Philadelphia's King of Prussia Plaza
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot
Graphic from the M.A. Kravitz Company
KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA
West Delkalb Pike / US 202 and North Gulph Road
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA
West Delkalb Pike / US 202 and North Gulph Road
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Now part of one of the largest and most upscale shopping complexes in the nation, KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA had quite humble beginnings in the early 1960s. A single-level, open-air center was built on a 120-acre parcel. Once comprising the William C. Wilson Maple Croft Farm, the plot was located 15.5 miles northwest of Center City Philadelphia, in a section of Montgomery County known as Town of Upper Merion.
The site was sandwiched between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Delaware River Extension and Schuylkill ["skoo-kul"] Expressway. The Turnpike section, which passed north of the mall, opened to traffic in August 1954. The Schuylkill Expressway, traveling southwest of the site, was officially dedicated in September of the same year.
KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA was developed by the Philadelphia-based M.A. Kravitz Company (later known as the Kravco Company). The first two operational stores were dedicated September 18, 1962. These were a 2-level (200,000 square foot), New York City-based E.J. Korvette discount mart and (27,000 square foot) Acme Markets grocery store. The Korvettes operation included a Carpet & Furniture Center and freestanding Tire Center.
A 3-level (152,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, was dedicated on August 15, 1963. It was the first full-line, suburban shopping center store in the chain, then based in New York City. Unlike the standard Penney's, the KOPP store featured a greatly-expanded line of merchandise. There were thirty-two major departments, including home furnishings, sporting goods, paints and hardware, "Penncrest" -brand home appliances and electronics and ladies' sportswear designed by London's Mary Quant. A freestanding Penneys Auto Center would be added at a later date.
Fourteen inline stores opened for business along with J.C. Penney. A 3-day grand opening celebration included performances by a costumed Prussian band, celebrity appearances and puppet shows. Six additional KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA stores began business on August 23, 1963, as part of second grand opening. This soiree was hosted by Mrs. Mary Ann Boylan, "Queen of King of Prussia Plaza."
When fully leased, the mall encompassed approximately 700,000 leasable square feet and housed over fifty stores and services. These included Baker's Shoes, Country Flair Limited, Dial Shoes, Jackman's men's wear, Thrift Drugs, Marianne Shops ladies' wear, National Bank, Ritchey Gift Shop and a Horn & Hardart Retail Store.
A (46,600 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 featured an adjacent Snack Shop, as well as a Harvest House Restaurant, which was located in another section of the mall. Stores in KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA were situated along its four attractively-landscaped concourses. There were children's play areas, gazebos, fountains, an octagonal amphitheater and clock tower.
The first expansion of the mall was done in the mid-1960s. A 3-level (194,000 square foot), Philadelphia-based John Wanamaker department store was dedicated August 2, 1965. This was connected into a fully enclosed, bi-level mall, added to the north side of the existing Penney's. The addition was also anchored by a 3-level (229,000 square foot) Gimbels-Philadelphia, which held its grand opening on May 2, 1966.
The first theatrical venue at -or around- KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA opened in August 1956. The Budco Valley Forge Drive-In, located on a pad northeast of the mall, was in operation until 1975. The Stanley Warner Plaza Theatre was built in the mall's west parking area. Originally a single-screen venue, its first feature was shown on May 19, 1965. The theater was twinned in November 1978 and shuttered in 1999.
Meanwhile, in the late 1970s, the Kravco Company began making plans for an upscale counterpart of KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA. COURT AT KING OF PRUSSIA was built on a 30 acre tract, located across Goddard (now Mall) Boulevard from the original PLAZA mall. The new shopping complex, which housed 902,000 leasable square feet, opened in August 1981.
As part of the dedication, KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA had been renamed PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA. A major renovation of the northwest end of the structure soon got underway. Korvettes, which has been shuttered in 1980, was razed. It was replaced by a fifty-store addition.
This included the 14-bay Garden Food Court and a 2-level (212,000 square foot) Sears "Store of the Future." This was dedicated on July 25, 1983. PLAZA AT KING OF PRUSSIA now encompassed approximately 1,300,000 leasable square feet and contained 133 stores and services.
