Located in Upper Merion Township of Pennsylvania, the iconic King of Prussia Mall is the largest retail space in the U.S, with over 450 stores, over 30 eateries and boutiques in the seven department stores.
It is East Coast's ultimate shopping destination — and one of the United States' biggest malls in terms of size — and serves the Greater Philadelphia region that includes Chester Montgomery, and Delaware counties.
King of Prussia has items fit for every taste and budget from local to international brands. Below are 10 surprising facts about the King of Prussia Mall that has reinvented shopping in Pennsylvania.
10 How The King Of Prussia Mall Got Its Name
King of Prussia name originally was from King Frederick II of Prussia, an 18th century monarch who opposed to British colonial ambitions.
But an inn and tavern opened in 1769 in a converted farmhouse built by Welsh Quakers in 1719, was the first business named the King of Prussia.
The tavern's owner named it that way to honor King Frederick II. By 1850 the location where the mall is presently located was being called King of Prussia a name that is used today.
9 King Of Prussia Mall Early Beginnings
First opened in 1963, King of Prussia mall's plaza was built in 1961 and the court in 1981. In that time ACME supermarket was the anchor tenant, but there was a JC Penney, E.J. Korvette a discount store and a grocery that attracted most customers.
The location was chosen due to open land availability, and proximity to highways specifically the Schuylkill Expressway, that were being built from the years of the Eisenhower administration.
Kravco Company a private real estate developer and property management company built the King Of Prussia plaza, which was then a modest open air mall.
8 The Brains Behind The King Of Prussia Mall
Retail developer Morris A. Kravitz is considered among the pioneer innovators of suburban shopping centers concept.
In his 65-year career, Kravitz developed over 15 million square feet of retail shopping centers. He owned Kravitz Properties Inc that he founded in 1972, and was also a founding partner of Kravco Company that developed the King of Prussia Mall.
Besides shopping malls, Kravitz also developed strip centers, commercial offices, apartments and residential homes in the North East region of the United States.
7 King Of Prussia Mall Growth Today
From those early and modest beginnings, the King of Prussia Mall today has 2.9 million square feet of retail space and yearly has up to 25 million visitors.
Yearly the King of Prussia Mall brings about $1.1 billion in sales.
The mall's retail space keeps being expanded to offer customers more shopping options. The idea is to make it a one-stop shopping destination, that still offers a personal touch to customers as a way to appreciate them.
6 King Of Prussia Mall Precincts Facts
King of Prussia Mall is within five miles of a daytime population of 245,000 people, and 40 percent of U.S. population is within a day's drive to the mall.
The mall is also surrounded by among the wealthiest zip codes in the country, where over 130,000 households, make over $200,000 annually.
Philadelphia 18 miles away from Upper Merion, is also the world's fifth-largest economy and is headquarters to over 100 Fortune 500 companies.
5 Change Of King Of Prussia Mall's Ownership
In 2003 Simon Property Group acquired controlling stake and day to day control of the King of Prussia Mall for $300 million.
The acquisition was done by acquiring an interest from investors of Kravco Company that had developed the mall. After the acquisition, The Simon Group upgraded the property which attracted luxury retailers like Nordstrom, Neiman-Marcus, Dick's Sporting Goods and Macy's to set up shop at the King of Prussia Mall.
4 Holiday Shopping At The King Of Prussia Mall
In November and December over 5 million people flock the King of Prussia mall to do their holiday shopping and enjoy the festivities.
From Black Friday to New Year's Day the mall welcomes an estimated 200,000 visitors on an average Saturday.
3 King Of Prussia Initial Value
When the King of Prussia mall first opened it was valued at $7 million dollars, and its value increased as more developments occurred.
As at 2018 the mall's value was $2.8 billion which made it the 8th most valuable U.S mall, owned by a publicly traded real estate investment trust, according to Boenning & Scattergood investment firm.
2 The "Cult" Of The King Of Prussia Mall
Since inception the King of Prussia Mall has weathered business storms faced by traditional brick and mortar stores and malls and never closed down.
This resilience is attributed to its customers having a cultic devotion to it, that other moribund malls never had, plus the ability to reinvent itself with new value added facilities, and amenities.
These include a lounge to charge customers' phones, and fancy and diverse eateries, among others. For the King of Prussia Mall customers, the experience of shopping and dining here cannot be replaced by online shopping.
1 King Of Prussia Mall's Impact On Local Community
The King of Prussia Mall is considered a treasure in the Upper Merion community, and Philadelphia at large due to its huge economic impact. It employs about 6000 people and in peak business seasons up to 8000 employees.
The King Of Prussia Mall also yearly generates $60 million, sales tax revenue for the local government.