The Colonial Theatre
The Colonial Theatre was one of Reading’s first large theatres built specifically for movies, and opened on April 16, 1917, with “Sleeping Fires”. It was operated by Carr & Schad, which had the local franchise for Paramount-Artcraft releases. In September, 1925, the Loew’s Inc. circuit took over and ran the Colonial Theatre through its peak years as home for all the major MGM releases, including “Gone With the Wind”.… Read Full Article
The Fairgrounds Square Mall
The Fairgrounds Square Mall was built on the site of the old Reading Fairgrounds
The Mall opened in October 1980
The Mall’s opening ribbon-cutting ceremony happening on October 20th 1980, on the first day of the 125th Reading Fair which was held on its premises.
A New Shopping Mall was opened in Berks County on Monday. It’s called the Fairgrounds Square Mall and is located in Muhlenberg Township where the former Reading Fairground was located.
The Berkshire Mall
Planning for the Berkshire Mall began in the late 1960s. Sears was announced to be the first major planned tenant in November 1967, to replace its nearby Shillington location which had opened in 1956. Construction got underway in 1968, with an “official” kickoff in November of that year. The mall opened in February 1970, and was the first enclosed shopping mall to open in eastern Pennsylvania outside of the Philadelphia area.… Read Full Article
The Sinking Spring Drive-In
The Sinking Spring Drive-In was opened on August 3rd, 1955. It was considered a first-class operation at the time of it’s opening. Those driving east on Route 422 from Wernersville could see the screen from nearly a half a mile away.
Shortly after it’s opening, it was bought by Fox Theatres of Reading, PA, whom also operated the Reading Drive-In and the Mt.… Read Full Article