About the King of Prussia Mall

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By Vickie Michelle
eHow Contributing Writer

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The King of Prussia Mall is located northwest of Philadelphia in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Touted as "The east coast's premier shopping destination," the mall is a popular tourist attraction in the Philadelphia area.

Geography

The King of Prussia mall is located off of Route 202 and Mall Boulevard in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. King of Prussia is a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia in Upper Merion Township (Montgomery County). The mall's address is 160 North Gulph Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406. The mall is easily accessible from the Pennsylvania turnpike, and it is also one mile away from the historic Valley Forge National Park.

Size

The King of Prussia mall features nearly 3 million square feet of retail space. It is the largest mall on the East Coast of the United States and features over 400 retail stores. It is considered to be the second largest mall in the United States, after The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in terms of size. But the King of Prussia mall boasts the largest square footage of retail space available for lease of any mall in the United States.

Time Frame

In 1963, building developers the Kravco Company opened The Plaza at King of Prussia. It was a small shopping mall with a few popular anchor stores at the time, such as J.C. Penney and Korvettes. The mall expanded in the 1970s with the addition of big name anchor stores like Gimbels and John Wanamaker's. By the 1980s, Kravco built a second mall adjacent to the plaza. Named The Court at King of Prussia, the second mall included several more high-end anchors like Macy's and Bloomingdales, as well as more sophisticated retail stores. But the Philadelphia region continued to prosper, so by the 1990s, Kravco did a major overhaul of the plaza, expanding it and adding more upscale retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Lord &Taylor and Nordstrom. A covered walkway connected the two malls, making it easy for shoppers to visit nearly 400 stores between the two malls. In 2001, another renovation was completed and The Pavilion at King of Prussia was added to the Court side of the mall. Today, both malls, which are now considered to be one entity, feature a mix of upscale stores and regular retail stores, as well as over 40 eating establishments. Just about every major department store and high-end retailer is represented, including several Fifth Avenue stores such as Tiffany & Co. and Coach.

Benefits

While a mall of this size may be overwhelming to some, its benefits are clear. Shoppers can hit just about any major retail store in one visit. There are also multiple food courts and restaurants throughout the mall complex, offering a mix of fast food, chain pub-style restaurants and some upscale eating establishments. Because the mall is so prestigious, it is a popular location for Philadelphia-area book signings and celebrity appearances.

Features

On the outskirts of the mall property, there are several other amenities including a huge multiplex movie theater, several restaurants, a major warehouse shopping club, and several big-box stores. The mall itself boasts a dozen ATM machines, automated defibrillators and emergency oxygen stations (located at customer service centers) and over 13,000 parking spaces. Mall gift cards for the King of Prussia mall can even be purchased online.