Land for the mall (19 acres (7.7 ha)) was purchased for $125,000 from a farmer and groundbreaking occurred in 1965.[2][9]Zollinger's opened before the mall on August 15, 1966, with the rest of the mall opening on September 26, 1966.[2] The mall had 52 stores includingSears,Weis Markets,Woolworth's, and Zollinger's.[2][10][11] Whitehall Mall expanded in 1973, and in 1978Leh's opened, replacing the closed (bankrupt) Zollinger's.[2][12] Kravco become co-owner of the mall withPREIT in 1977 for 4.5 million.[3]Clover opened in March 1982.[13] Sears interior underwent a major overhaul in 1984.[14] The mall received a lowered tax assessment after settling with the county, township, and school district in 1985.[15][16]
In 1987, a suspicious fire started in the back of the mall that later caused a wall of the Leh's to be demolished.[17] Sears interior underwent another overhaul in 1994 that added 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) to the sales floor, and converted the former second floor offices to store space.[18] Several stores suffered damage due to a large roof leak in January 1990, with all stores reopening after a few days, and the roofs replacement planned for April.[19][20] On January 1, 1995, smoking was banned in the mall by its owner, Kravco.[21] Leh's closed in June 1996 due to bankruptcy, with Gallery Furniture taking over its former space in 1997.[22] Clover closed in 1996, with its replacementKohl's opening in April 1997.[5][23]
Whitehall Mall received a $15 million renovation in 1998, where it was almost totallyde-malled, except for a portion near Kohl's.[5][24][25] Retaining the traditional mall look was determined to not be cost effective.[9] Sears was expanded during this time.[5] Three additional buildings were added to the mall's grounds during the renovation.[25] Weis Markets closed during renovations that almost doubled its space.[10] Plaza Theater closed in June 1999 due to having only two screens and being obsolete.[26] The theater was previously operated by Budco, and byAMC from 1987 to 1996.[27]
The opening ofGold's Gym in the mid-2000s was delayed due to design changes. Gold's Gym would use the former Leh's store and Plaza Theater.[26][28]Raymour & Flanigan relocated to the mall in 2012, occupying two vacant storefronts.[29][30] PREIT sold its 50% ownership of the Whitehall Mall in 2014 toWashington Prime Group, the mall's other owner.[4][31] Sears closed in February 2020.[32] PA Fitness (former Gold's Gym) closed in January 2022.[33]
Portions of the mall began to be redeveloped in 2023. Demolition of the former Sears began in June 2023 withFloor & Decor announced as its replacement.[34][35]Buy Buy Baby andHarmon Face Values would close in July 2023, withBed Bath & Beyond closing in August 2023.[36][37][38] The formerOld Country Buffet would be demolished in September 2023 and be replaced by parking.[38] Floor & Decor would open on December 21, 2023.[39]
