West Erie Plaza

West Erie Plaza is a power center 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southwest of downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, between West 8th Street, West 12th Street, Pittsburgh Avenue and Interstate 79 in Millcreek Township, a suburb of Erie. The power center has one anchor space which is currently vacant, it was previously occupied by Good Cents.
== History ==
Development for West Erie Plaza began in 1949 on vacant land between three busy roads in suburban Millcreek Township. On August 30, 1950, West Erie Plaza officially opened to the public, marking the first shopping center in the Erie area at the time. Original opening tenants included Advance Dry Cleaners, Betty Dixon Candies, Brown-Jones, Carter's Shoes, Filip Jewelers, First National Bank, Housewife Bakery, Landers, Laver's, Loblaws, Margettas, National Market, Palace Hardware, Pennsylvania Dutch Farms, Reese's, State Liquor Store, The Sportsman, and The Winter Company. Additionally, a two-screen movie theater operated by Dipson Theatres was located at the shopping center.
In 1952, West Erie Plaza expanded, adding a one-level Halle’s as an anchor. In 1968, a second anchor, Boston Store, was added. In 1979, Boston Store closed and was converted into Horne’s. By 1982, Halle’s had closed and transformed into Value City Furniture in 1983.
== Decline ==
The decline of West Erie Plaza began when Millcreek Mall opened in November 1975. The situation worsened as Interstate 79 North was extended, providing a highway exit off West 12th Street directly to Millcreek Mall. In an attempt to revive traffic to West Erie Plaza, the West Erie Plaza Theater was converted into four screens. Also, during the 1980s, art installations were placed in front of all store spaces. This marked the last investment in the plaza at the time, and none of these efforts succeeded in increasing traffic, leading to continued decline.
In December 2008, West Erie Plaza Theater closed down due to declining ticket sales. The last showing at the theater was "Yes Man" starring Jim Carrey. The theater was then left abandoned for about a decade.