The Monroeville Mall, the primary filming location for the George A. Romero classic Dawn of the Dead, has been bought by Walmart
Today, February 4th, would have been the 85th birthday of the late, great George A. Romero, who we lost back in 2017. Coinciding with his birthday this year is some worrying news about a popular location from one his films, as it was been revealed that Walmart has purchased the Monroeville Mall, the primary filming location for Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead (get it HERE). For decades, fans have been going to the Monroeville Mall to check out the spots where Romero had zombies walk and bikers ride – and while there have been plenty of changes over the years, this sale has fans worried that things are going to be changing too much soon.
TribLive reports that Walmart purchased the Monroeville Mall from CBL Properties for a price of $34 million and is now working with real estate firm Cypress Equities on mall operations and potential redevelopment. WTAE adds that Cypress CEO Chris Maguire said there will be “efforts to re-imagine Monroeville Mall into a new retail and commercial destination. The property is well suited for a major redevelopment and repositioning into a mix of uses including retail and entertainment, restaurants, residential, hospitality, office and public spaces.” Yeah, it’s that “major redevelopment” part that is especially worrying. Walmart is, of course, “very interested in being part of any future redevelopment of this site,” so it’s likely it’s going to become the new anchor store at whatever the redeveloped mall ends up being.
The Monroeville Mall opened in 1969. With this purchase, Walmart has acquired a 186-acre site. The mall has 1.2 million square feet of retail space, and, in addition to the main building, there’s an adjacent strip mall, a streetscape expansion near the front entrance, and out-parcels Best Buy and Firestone. Overall, the complex can hold more than 150 retailers.
Within the mall is the zombie-themed Living Dead Museum, and Living Dead Weekend events have also been held at the mall. Living Dead Museum owner Kevin Kriess wrote on Facebook that this is going to be a stressful year, as there are “plans to reimagine the mall and do major renovations. This may include demolition of some or all of the original parts. While this is great news for the general community, it may be a death blow to the Dawn of the Dead history and the future of the Living Dead Museum and Living Dead Weekend in the mall. We will make every effort to get to know the new management and owners. We hope for them to realize the history that we preserve with our work and the museum. Hopefully we can all work together to find a place for the museum and events in the overall future plans. Living Dead Weekend has been approved for June 2025, and the museum is leased until the end of the year. No leases were extended into 2026 so after this year things are up in the air at this time. Please be respectful and and optimistic with any dealings with new management as we navigate this upcoming change.“
I have visited the Monroeville Mall a few times, and even had the chance to watch Dawn of the Dead inside the mall several years ago. I hope the mall will be left mostly the way it is, just with the addition of a Walmart.
What do you think of Walmart buying the Monroeville Mall? Are you a Dawn of the Dead fan, and have you visited the mall? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
