
The Westminster Street end of the Arcade. Notice the pedimented facade.
![]() The Westminster Street end of the Arcade. Notice the pedimented facade. Quahog.org > Attractions > The Arcade The ArcadeThe nation's oldest indoor shopping mall! 65 Weybosset Street, Providence This is where it all began. The Arcade, a building designed to look like a Greek temple to commerce, is the country's oldest indoor shopping mall. Built entirely of granite in 1828 (when Providence's population numbered only 14,000), it was not only the first commercial venture established on the west side of the Providence River, it was the city's first monumental business building as well.
An interesting artifact that dates from the building of the Arcade can still be seen in one of the west end pillars. The quarrying and carving of the pillars was supervised by Joseph Olney. One of the pillars had a small defect, and to hide it, Olney's son, Joseph Jr., carved a plug out of soapstone, snugged it in place, and marked it with his initials and the date. The soapstone came from another spot in Johnston, the Indian soapstone quarry, located just off Hartford Avenue.
The building has survived a fire and three hurricanes, but the Arcade has never been profitable for any of its owners, and in 1944 it was very nearly demolished. While it was saved by the Rhode Island Association for the Blind (which bought it as an investment), the building suffered over the next few decades from deferred maintenance and a lack of tenants. Happily, a three million-dollar refurbishment in 1980 brought shine back to the old girl. The Arcade in the 1980s and '90s was once again a bustling center of commerce. Incidentally, Cleveland, Ohio's, Old Arcade (1890), Seattle, Washington's, Northgate Mall (1950), Appleton, Wisconsin's, Valley Fair Shopping Center (1955), and Edina, Minnesota's, Southdale Center (1956) all claim to be the country's oldest/first indoor/enclosed shopping mall. Losers. Update, December 1, 2008: The Arcade closed today and will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The building's owner, Granoff Associates, had planned an eight million dollar renovation to convert the property from a collection of independent shops to space for a single company or retailer, but because of the economic downturn, those plans were put on hold. Update, September 26, 2010: The Providence Preservation Society issued its annual list of the city's ten most endangered buildings. The still-closed Arcade was number one. Update, January 25, 2012: New plans for the Arcade include a major seven million dollar renovation with fourteen shops and restaurants on the first floor, and forty-eight affordable micro-lofts on the second and third. The restaurants will have separate entrances so that they can operate past the 9pm closing time of the retail floor. As part of the renovation, long-bricked-up windows along the length of both sides of the building will be opened up. Update, October 21, 2013: The Arcade re-opened, partially, with a ribbon-cutting by Providence Mayor Angel Tavares, Governor Lincoln Chafee, and owner/developer Evan Granoff. Eleven out of seventeen shops were ready for customers. Still to come—the balance of the shops and forty-eight micro-lofts on the upper floors. Update, December 2013: Management began going through the waiting list of potential tenants for the micro-lofts. With no lack of interested candidates (the list was reported to contain some 4,000 names), the units soon filled up. Over the coming months the Arcade will be featured in dozens of national news and magazine stories trumpeting the newest trend of downsized living. Update, January 15, 2014: The Arcade's last retail space was filled with the opening of Environs, a "stylish gifts, home decor, and more" store. InformationCost: to look, free; to consume, flash the cash; to live, starting at $550 a month. Time required: allow 5 minutes or more, depending on what grabs your interest. Hours: Open Monday to Saturday, 10am-6:30pm; individual restaurants with dedicated entrances may be open later. Finding it: from Route 95 take exit 21 and turn left (if coming from the north) or right (if coming from the south) toward downtown; drive along Empire Street to the intersection with Weybosset Street; turn left on Weybosset and continue down until you see the Arcade on your left. What’s nearbyDistances between points are actual distances, without regard to water or menacing fiends. Your travel distance will be longer. This article last edited May 15, 2015 © 1999–2021 Quahog.org (with the exception of elements provided by contributors, as noted). |
Quahog.org: Because we care. |