTESY PICKLE PARLOR

Still, the previous owners of the Monroeville Mall had tried to breathe new life into the complex by bringing in such businesses in February as Pickle Parlor, a 10,000-square-foot totally automated pickleball complex with a loyal fanbase. It is housed in the former Ulta Beauty store.

And, of course, there’s important cinema history here. Monroeville Mall was the primary filming location for George Romero’s 1978 “Dawn of the Dead,” so it’s now home to the Living Dead Museum, which honors zombies in film and pop culture. The walk-in museum open year-round is located on the upper level, near the JC Penney.

LIVING DEAD MUSEUM | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

The museum also has exhibits dedicated to other pop-culture zombies, including the cabin set used in “Evil Dead 2” and a statue of Michael Jackson in his red “Thriller” costume. Other productions filmed in Monroeville Mall also have space in the museum, like a room devoted to the 2017 Netflix series “Mindhunter.”

The museum once was located in Evans City, site of Romeo’s original “Night of the Living Dead” movie, released in 1968. The museum at the mall is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so it’s unknown whether it will try to return to Evans City.

The new mall owners and developers were mum on more details about their future plans. But perhaps they’ll carve out a place to keep the Living Dead Museum. As everyone knows, Pittsburgh loves its nostalgia.