From Franklin Mills to Philadelphia Mills: The Evolution of a Retail Giant - Route 1 Views

On route and almost there ! ×PreviousNextPhiladelphia Mills is the second largest mall in Pennsylvania after the King of Prussia Mall, which is also serves the Greater Philadelphia region. It was built late in the mall boom in 1989 as Franklin Mills, and the long, zigzag layout of the single-story mall corridors was meant to mimic a lightning bolt, recalling the famous experiment of the man who it was named after. Benjamin Franklin’s discovery using a kite and a key to attract lightning also was referenced in the mall’s original logo, which featured a red kite and a lightning bolt. Until 2012, there was even a huge animatronic Ben Franklin head that would tell the time in the grand court.Franklin Mills was renamed Philadelphia Mills in 2014 after it came under the ownership of Simon Property Group, which controls over 150 malls and outlets across the United States including the King of Prussia Mall. Current anchor tenants include AMC Theaters, Marshalls, and Burlington, but in the past...