In 1892, Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen founded Textile Machine Works in Reading, PA. Four years later they purchased a site in Wyomissing, PA for $1, relocated their business, and ultimately launched the largest worldwide manufacturing company of its kind, The Berkshire Knitting Mills.
The property transformed over 125 years from the The Berkshire Knitting Mills, to the Vanity Fair Outlet Capital of the World, and finally to The NEW Knitting Mills, a 700,000 SF innovative mixed-use campus.
G&A Services
The redevelopment at The Knitting Mills occurred on an existing development parcel containing 16.5 acres of buildings and parking lots. To bring the site back to a focal point in the Reading, Pennsylvania area, a redevelopment strategy was necessary. G&A devised a plan to overcome the challenges of historic infrastructure, honor the heritage and beauty of the area, provide modern amenities for its new occupants, and help stimulate local economic growth.
Land Surveying services for the redevelopment of The Knitting Mills included Boundary and Topographic Survey, utilizing aerial survey mapping planimetrics, supplemental conventional ground survey, ALTA/NSPS, and Land Title Survey.
G&A provided a range of Geotechnical services for the redevelopment of The Knitting Mills. On-call support associated with sinkhole subsidence, and an unknown encounter with subsurface historical features were provided in rapid fashion to expedite a mitigation plan and maintain project schedules.
G&A's Structural and Forensic department was called in to perform Rapid Response services when the existing underground tunnels presented a conflict with the installation of utility structures.
During the demolition and renovation of the annex buildings, an existing sanitary sewer main was discovered underneath the structures. G&A's Water Resources department televised the tunnels to access the conditions and recommend repairs.
Landscape Architecture services included overall site landscape, sustainable site design, and lighting plans to satisfy the municipality’s ordinance requirements. Sustainable site features included rain gardens, parking lot landscaping, and pedestrian oriented streetscape improvements.
A New Community of Strength and Economic Development
By honoring the past and focusing on the present, The Knitting Mills transformed into a pillar of community strength and economic development.
A Look Back in Time
1892
Ferdinand Thun and Henry Janssen founded Textile Machine Works in Reading, PA
1896
Thun and Janssen purchased a site in Wyomissing, PA for $1 and relocated their business
1906
Textile Machine Works manufactured knitting and braiding machines
An experimental knitting mill was opened as a test bed for the machinery they manufactured
The Berkshire Knitting Mills was incorporated
1910 - 1941
The Berkshire Knitting Mills evolved into the largest, worldwide, full-fashioned knitting mill
The "Reading" Knitting Machine was the most infamous invention of The Berkshire Knitting Mills
With its 240,000 precision-machined parts, The "Reading" held the record for the longest patent filed with the US Patent Office
The patent was granted and its technology is still in use around the world
1945
Competition in the South increased with cheaper labor
Wartime production decreased
Thun and Janssen miscalculated the success of the new polymer nylon - they chose not to produce it, as a result, a tremendous amount of business was lost
The decline of The Berkshire Knitting Mills began
1969
The Berkshire Knitting Mills was sold to Vanity Fair Mills
Vanity Fair Outlets (VF) was established
VF was the first outlet center in the country
1980 - 1991
An estimated 5-6 million people visited VF each year
VF was voted the top US shopping destination by American Bus Association
VF hit its peak with close to 100 stores
1991 - Reading was named Outlet Capital of the World
2002
VF began to hit hard times with increased competition and the introduction of online shopping
2016
With only about a third of its retail space leased, Vanity Fair Outlets was sold to Equus Capital Partners
Equus contracted G&A to assist with the transformation of the site into a center for business and innovation
To learn more about the history and evolution of The Knitting Mills, click the button below.
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Created with work by Jane Jacobs, GoReadingBucks, Equus Partners, WFMZ, berksnostalgia, Boisedev, Berks History Center