In 1969, USS Realty Development, a division of the United States Steel Corporation, wanted to find a more productive use for the slag heap, which had grown into an artificial mountain from years of industrial dumping.

The Kaufmann's unit was the chain's fourth shopping mall store and the first in the Pittsburgh region to anchor a mall-type center.

The Joseph Horne Company, owned by the New York City-based Associated Dry Goods Corporation, took over the space, relocating their store from an older open-air shopping center in Brentwood a few miles north.

South Hills Village, a smaller mall located only five miles to the west in Bethel Park, also underwent a major renovation, incorporating a large food court among its amenities.

The former Wickes Furniture location was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods, and TJ Maxx 'n More was filled with Steve and Barry's.

By the late 2000s, several key retailers with locations at Century III Mall filed for bankruptcy, resulting in additional vacancies.

On September 9, 2006, Federated converted all former May Company regional department store nameplates, including Kaufmann's, into Macy's as part of a nationwide re-branding program, resulting in the Kaufmann's Furniture Gallery location to be returned once again to Federated Department Stores ownership and subsequently renamed as Macy's Furniture Gallery.

[3] In April 2009, Macy's Furniture closed its Century III Mall location as a cost-cutting measure.

In 2010, La Hacienda opened in the former Ruby Tuesday space, but it closed and was eventually replaced with Old Mexico Restaurant in 2015.

Simon Property Group defaulted on its $78 million loan for Century III Mall in August 2011, ultimately transferring ownership to its lenders.

Also in April, filming took place in the old Macy's Furniture Gallery wing for the Netflix original series Mindhunter.

[14][15] Owners indicated that the largely vacant mall would be torn down in March 2020 with the exception of JCPenney which would have remained open.

The plan called for incorporating retail, dining and entertainment attractions as well as a hotel, office space and residential units.

[16] On August 7, 2019, a "motion to reject lease or executory contract of JCPenney Properties, Inc." was filed out by Debtor Century III Mall PA LLC, which is part of Moonbeam.

[18] In March 2023, home improvement chain Menards reportedly declined on its offer to purchase Century III Mall.

On June 3, 2023, a teenage boy fell through an opened roof hatch at the mall's former Macy's department store.

[26] Moonbeam Capital CEO Shawl Pryor attended the hearing, receiving criticism for the property's decline since 2019.

[27] On July 18, 2023, West Mifflin Borough Council voted 6-0 to condemn the abandoned Century III Mall.

[28] On January 30, 2024, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. filed criminal nuisance charges against the owners of the abandoned mall, calling it a "monument to blight."

The Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas plans to seize the nearly 90-acre site and demolish the dilapidated structure within 60 to 90 days.

[29] After asbestos abatement, the JCPenney building came down in November 2024 and the mall interior was stripped and salvaged material removed throughout the remainder of the year.