The Arcade (Providence, Rhode Island)
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The Westminster Arcade (also known as the Providence Arcade, Arcade Providence, or The Arcade) is a historic shopping center at 130 Westminster Street and 65 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
erected in 1828. It is notable as the first enclosed
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and has been lauded as a fine example of commercial
Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
architecture. It served as a shopping center for many years before falling into decline in the late 20th century. It has since been closed for renovation and rehabilitation several times, and most recently reopened its doors in October 2013 as a residential and commercial mixed-use building. It was declared a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1976.


History

The Arcade was developed as a commercial business venture by Cyrus Butler. Its preliminary design called for two floors of shops, and a third floor was added to the plans before construction began. The building was designed by Russell Warren and Tallman & Bucklin. Their design called for an arcaded lane of shops with skylights in the roof providing illumination, in emulation of similar structures then found in some European cities. Construction of the mall roughly followed the original plan, but some hasty alterations were made to meet the need for a vestibule and stairway on the Weybosset Street side of the building to provide access to the third floor. These were not well-constructed and required repairs in the 1940s. At the time of the Arcade's opening, there were few retail stores on the west side of the
Providence River The Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles (13 km). There are no dams along the river's length, although the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is located south of downtown to protect ...
. Most shopping was located on the east side or Cheapside district. The arcade was slow to attract customers and was known as "Butler's Folly" for many years because of its distance from the retail districts. This changed when a fashionable hat shop opened next door which attracted wealthy female customers to the neighborhood. After that, Westminster Street and downtown developed into a major shopping area. In June 1843, President
John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...
toured New England while considering a potential third-party bid for re-election. One of Tyler's several Providence stops was at the Westminster Arcade, where he reportedly shook hands with 5,000 people. The building served as a shopping center well into the 20th century. It fell into disrepair but was rehabilitated by architects Irving B. Haynes & Associates and Gilbane Properties, and it reopened in 1980. It closed again in 2008 for renovations. It reopened in October 2013 as a mixed-use commercial and residential "micro-loft" space under real estate developer Evan Granoff of Granoff Associates LLC working with Northeast Collaborative Architects. The Arcade was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1971 and declared a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1976. and  


Description

The Arcade is a long, narrow building extending between Westminster and Weybosset Streets, north of Orange Street in downtown Providence. The two street-facing sides consist of Greek temple fronts, with six massive Ionic columns high. These massive columns were quarried away in Johnston and hauled over dirt roads by teams of oxen. The columns on the Westminster Street side are topped by a triangular
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
; the Weybosset Street side has a block-and-panel railing above a simple entablature. Behind these fronts are open vestibule areas with stairs leading to the upper levels. The stairs leading to the third level are somewhat crowded beneath the roofline, particularly on the Weybosset Street side, where the vestibule was a late addition occasioned by the decision to add a third floor. The long sides of the building are relatively unadorned, as it was expected by the architects that structures would eventually be built abutting them. The interior consists of a main avenue on the ground floor, above which the second and third floor lanes are protected by richly decorated cast iron railings capped in mahogany. The skylit roof extends the length of the building, its ridgeline aligned at the Westminster end with the top of the triangular pediment. Emphasis in all of the building's construction was on the use of fireproof materials; granite, brick, and cast iron are all used, and the roof was made of tin.


Images

File:Arcade, Providence.jpg, An 1836 engraving of the Weybosset St facade of the building File:The arcade, Providence, RI.jpg, An 1836 lithograph of the arcade File:Westminster arcade from Views of Providence (1900).jpg, Westminster arcade from Views of Providence (1900) File:Westminster Arcade (62471).jpg, The Westminster St. facade File:Arcade Providence.jpeg, The interior as seen from the second floor File:Providence, RI (32708726752).jpg, The exterior at night


See also

* List of National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...


References


External links


Arcade Providence - Official Site
* {{National Register of Historic Places 1828 establishments in Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island Commercial buildings completed in 1828 Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Historic American Buildings Survey in Rhode Island Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Rhode Island National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island Russell Warren buildings Shopping arcades in the United States Shopping malls established in 1828 Shopping malls in Rhode Island