Malls
Everything Went Wrong for Puerto Rico’s $475 Million Mall
The upscale center has been beset by bankruptcies, a hurricane and a deadly pandemic.
The grand opening of the Mall of San Juan was a celebration of Puerto Rico’s rosy future. There was confetti, a bomba band and roving politicians, including the governor and the mayor, glad-handing under the atrium’s blue-tinged skylight.
“There was so much enthusiasm,” says Alberto Baco Bague, the secretary of economic development and commerce, who was in attendance that day in 2015. “It was a moment of such hope and brightness.”