RIP to the Schuylkill Mall.
The once bustling shopping center on a mountain above Frackville closed in 2017 and was demolished in 2018. The mall opened for business to much fanfare in 1980. Like many Coal Region kids of the 80s and 90s, I have many memories of visits to the shops and movie theater there.
Luckily, we can have a real nostalgia trip back to the Schuylkill Mall with this brief documentary put together by YouTube user Ace’s Adventures. The video pulls together news stories, clips, and photographs to the story of the rise and fall of the Schuylkill Mall. It’s quite a trip down memory lane.
The Schuylkill Mall’s closure was not a surprise, nor is it all that different than many other defunct malls across America. Shoppers in the US are rapidly turning away from malls in favor of online shopping, or in some areas, a return to shopping in downtown areas that were scorned when operations like the Schuylkill Mall opened.
Share your favorite Schuylkill Mall memories in the comments below!
Featured Image: Schuylkill Mall sign in 2015 (Wikimedia Commons user Shuvaev)
Wynning History 