After a number of false starts (this has been a very complicated process!) the King of Prussia Inn will be on its way very shortly; barring complications, the move is scheduled to occur this summer, on Sunday, August 20th. At 6:00 a.m. on that date all traffic on Route 202 at Gulph Road will be interrupted for as much as 23 hours.
International Chimney Corp. (ICC) has bid $1,600,000 to move the building and will pay a very stiff fine if the highway cannot be opened by 5:00 a.m. of the next day. ($1,000 for the first hour, $5,000 for the second hour, and $10,000 for each hour after that.) Obviously the owners of the King of Prussia Plaza/Mall must be apprehensive at the thought of having the most important artery to the center closed for all of Sunday, a premier shopping day.
This graceful structure was constructed in 1719 with additions in 1750 and 1770. The Inn’s owner in the 1770s, Jimmy Berry, named it for the reigning monarch in Germany to attract the business of the many Prussian mercenaries who were in the area during the Revolutionary War. Apparently it was a favorite meeting site for spies who were tracking Washington’s troop movements in Valley Forge.
Over the years the Inn suffered the ignominy of highway encroachments and neglect until finally it was isolated on a totally inaccessible island. Still the building endured because of its inherent architectural richness and the concern of many groups such as the King of Prussia Historical Society whose president, Carl Schultheis, Jr., M.D., has fought tirelessly for decades to preserve it. Another stalwart in the battle has been Albert Pascall, President of the King of Prussia Chamber of Commerce.
There were many bleak years, and the Inn is in serious disrepair as 86,000 vehicles cause it to shake, rattle, and roll daily!
A brighter day beckons however; when it is ensconced on its new 1.5 acre site about one-quarter of a mile from its present location, it will be the new home, appropriately enough, of the King of Prussia Chamber of Commerce and the King of Prussia Historical Society.
So, the Inn bids “adieu” and “hello” as it embarks on perhaps its most intriguing adventure yet!
– Ken Butera