King of Prussia Mall
A large upscale shopping and dining complex in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
King of Prussia Mall is a major shopping, dining, and entertainment destination in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It is located in Upper Merion Township near the convergence of several important highways, including Interstate 76, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, U.S. Route 202, and U.S. Route 422. Its location gives it a broad regional catchment area that includes the Philadelphia metropolitan region, the surrounding suburbs, and visitors traveling to nearby Valley Forge and other attractions. The property developed in stages rather than opening as a single unified mall. The first open-air section, initially known as King of Prussia Plaza, opened in 1962. It combined a supermarket and discount department-store retailing, followed by additional department stores and inline shops during the 1960s. The complex adopted an American Colonial design vocabulary associated with nearby Valley Forge. A cinema and several large department-store anchors helped establish the site as a significant suburban retail center. A separate enclosed complex, The Court at King of Prussia, opened across the street in 1981. The Court added Bamberger's, Bloomingdale's, and Abraham & Straus as anchors, while the original Plaza continued to evolve through store replacements, expansions, and redevelopment. For many years, the two properties operated as neighboring but physically separate shopping centers. Their retail identities gradually converged, and a major redevelopment in the 1990s enclosed and modernized much of the Plaza, adding Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom. The mall's anchor roster has changed repeatedly as department-store chains consolidated or disappeared. Historical tenants included E. J. Korvette, JCPenney, John Wanamaker, Gimbels, Stern's, Sears, Hecht's, Strawbridge's, and Lord & Taylor. Several former anchor spaces were converted to new retail, dining, entertainment, or community uses. These changes illustrate the property's strategy of adapting large-format space to changing consumer behavior rather than relying solely on traditional department stores. The most consequential physical transformation came with The Connector, a major expansion completed in 2016. The project linked The Court and The Plaza under one roof, adding retail space, restaurants, customer amenities, and a new parking structure. It created a single continuous shopping destination and strengthened the mall's position as a large-scale luxury and experiential retail venue. Subsequent renovations refreshed portions of the western section with new flooring, lighting, handrails, seating, and customer facilities. The current tenant mix includes more than 450 retailers and combines luxury fashion, department stores, sporting goods, specialty retail, international food, casual dining, and entertainment. Anchors and major attractions identified in reference materials include Nordstrom, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Eataly, Netflix House, and Primark. The property also includes food courts and a substantial selection of full-service restaurants. Nearby hotels, transportation services, and tourist-oriented packages support its role as a destination rather than a purely neighborhood shopping center. Simon Property Group owns and manages the mall and became its overwhelmingly dominant owner through transactions completed in 2011. The property has been described as one of the most valuable malls in the United States and as a major tourist draw for the Philadelphia area. Its long history is defined by repeated enlargement, anchor replacement, enclosure, integration of entertainment and dining, and conversion of obsolete department-store space into new commercial and public-facing uses.
History
King of Prussia Mall began as an open-air suburban shopping center called King of Prussia Plaza. The first portion opened in 1962 with an Acme supermarket and an E. J. Korvette discount department store. The center expanded quickly: JCPenney and additional inline shops arrived in 1963, followed by a large cinema, John Wanamaker, and Gimbels during the middle of the decade. By the 1970s, the property had become one of the largest shopping centers in the eastern United States, with more than one million square feet of retail space and a large surface-parking supply. The site's second major phase began in 1981, when Kravco opened The Court at King of Prussia across the street from the original Plaza. The enclosed Court was anchored by Bamberger's, Bloomingdale's, and Abraham & Straus. The Plaza also changed substantially during this period. Korvettes was replaced by a food court and Sears, while Gimbels became Stern's and Bamberger's was later converted to Macy's. Abraham & Straus closed in the late 1980s and its space was taken by Strawbridge & Clothier. During the early and middle 1990s, the original Plaza was rebuilt and enclosed. The redevelopment removed some of the oldest sections and created a more contemporary two-level environment. The two mall sections were marketed together, although they remained separated by roads and pedestrian connections. New luxury anchors, including Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, strengthened the complex's upscale positioning. Department-store ownership changes also reshaped the property: Wanamaker's was rebranded through May Department Stores' chain changes, while Strawbridge & Clothier eventually became part of May's portfolio. In 2001, the former Abraham & Straus and Strawbridge's space at The Court was redeveloped as The Pavilion. May Department Stores discontinued Strawbridge's in 2006, and the former Wanamaker's location at The Plaza became another Macy's before closing in 2007. The former JCPenney building later became a flexible redevelopment area. The mall also briefly hosted the Philadelphia Freedoms professional tennis team in 2008 and 2009, with temporary seating and courts installed in a parking area. Ownership changed materially in 2011. Lend Lease had held a 50 percent partnership interest since 1996, while the remaining interest was held through a partnership involving Kravco, Simon, and family trusts. After Lend Lease agreed to sell its interest to Morgan Stanley's Prime Property Fund, the Kingmak partnership exercised a right of first refusal. Transactions completed in August 2011 increased Simon's overall interest to approximately 96 percent, making Simon the dominant owner and operator. The same period brought a major physical redevelopment. The former Plaza Macy's building and an adjacent parking garage were demolished in 2011. Simon then planned a new connector between The Court and The Plaza. Construction began in November 2014, and The Connector opened on August 18, 2016. The project added retail and dining space, linked the two sections under one roof, and included a new parking structure with customer-oriented technology and services. The opening transformed the property from two adjacent malls into one continuous regional destination. Anchor turnover continued after the expansion. Sears closed in 2014, with portions of its former space taken by Primark and Dick's Sporting Goods. JCPenney closed in 2017. A western-section renovation carried out from 2018 to 2019 refreshed finishes, lighting, seating, handrails, and restrooms. A temporary Happy Place attraction occupied part of the former JCPenney area from 2019 into early 2020. During the pandemic, a portion of that space was used as a county vaccination center. The mall's more recent strategy has emphasized food, entertainment, and immersive experiences. Plans for a Wayfair store in the former JCPenney space were announced in 2022 but later cancelled. Eataly was announced in 2023, while Netflix announced Netflix House for the former Lord & Taylor location in 2024. The reference material reports openings for both attractions in 2025 and also describes a later proposal for Level99 in part of the former JCPenney building. These projects reflect the property's effort to convert large former department-store footprints into destination experiences that complement conventional retail. Today, King of Prussia Mall is an active Simon Property Group asset with more than 450 retailers, luxury and mainstream brands, multiple food courts, restaurants, transportation connections, and nearby hotels. It serves both local shoppers and tourists, with the reference material estimating that about one-fifth of visitors are tourists and that annual visitation reaches approximately 22 million. Its history is therefore not simply one of enlargement; it is a continuing process of replacing formats, consolidating separate buildings, and broadening the definition of the shopping-mall experience.
