The Arcade, modeled after Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele in Milan, opened in 1890 and was built at a cost of $867,000. The building is a cross between a light court and a commercial passage or shopping street. When it opened, it was one of the first indoor shopping malls in the United States, consisting of three structures: two 9-story office buildings connected by the four-story iron-and-glass enclosed arcade. The 300-foot-long arcade itself is a covered light court ringed by four levels of balconies. It’s been a central part of Cleveland for more than a century, and looks as good as ever.
But, as Cleveland Historical tells us, “Some might be surprised, however, to find out that Downtown actually had three more of these incredible structures running parallel to each other between Euclid and Prospect Avenues. Two of them, the Colonial (1898) and Euclid (1911) Arcades, stood side by side 100 feet apart, while the Taylor Arcade (1907) was located to their east. The Taylor Arcade was subsumed into Taylor’s department store in the 1930s. In contrast, the Colonial and Euclid have been connected at their midpoint by a food court since 2000. The Colonial Marketplace project also led to other renovations in and around the arcades, including the opening of a Marriott in the former Colonial Hotel on Prospect Avenue.”
The 5th Street and Euclid Arcades remain attractions to this day, reborn and revitalized through the years. Here’s what they, and the others, looked like through the 20th century.
National Convention of Republican Clubs at Cleveland Arcade, 1895Superior Avenue entrance to The Arcade, 1925Interior view of The Arcade, 1926 Credit: Cleveland Memory ProjectView of Euclid Avenue showing The Arcade, 1928Crowd outside Greenwood’s Diamonds in The Arcade, 1931New plan for The Arcade, 1933Exterior at the Arcade, 1934Interior view of The Arcade, 1936The Arcade skylights, 1941Interior view of The Arcade during an event, 1945Interior view of The Arcade, 1946Detectives at The Arcade, 1948Interior detail of The Arcade, 1948Reject Art Show at The Arcade, 1949Interior view of The Arcade during an event, 1950sBroken skylights in The Arcade dome, 1950Broken panels in The Arcade dome, 1950Grenadier guard at The Arcade’s Salute to Britain, 1959Girl examines carabinieri at The Arcade Salute to Italy display, 1959Master plan model, 1959Two girls looking up at Joan of Arc statue in The Arcade, 1959Showboat Ball at The Arcade, 1960Showboat Ball at The Arcade, 1960Guests at the Showboat Ball at The Arcade, 1961Cuyahoga County Nursery Association event, 1962Cuyahoga County Nurserymen’s Association exhibit at The Arcade, 1964Nurseryman’s Association exhibit, 1964Interior view of The Arcade, 1965Interior view of The Arcade, 1965Cuyahoga County Nurserymen’s Association annual spring display at The Arcade, 1966Interior of The Arcade, 1965Detail of The Arcade exterior from Superior Avenue, 1965Lamp post at the Superior Avenue end of The Arcade, 1965Exterior view of The Arcade, 1965Vitality Health Foods store in The Arcade, 1971Interior of the Arcade, 1973Interior view of The Arcade, 1973Car crash at The Arcade, 1974Tour group at The Arcade, 1975Public Square Dinner at The Arcade, 1975Public Square Dinner guests, 1975Public Square Dinner at The Arcade, 1975Musicians performing at The Arcade, 1975Cleveland Ballet dancers at Public Square Dinner, 1977Cleveland Ballet dancers at Public Square Dinner, 1977Christmas tree in The Arcade, 1978Euclid Avenue entrance to The Arcade, 1979Euclid Avenue entrance to The Arcade, 1979Friends of the Library book sale, 1979NBA All-Star game celebration at The Arcade, 1981
