Malls · Pennsylvania
Richland Mall (Johnstown)
Opened 1974. Closed 1998. Redeveloped in 2004.
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile9 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Kmart
This site: Kmart wikipedia · all sites with thisSears
This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with thisCounty lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012
This site: -16% census-cbp · all sites with thisGrocery within 800 m
This site: 2 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisInterstate or freeway within 600 m
This site: SR 0219 SH fhwa-hpms · all sites with thisShrinking county
This site: -1.6% census-acs · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: …strip mall extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed |
| New uses | retailextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | strip mallextracted, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2004extracted, unreviewed reported |
Site context
| Transit within 800 m | no rail stationOpenStreetMap |
|---|---|
| Motorway junctions within 2 km | junctionOpenStreetMap |
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 10: ASPEN DENTAL; BED BATH & BEYOND NO 0826; GENOA HEALTHCARE USAPA00105; HIGHLAND SEWER AND WATER AUTHORITY - CLEAN FILL SITE; K-MART #3183EPA FRS |
| Census tract 42021013700 | 4,763 people, 774 per sq mi; median household income $59,063; median gross rent $916; 45% renters; 10.7% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 9.2 of 20; 23 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.82; 12,076 jobs within 45 min by car; 25% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 5 of 6 daily needs: 2 grocers, 3 schools, 12 parks or playgrounds, 8 health, 0 civic, 9 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 1 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Cambria County (PA), 2024 | 0 units in 5+ unit buildings, 4 in 2–4, 58 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.47; socioeconomic 0.51; housing and transport 0.91; 21% below 150% of poverty; 12% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Overture Maps | no place match; building footprint 19,093 m², 7.221678256988525 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 6,480 since 2015; 1,146 in the last 12 months (-2% vs the prior 12); peak 2024-12 with 153Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population +2% (4,681 → 4,763); median income +55% ($38,063 → $59,063); renters 40% → 45%; median home value +50% ($122,500 → $183,300)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively low overall (score 24.3); expected annual loss $734,739; high: lightning; community resilience very highFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 5,833 jobs in 433 establishments; average annual pay $33,492; employment location quotient 1.26; employment -3.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 4,677 jobs; 1,103 in retail trade, 609 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 42021013700)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 43th income percentile as adults; -0.1% incarcerated at the 2010 count (216 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-access at 1 mile, not low-income; 50% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 11.7%; median family income $83,125; 147 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Richland School District (KG-12); 3 public schools within 1 mile: Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center; Richland El Sch; Richland HSNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 2,207 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 125 county-logged events: 100 thunderstorm wind, 8 flash flood, 7 hail, 5 tornado; $751,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 15904, 2026-09 | median list price $209,000 (+23.5% on the year); 21 active listings; median 30 days on market; 7% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 470 establishments (-16%); 6,325 jobs (-9%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $124,304 (+4% 1 yr, -13% 5 yr); typical rent $886/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2022 | 163 (2000 = 100); +16.8% 1 yr, +32% 5 yr, +34% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 26,755 vehicles a day on SR 0219 SH (freeway or expressway); 40 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Richland Mall opened in 1974 with anchor stores Sears, Kmart, and Penn Traffic. It closed in 1998 after losing business to the Johnstown Galleria, which opened in 1992. The mall was demolished and redeveloped in 2004 as a strip mall (Richland Town Center) featuring Walmart, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, Best Buy, and Ulta.
Why. The primary cause visible in the record is competition from the Johnstown Galleria, which opened in 1992 and drew business away from Richland Mall, leading to its closure.
Where it stands. The site is now a strip mall (Richland Town Center) built in 2004; current ownership or controlling entity is not stated in the record.
For a planner
- Precedent: conversion of an enclosed mall to a power‑center strip mall after anchor loss.
- Policy tools noted: strategy listed as 'redevelop' and new_use as 'retail' with a retrofit year of 2004.
- Open questions: current zoning, ownership, and any ongoing planning incentives or restrictions.
For a developer
- Site size and parcel boundaries are not provided in the record.
- Control: no current owner or managing entity is listed; past owners were Sears, Kmart, and Penn Traffic (1974‑1998).
- Entitlement stage: redevelopment completed in 2004, so the site is already built as a strip market.
- Context‑layer constraints (flood, transit, environment) and market signals from tract data are absent from the record.
What we do not know yet
- Current owner or managing entity unknown.
- Exact site dimensions and parcel configuration unknown.
- Zoning, land‑use regulations, and any pending entitlements unknown.
- Environmental constraints (floodplain, wetlands, contamination) unknown.
- Transit access and proximity to infrastructure unknown.
- Local market demographics, purchasing power, and retail competition data unknown.
- Some fields are marked as extraction with 'verified': 'draft', indicating potential unreviewed model‑derived data.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Carolina Circle Mall, Greensboro, NC · Malls · opened 1976; closed 2002; same strategy: redevelop
- Indian Springs Mall, Kansas City, KS · Malls · opened 1971; closed 2001; same strategy: redevelop
- Jefferson Square Mall, Joliet, IL · Malls · opened 1975; closed 2002; same strategy: redevelop
- Methuen Mall, Methuen, MA · Malls · opened 1973; closed 1997; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: Richland Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- [007990] | Richland Mall i… flickr.com
- Richland Mall johnstownhistory.blogspot.com
- Richland Mall Johnstown Pa fity.club
- Dining - Richland Mall - Gibsonia, PA richlandmall.net
- Cumberland Mall skycity2.blogspot.com
- The Gone-Ton: Richland Mall (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) the-gone-ton.blogspot.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1974extracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Closed | 1998extracted, unreviewed documentedshuttered in 1998 after losing business to The Johnstown Galleria which opened in 1992 |
| Anchors | Sears, The Bon-Ton, Kmart, Best Buy, Penn Traffic |
| County | Cambria County |
| Census division | 2 · Mid-Atlantic |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Richland Town Center is a power center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 219 at Elton Road and Theatre Drive. The center opened in 2004 on the site of the former Richland Mall. Existing from 1974 to 1998, Richland Mall was an enclosed shopping mall whose anchor stores were Sears, Kmart, and Penn Traffic; Sears later became Hills and then Ames, while Penn Traffic later became Hess's and then The Bon-Ton. Richland Mall was shuttered in 1998 after losing business to The Johnstown Galleria which opened in 1992. Richland Mall was then torn down and redeveloped as a strip mall, which features Walmart, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, Best Buy, and Ulta as its anchor stores.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1974 opened
- 1992 competition
- 1998 closed
- 2004 redeveloped
Sources
- Wikipedia: Richland Mall (Pennsylvania) · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year closed, year opened
9 quoted sentences
Existing from 1974 to 1998, Richland Mall was an enclosed shopping mall
shuttered in 1998 after losing business to The Johnstown Galleria which opened in 1992
strip mall
torn down and redeveloped as a strip mall
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