- 2024
Netflix House location announced
[1]Netflix announces an immersive entertainment and retail venue for the former Lord & Taylor space.
- 2021
Former JCPenney space becomes a vaccination center
[1]Montgomery County operates a temporary COVID-19 vaccination site in the vacant anchor space.
- 2019
Western-section renovation completed
[1]Renovations add updated finishes, lighting, seating, and customer facilities.
- 2016
The Connector opens
[1]A new expansion joins The Court and The Plaza into one enclosed mall.
- 2011
Simon becomes the dominant owner
[1]Ownership transactions raise Simon Property Group's overall stake to approximately 96 percent.
- 2001
The Pavilion is created
[1]The former Abraham & Straus/Strawbridge's building at The Court is converted into an expansion known as The Pavilion.
- 1995
Rebuilt Plaza reopens
[1]The redeveloped and enclosed Plaza celebrates its reopening, adding new luxury-oriented anchors.
- 1981
The Court opens
[1]Kravco opens a separate enclosed sister mall across the street.
- 1965
John Wanamaker becomes an anchor
[1]A large three-level John Wanamaker store opens at the Plaza.
- 1963
JCPenney and additional stores open
[1]JCPenney and a growing group of inline tenants expand the original center.
Products and positioning
Upscale regional shopping and entertainment destination
Shopping-mall section · 1962
The Plaza
The Plaza is the original side of the King of Prussia complex. It began as an open-air center in the 1960s and was substantially rebuilt and enclosed during the 1990s. Its historical and current tenant mix has included department stores, luxury retailers, specialty shops, dining venues, and large-format stores. The section is now connected to The Court through The Connector.
Shopping-mall section · 1981
The Court
The Court opened in 1981 as a separate enclosed mall across the street from The Plaza. It added major department-store anchors and later received new retail space through The Pavilion redevelopment. Its stores and restaurants are now part of the unified mall experience created by The Connector.
Expansion and customer amenity · 2016
The Connector
The Connector is the major expansion completed in 2016 that physically joined The Court and The Plaza. It added approximately 155,000 square feet of space, new retailers and restaurants, an upscale dining area, customer amenities, and a parking structure. Its completion placed the historically separate sections under one roof.
Food hall and dining · 2025
Eataly
Eataly is an Italian food-hall and dining concept announced for the mall as part of its destination-oriented tenant strategy. The planned format combines food retail, prepared food, restaurants, and Italian culinary experiences. The reference material reports that the location opened in 2025.
Immersive entertainment and retail · 2025
Netflix House
Netflix House is an immersive venue announced for the former Lord & Taylor space. The concept is described as combining replicas or environments inspired by Netflix productions with themed restaurants, a theater, and merchandise shops. The King of Prussia location is presented as one of the first venues of this type.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Happy Place
United States
Happy Place, a temporary experiential attraction, opened in part of the former JCPenney building as a stop on a national tour.
Outcome. The attraction left the mall in February 2020.
- 2008Philadelphia Freedoms tennis events
Philadelphia metropolitan area
The mall hosted the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis in 2008 and 2009. Temporary courts and a stadium seating approximately 3,000 people were constructed near Bloomingdale's for event dates.
Outcome. The team relocated to another venue in 2010.
Brand decisions
2024
Netflix House developmentProduct launchBackground
The former Lord & Taylor space became available after the chain announced the closure of its stores during the pandemic period.
Action taken
Netflix announced plans for a venue combining entertainment, themed dining, theatrical presentation, and merchandise.
Aftermath
The reference material reports an opening in November 2025.
2014
Redevelopment of the former Sears spaceStrategyBackground
Sears announced that it would sublease part of its location, then closed the store entirely in 2014.
Action taken
The former space was repositioned for Primark and Dick's Sporting Goods, with additional later uses in portions of the former auto-center area.
Aftermath
Primark opened in 2015 and the large-format anchor footprint gained a new retail mix.
2011
Simon consolidates ownershipM&ABackground
A proposed sale of Lend Lease's interest triggered a contractual right of first refusal held by the Kingmak partnership.
Action taken
Transactions completed in August increased Simon Property Group's overall interest to approximately 96 percent.
Aftermath
Simon became the dominant owner and manager of the mall and proceeded with a major redevelopment program.
2011
Plan to connect The Court and The PlazaStrategyBackground
The two major sections had historically operated as separate buildings divided by roads and parking areas.
Action taken
Simon announced a large connector expansion with new retail, dining, customer amenities, and parking improvements.
Aftermath
The Connector opened in 2016 and created one continuous enclosed mall.
Reported estimated construction cost. (2011 announcement)
Sources2 sources
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